fastest shutter speed for indoor portraits

[amelia_le_brun]

<p>So, Im shooting some portraits in my room. They have to be there, its the whole point! I shot a test roll of portra 400 and they are slightly blurry. I have the shutter speed at about 1/15th. Can i go any faster and still get correctly exposed images? Or should i move up to portra 800?<br /> thanks</p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>Is your test roll blurry but correctly exposed? It should be well exposed if you use an exposure meter. With all else remaining the same, a faster shutter speed will give under-exposure. A film of double the speed will give you a shutter speed one step faster: 1/30 sec. as against 1/15 sec. Perhaps a better option will be to use a tripod or other support. You could rest the camera on a suitable table, for example, and fire the shutter with a cable release -- or the self-timer if your camera has one. Finally, for the sake of completeness, I might add that you could open up the lens aperture if you don't already have it wide open.</p>

[amelia_le_brun]

<p>its a little light maybe, on a tripod and f2!</p><div></div>

[jean_yves_mead]

That looks more like missed focus than motion blur.

[amelia_le_brun]

<p>hmmmm ok thnk you, thought they were focused but i will try again! thanks</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p>You have to ask yourself why you are getting blur. Is it movement of the subject, or movement of hte camera. Are you using a tripod?<br /> I'd be thinking about how to get more light into the room, or using a reflector to modify the light you currrently have. Going to faster film will likely result in a grainy image that you maynot like.</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p>Now htat I see your image, I agree that the focus is the biggest issue to address. The subject has beatiful eyes; focus on those! Maybe also working to make the portrait less flat.</p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>I'd like a medium format camera with an f/2 lens.</p>

[ondebanks]

 

<blockquote>

<p>I'd like a medium format camera with an f/2 lens.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You have some options. Try the Mamiya 645 (f/1.9), Contax 645 (f/2), Norita 6x6 (f/2)...and then there are a couple of aerial lenses...</p>

 

[mukul_dube]

<p>Thank you. I guess old fellows like me still think of the f/2.8 Planar and Xenotar as the fastest.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

Surely you can't be too young to remember the Night Exakta?

[mukul_dube]

<p>Hadn't heard of it before now. Knew only the 35mm (Kine) Exakta. Even those got to India only in small numbers.<br>

Sorry, Amelia. Back to your questions now.</p>

[ondebanks]

 

<blockquote>

<p>I guess old fellows like me still think of the f/2.8 Planar and Xenotar as the fastest.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Which reminds me - I left one of each off my f/2 list above! 80mm f/2 Xenotar for the Rollei 6008, and 110mm f/2 Planar for both the Rollei 6008 and the Hasselblad 200/2000 series.</p>

 

[JRCrowe]

<p>Try a couple large <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Full-Spectrum-Light-Bulb-Fluorescent/dp/B0019HZQPM">daylight balanced</a> CFL's or you can get 100 watt equivalents at your local hardware store. I have used six 100 watt cfl's at ISO 400 and was able to get 1/40 at around f5.6. I used them in two <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30232225/?query=MAGNARP+Floor+lamp">Ikea floor lamp</a> designed to hold three bulbs and it has a whitish paper shade which diffuses the light. Here is the result.</p><div></div>