Samsung NX300 - Shutter Priority

Shutter Priority gives the photographer control over the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture accordingly.

Right: number of shots available, battery, Dynamic Range, photo size (20M), Drive, Flash, Metering, AF mode, Focus Area, OIS, RAW format, Fn menu

Left: Shutter Priority, Autoshare, AF options, Menu, Histogram (the graph)

The Samsung NX300 has the ability to capture shots at 1/6000th of a second, which is extremely fast but you do need a good amount of light and a wide aperture if your ISO is set at 100.

ISO stands for International Organisation of Standardization (or Standards).  Don't worry about the name itself, just know that ISO is an indication of how sensitive the sensor is to light.  The higher the number, the higher the sensitivity to light.  The big problem with ISO in digital photography is the amount of digital noise (specs seen on the photo) that increases as the ISO is increased.

Follow this link for more info: http://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography

With the ISO at 100, aperture at f3.5, I was able to get the shutter speed up 1/6000 while directing the camera towards the clear blue sky during the midday sun.  It became more difficult when I zoomed out using the Samsung 18-55mm kit lens to f5.6 where the shutter speed decreased to around 1/1600 due to less light being allowed through the lens.

BUT...if you increase your ISO between 200 to 400 then shutter speed of 1/6000 is easier to get on a bright day without having to keep your camera pointed towards the sky.  At ISO 400, aperture F5.6 I was able to get the shutter speed up to 1/6000 without any difficulty.

Keep in mind that the camera handles aperture in Shutter Priority which can mean a decrease in depth of field (how much is kept in focus).  With increased ISO the aperture went up to f9 while I was experimenting so you will get a large DOF (large amount of the area is in focus).

Just remember to keep your ISO at a level where noise is still kept reasonable.(although the Samsung NX300 does a fantastic job of handling noise).

Here's a link to understanding Depth of Field (DOF): http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm

The above photo taken of two sparklers only differ in the shutter speed used.  In the right photo the shutter speed of 1/6000th of a second has isolated the sparks whereas in the left photo a slower shutter speed has created streaks of light.  The amount of light allowed into the lens was decreased because of the faster shutter speed and smaller aperture.

While at Swartkops during Fly Day I took 15 frames in one burst of the Harvards flying past (well I know at least one is a Harvard).  The youtube video is just a quick combo of 15 frames to show the action captured.  It was easier to put the frames in a video to give a better idea than to individually list the photos.

ISO: 100, Aperture: f/8, Shutter Speed: 1/250.  Taken with the Samsung 18-55mm.

The photos were edited with basic editing in Lightroom 4, the software provided with the Samsung NX300.  I didn't use tracking, just Continuous Auto Focus with  Multi Auto Focus where I had selected the area I wanted in focus and kept that area over the middle Harvard.

The final photo has slight blurring of the two outer Harvards while the middle Harvard is in focus as this was where my focus point was placed.  In the rest of the photos all three of the planes were kept sharp and in focus.  None of the photos were cropped.

While the shutter speed isn't 1/6000 the video shows how the Samsung NX300 captured the fly by with 15 frames in JPEG format.  If it was in RAW format the top frame burst would be around 6 fps because the camera would need time to write the extra info to the memory card.  It would be a good idea to stick to JPEG when taking multiple bursts of action photos.

When I get the chance for more action shots I will update this posting.  So far I have been impressed with the responsiveness of the Samsung NX300 as well the quality of the photos.

While playing around with my Canon 100mm and 650D I grew a bit frustrated at not having the flexibility with the focus points the way I do with the Samsung NX300.  I can definitely see a Samsung Macro Lens on my wishlist.