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Canon T6i Shutter Speed
Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are the three building blocks of photography. Among them, Canon T6i shutter speed plays a major role in determining how your photos turn out. Even if you’ve got a great camera like the Canon T6i, understanding how shutter speed works is one of the first things you should learn.
Here are four practical tips and techniques to help you get the most out of your Canon T6i shutter speed settings.
Tips and Techniques for Canon T6i Shutter Speed
Tip 1. Controlling the Shutter Speed
The Canon T6i has built-in scene modes like Sports mode that automatically adjust focus and exposure for moving subjects. That’s fine for quick shots, but you’ll get better results by taking control yourself.
Switch your Canon T6i to shutter priority mode (marked as Tv, or Time Value, on the dial). Then rotate the main dial to set your desired shutter speed. The camera takes care of the aperture for you, giving you the right exposure while you focus on timing.
Tip 2. Avoiding Unwanted Camera Shake
Canon T6i shutter speed – unwanted shake
Camera shake mostly happens when you’re shooting handheld. Three things affect how noticeable it is:
- Whether your lens has built-in image stabilization (IS)
- Wind speed during the shoot
- The focal length of your lens
Focal length matters most. The general rule is that your Canon T6i shutter speed should be equal to or faster than the effective focal length of your lens. So if you’re using a 100mm lens, shoot at 1/100 or faster. And always factor in how quickly your subject is moving.
Tip 3. Faster Shutter Speed for Capturing Action
Canon T6i shutter speed – capturing action
For the complete picture, our connect Canon T6i to computer guide fills in the gaps.
When photographing moving subjects, you need more speed than you’d think. Here’s a quick reference:
A walking person: 1/250 should do the trick. A running person or animal: between 1/500 and 1/1000. A flying bird or fast car: between 1/1000 and 1/4000.
The exact speed depends on three factors: how fast the subject moves, which direction it’s traveling relative to you, and how far away it is.
We break down portrait lens for Canon in a separate post that complements this one.
One important thing to remember: as you increase Canon T6i shutter speed for sports or wildlife, bump up the ISO too. Faster shutter speeds let in less light, and higher ISO compensates for that.
Tip 4. Mastering the Panning Technique
Canon T6i shutter speed – panning
Panning is a technique where you keep the subject sharp while blurring the background to create a sense of speed and motion. It takes practice, but it produces stunning results.
Here’s how it works: slow down the shutter speed and move the camera along with the subject at roughly the same speed. The exact Canon T6i shutter speed you’ll need depends on the subject’s speed and how much blur you want in the background.
Set the AF mode to AI Servo. This lets the camera continuously track your moving subject. A lens with built-in image stabilization also helps a lot, especially when you’re panning horizontally or vertically and need to reduce camera shake.
