Tv vs. Av mode

[sdctlc 0]

I have been poking around on different peoples camera settings for stills that have been noted here in the forums. It seems a lot of poeple are using "Tv" Shutter speed priority mode with a setting of about 350 on cloudy days and 500 on sunny days, manual focus and the camera doing the rest. Why is that prefered over "Av" Aperture Priority mode and letting the camera set the shutter. Maybe I am completely wrong in my thinking but if you set the aperture higher resulting in a deeper depth of field would that give you a better shot at getting an infocus shot? I really dont know and that is why I am asking the question.

I am jsut curious why most seem to like the Tv mode?

Any thoughts appreciated.....

Thanks
Scott C.

"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!"

[ffejdraga 0]

my personal reason for not using aperature priority is that if the camera needs to, it will pick a slow shutter speed to accomadate the amount of light coming in. if that slow shutter speed happens to be slower than 125th of a second, you will get a lot of motion blur (hair, jumpsuits etc) if it is really slow, then mostly likely the subject will be out of focus due to movement of either yourself as the camera flyer or the subject.

my way is just one of the many...
jeff D-16906

[diverds 0]

Is'nt 1/500th a much faster shutter speed than you should need. The subject should not be moving in the frame if you are flying your slot smoothly so why sacrifice the depth of field?

On a sunny day I use shutter priority set to either 1/180th or 1/250th with an ISO of 200. This usually gets me somewhere around F8 - F11. At 1/500th I think you would be closer to F4.5 or F5.6. Even at 1/180th I see very little blur in the jumpsuit edges and at 1/250th I can't detect it at all so past that it seems to me like you would be wasting your depth of field?

Skydive Radio

[ffejdraga 0]

Quote

I can't detect it at all so past that it seems to me like you would be wasting your depth of field?

I would agree.
500th can come in handy for stuff though.
but i am a big fan of 250th most of the time (95% of my shots in the air)

jeff D-16906

[jmfreefly 0]

Depends on the subject. I most often use 1/500th, to fully stop things like jumpsuits from being blurry. Slower than that, and there will be a bit of blur.

I also like a tight depth of field usually if my focus is set right. Tandem students don't care about their shoes being in focus. For other types of shots, I will use slower shutter speeds for a better depth of field.

j

[diverds 0]

I guess it all comes down to opinion and taste. Personally I would rather have a bit of blur in the edges of the jumpsuit than a soft background. To me a skydiving photo is an action shot not a portrait, and should show as much of the environment as possible, especially on those days with good visibility and puffy white clouds in the background.

Skydive Radio

[jdhill 0]

If I have the light, I use 1/500 a lot... Most of the time I get F8 or F9.5, sometimes as low as F6.5... but when it starts getting down there, I'll bump the shutter down to 350, or 250... you don't need a super fast shutter speed for RW, but for FF it helps

As someone else noted, Av will allow the camera to slow your shutter speed down below an acceptable level if it does not have enoug light... If you want to get a specific aperture value, you should probably go to full manual mode and set your shutter speed as well... but that is an iffy game in freefall.

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke