Slutartid

Slutartid, in photography, refers to the duration for which the camera's sensor is exposed to light during an exposure. It is commonly measured in seconds or fractions of a second and is controlled by the camera's shutter mechanism.

Typical ranges span from 1/8000 s for very fast action to several seconds for long exposures. In practice, longer shutter times increase light gathering but also risk motion blur and camera shake, especially if the camera is handheld.

Shutter speed is one of the three components of exposure, together with aperture (f-stop) and ISO. A faster shutter reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor and can freeze motion, while a slower shutter increases light and may blur moving subjects or create flowing light trails. It also affects the perception of motion in an image.

Shutter types include mechanical shutters, electronic shutters, and rolling shutters common in many digital cameras. A rolling shutter can cause distortions with fast movement or panning because different parts of the frame are captured at different times, unlike a global or mechanical shutter that captures more uniformly.

Choosing the right slutartid depends on the subject, lighting, and the desired effect. In bright light, fast speeds such as 1/1000 s are used to freeze action; in low light, slower speeds like 1/30 s or longer are used, often with a tripod or stabilization. Long exposures (seconds to minutes) are used for night photography, light painting, or star trails, sometimes with a remote release to avoid camera shake.

Slutartid is the Swedish term for shutter speed and is used in photography literature and camera interfaces in Swedish-language contexts.