# 5DIII minimum shutter speed is not working



## yuxinhong (Mar 30, 2012)

The Minimum shutter speed is not working on my 5D.
I set it to for example minimum 1/250, 
i will shoot with, auto iso. AV mode. F4 (same with P mode)
the camera will still take picture at speed slower than 1/250 like 1/50

anyone know who does this work? 

manual page 128


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## se7en (Mar 30, 2012)

lol, maybe a Userware update is in order?


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## yuxinhong (Mar 30, 2012)

MasterJul said:


> Maybe you will better understand if you read *all* the manual page.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have read the manual, and i know how to use M mode, i just want to find out why is minimum shutter speed setting is not working on my camera. either miss operation, firmware problem or hardware problem.
1. i am not using a flash.
2. i have tested both with auto iso and manual iso, no matter which i use, the minimum shutter speed limit won't apply.
3. i have tried both in AV and P mode according to manual.

and the title is not misleading, the minimum shutter speed is not working on my camera until i found the the cause.


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## yuxinhong (Mar 30, 2012)

MasterJul said:


> And you also have an automatic filter which seems to prevent you to see what is written in the manual or in this topic, like (let's try in red):
> 
> ** If a correct exposure cannot be obtained with the maximum ISO speed limit set with [Auto ISO range], a shutter speed slower than [Min. shutter spd.] will be set to obtain a standard exposure.*
> 
> *You* are the cause.



in my understanding it means if you set the ISO to Auto, then it will override the min shutter speed setting.
that's why i tried use manual iso setting. but shutter still go slower.

if it overrides both ways. then what is the limit for?


and thank you Ryant for understanding



Ryant said:


> I think taking the stance that someone is a newbie or that they cant read is a bad place to start. You are being very offensive and there is no reason to act this way to someone asking a question.


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## elsyx (Mar 30, 2012)

> in my understanding it means if you set the ISO to Auto, then it will override the min shutter speed setting.
> that's why i tried use manual iso setting. but shutter still go slower.
> 
> if it overrides both ways. then what is the limit for?



The minimum shutter speed setting applies only when you're using Auto ISO, not manual ISO. And if Auto ISO hits the maximum ISO you've specified, it will start moving your shutter speed below the specified minimum, rather than underexposing.

Try raising the maximum ISO for Auto ISO if you hit this consistently. (Or shoot in better light).


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## yuxinhong (Mar 30, 2012)

elsyx said:


> > in my understanding it means if you set the ISO to Auto, then it will override the min shutter speed setting.
> > that's why i tried use manual iso setting. but shutter still go slower.
> >
> > if it overrides both ways. then what is the limit for?
> ...



thank you , finally got me understand how operate this function.


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## yuxinhong (Mar 30, 2012)

MasterJul said:


> Nice to know your 5D Mark III is finally working...



yeah took me 2 days to figure it out. the manual wasn't clear enough.
in my understanding, this option is to let people to take underexposed pictures rather than blurry pictures, when the iso is set, or when iso reached its max.


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## RunAndGun (Mar 30, 2012)

Sounds like you may have had the "Safety Shift" turned on(it may be on by DEFAULT, I can't remember, I just make sure it's OFF), which will override it to try to obtain a proper exposure.


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## clicstudio (Apr 1, 2012)

yuxinhong said:


> The Minimum shutter speed is not working on my 5D.
> I set it to for example minimum 1/250,
> i will shoot with, auto iso. AV mode. F4 (same with P mode)
> the camera will still take picture at speed slower than 1/250 like 1/50
> ...


I noticed the same problem... Another reason why the 5D III is not as useful as some people might think... On my 1D4 I can set min and max shutter speeds for all modes, no matter the ISO or flash modes... I really can't wait for the 1D X.


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## nsurg (Sep 23, 2012)

clicstudio said:


> yuxinhong said:
> 
> 
> > The Minimum shutter speed is not working on my 5D.
> ...



Sorry to dig up an older thread, but seems better than posting a new one. Agreed, this still doesn't work. When in P mode with iso set to auto, the minimum shutter speed stays at or faster than what one chooses (i.e. this mode works). Frustratingly, when in Av mode, the minimum shutter speed frequently falls slower than the value set (i.e. the minimum shutter speed doesn't work). One might argue that it is only intended by canon to work in P mode, but in the menu screen where one sets the minimum shutter speed the "info" button indicates that it should work both in P and Av mode.

So it's either a firmware bug or a bug in the "info" portion of the menu there. Does this drive anybody else crazy, or does it work for other people?


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 23, 2012)

nsurg said:


> clicstudio said:
> 
> 
> > yuxinhong said:
> ...



Do you have Safety Shift enabled?


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## nsurg (Sep 23, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> nsurg said:
> 
> 
> > clicstudio said:
> ...



Good question, but no, Safety Shift remains turned off on my camera....


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 23, 2012)

nsurg said:


> So it's either a firmware bug or a bug in the "info" portion of the menu there.



I expect it's neither, but functioning as designed. The footnote on p.128 of the manual indicates that if a correct exposure cannot be obtained at the max ISO of the selected range, a shutter speed lower than the chosen minimum will be used. So, it seems to be intended as a 'soft' limit. 

As pointed out above, for the 'min shutter speed in Auto ISO' available on the 5DIII, the 1D X has that setting, but also has 'hard' limits (lower and upper) that can be applied to shutter speed and aperture, which the camera will not override to get a correct exposure. 

So, if you absolutely require a min shutter speed on the 5DIII, your best bet is probably to set the max allowable ISO at the top (or use Tv or M mode).


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## Sony (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks VON. I was confused of it.


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## nsurg (Sep 24, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> nsurg said:
> 
> 
> > So it's either a firmware bug or a bug in the "info" portion of the menu there.
> ...



Bingo, you got it right. Thanks! For some reason when testing it the P mode always seemed to stay faster or equal to the shutter limit set but Av did not; turns out I must have been pointing at inconsistent subjects when comparing the 2 modes, and I realize when it did go slower than that (which happens in both modes) that the ISO is in fact at my upper allowed limit. Thanks! That was driving me crazy, and it was all in my head. 

What part of my head was it, neuroanatomist? Probably limbic with a brief DA surge, but now my nucleus accumbens is all lit up again. Haha.


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## eninja (Dec 18, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> nsurg said:
> 
> 
> > So it's either a firmware bug or a bug in the "info" portion of the menu there.
> ...



Also same scenario with 6D, Using Auto-ISO in Av mode, shutter speed is set to less than minimum shutter speed set WHEN auto-iso max out to get correct exposure.

I will try Manual Mode when I get home if this still holds.

Thanks.


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## eninja (Dec 19, 2012)

I have tried using M mode, to keep the shutter speed fix in auto ISO mode, 
but new problem arises, I can not control the exposure, auto ISO set such that the exposure always come out standard/even or what the camera think is good exposure.

Now going back to Av Mode with auto ISO and must take note shutter speed every time.


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## JenniferSvenja (Mar 22, 2015)

Hi everyone,
I found this old post and it seems to be dealing with kind of my problem. My Canon 5D Mark III just sometimes ignores my minimum shutter speed at low ISO e.g. ISO 400 both in P and Av Mode. Sometimes it works only in P or Av Mode, sometimes in both, sometimes in neither of them.
Iso is always set to AUto, My Max Auto ISO is set to 12800. Instead of upregulating the ISO , it just upregulates the shutter time first. It makes pictures taken at not optimal super bright light just impossible. And i checked the safety shift, it is OFF. I don't know what to do. I just invested a huge sum into this camera and now such a simple thing is not working...... :'( Please help me with this issue.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 22, 2015)

JenniferSvenja said:


> Hi everyone,
> I found this old post and it seems to be dealing with kind of my problem. My Canon 5D Mark III just ignores my minimum shutter speed at low ISO e.g. ISO 400.
> My Max ISO is set to 12800. Instead of upregulating the ISO , it just upregulates the shutter time first. And i checked the safety shift, it is OFF. I don't know what to do. I just invested a huge sum into this camera and now such a simple thing is not working...... :'( Please help me with this issue.



To confirm, are you in Av mode with ISO set to Auto?


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## JenniferSvenja (Mar 22, 2015)

neuroanatomist said:


> JenniferSvenja said:
> 
> 
> > Hi everyone,
> ...



Sorry, I realized later that I forgot to mention this and modified my question post.
Yes, definitely: I tried both Av and P Mode. And ISO is set to Auto. And the awkward thing is, that sometimes it seems to be working after changing the minimum shutter time due to troubleshooting. But it always goes back to "not working" after some time.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 22, 2015)

JenniferSvenja said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > JenniferSvenja said:
> ...



It won't apply in P, only Av. As light dims, shutter speed should increase to your set minimum, and only then should ISO rise to your maximum, and after that the shutter speed will start to increase again. 

What shutter speed do you have set as your min shutter in Av mode?


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