Shutter image sensors: Introduction

Posted 2024-03-29 09:33:19

For many years, most cameras used mechanical shutters to control the light exposure. A mechanical shutter is a physical curtain that opens and closes rapidly in front of the image sensor. When the shutter button is pressed, the first curtain opens to expose the sensor to light. After the selected exposure time, the second curtain closes to end the exposure.

However, mechanical Shutter Image Sensor do have some downsides. They contain many small moving parts that are prone to wear over time. The shutter mechanism also takes up physical space inside the camera body. The clicking sound produced during operation can be intrusive in some situations. Most importantly, the maximum shutter speed is limited by the physical speed at which the curtains can move open and closed. This typically tops out at around 1/8000th of a second for DSLR cameras.

Mechanical shutters offer some key advantages. They allow for very precise exposure times from fractions of a second up to several minutes. By fully covering the sensor when closed, they also help prevent unwanted light from entering during shutter operation. This leads to crisper images with less risk of blur caused by camera movement.

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