Why Lights Flicker on a Camera and How You Can Stop It
Lights flickering on a camera can be a frustrating issue for photographers and videographers. This phenomenon is caused by a mismatch between the frequency of the electricity supply and the shutter speed of the camera.
In countries that use a 60Hz electricity supply, lights flicker at a rate of 60 times per second. This frequency can create an interruption in the lighting, causing a noticeable flicker effect in your still or moving images.
The easiest solution to preventing light flicker is to match the shutter speed of your camera to the frequency of the electricity supply. This means that if you are shooting in a country that uses a 60Hz supply, then it is best to use a camera with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second or a multiple of 1/60, such as 1/120th or 1/30th of a second.
If you are shooting in a country that uses a 50Hz electricity supply, then use a shutter speed of 1/50th of a second or a multiple of 1/50th, such as 1/100th or 1/25th of a second.
Another solution is to use continuous lighting sources or LED lights, as they don’t have a flicker effect since their light intensity is constant.
In some instances, you may not be able to match your shutter speed to the electricity supply frequency or use a continuous lighting source. In these situations, you can use an ND filter, which works by reducing the amount of light entering the camera, allowing you to use a slower shutter speed without overexposing the image.
In addition, there are editing software and post-processing solutions that can reduce or eliminate flicker in case you couldn’t avoid it during shooting.
In conclusion, lights flickering on a camera are a common issue for photographers and videographers, but there are several solutions to prevent or reduce it, such as matching your shutter speed with the electricity supply frequency, using continuous lighting sources or LED lights, and using ND filters. Don’t let flicker ruin your photos and videos and experiment with different settings and methods to get the best results.