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Photography Definitions and Factoids

High-speed photography

Photography at exposure durations shorter than those possible with conventional shutters or at frequencies (frame rates) greater than those achievable with motion picture cameras with intermittent film movements is useful in a wide range of technical applications.

The best conventional between-the-lens shutters rarely yield exposures shorter than 1/500 s. Some focal plane shutters are rated at 1/2000 or 1/4000 s but may take 1/100 s to traverse the film format. Substantially shorter exposures are possible with magnetooptical shutters (using the Faraday effect), with electrooptical shutters (using the Kerr effect), or with pulsed electron image tubes. Alternatively, a capping shutter may be used in combination with various pulsed light sources which provide intense illumination for very short durations, including pulsed xenon arcs (electronic flash), electric arcs, exploding wires, pulsed lasers, and argon flash bombs. Flash durations ranging from 1 millisecond to less than 1 nanosecond are possible. Similarly, high-speed radiographs have been made by discharging a short-duration high-potential electrical pulse through the x-ray tube.

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