Cheers Brummie! That was great and very informative Problem with my camera is it only has two aperature values. 2.8 and 4.0 Ill just have to use the 2.8 for high shutter speeds and 4.0 for low
If thats the limit then some cameras can use neutral density filters that cut down the amount of light entering but without altering the colour balance so the end image looks the same but darker. These are often used by astronomers observing the sun with cameras.
For use without tripods take the focal length as the minimum shutter speed so a 500mm lens should get 1/500th of a second or use a tripod. For shorter lengths than 100mm I use 1/30th as a minimum to get a reasonable chance of shake free results.