Many lamps on AC mains pulse at twice the mains frequency: 100 times a second in 50 Hz countries (Europe, most of Asia and Africa), 120 in 60 Hz countries (the Americas, part of Japan). If the shutter speed is not a multiple of that pulse, the footage flickers or shows dark bands rolling through the frame.
Manual exposure
- Tap the button next to the shutter speed reading in the manual exposure column until it shows the base for your mains: 25, 50 or 100 for 50 Hz, 30, 60 or 120 for 60 Hz.
- The shutter steps now follow the mains instead of the frame rate. At 24 fps with the 50 Hz base: 1/25, 1/37, 1/50, 1/75, 1/100. Pick 1/50 (or 1/100) for the cleanest result.
At 25 and 50 fps in 50 Hz countries, and at 30 and 60 fps in 60 Hz countries, the normal shutter speeds already fit the mains and nothing needs to change.
Automatic exposure
Set Anti-banding (AE) in the auto exposure column to ⋮50Hz or ⋮60Hz, or to automatic if the camera supports it.
If some lights still flicker, they are probably LED or fluorescent fixtures with their own driver frequency. Try other shutter speeds while watching the screen, or change the light.