This quick illustration shows why digital camera often produce somewhat surreal images when trying to capture fast-moving objects like airplane propellers:
In the video below, Kenneth Lu shoots a propeller “through a Canon 5D Mk II while varying the shutter speed from 1/30 sec to 1/4000 sec and back.”
I’ve never tried to record an airplane blade but I’ve seen videos like this before. The animation is very cool in “explaining” why that happens.
How fast would the shutter speed have to be to actually capture the blade rotation?