Rolling shutter captures an image by scanning the sensor row by row, which can cause distortion in fast-moving scenes. Global shutter captures the entire sensor at one instant, eliminating motion distortion entirely. For professional mobile mapping and precision 360° imaging, global shutter cameras produce more accurate, distortion-free results – especially at vehicle speeds.
This article was updated in May 2026.
The effects of rolling shutter vs global shutter cameras
Let’s take a dive into how rolling shutters vs global shutters can affect the final output of your camera. Stay tuned for some awesome effects of the rolling shutter.
When asked to define a camera and what it can produce, most would say it is a device that captures a moment in time. But how short of a moment can your camera capture? A second? A millisecond? A nanosecond?
Contrary to what most people believe, your camera and most cameras out there cannot capture ONE SINGLE moment in time. In fact, your camera probably actually captures multiple moments in time and splices them all together to give you one solid image. Most of the time, you’re none the wiser. But occasionally, you might notice that something isn’t quite right about your picture.
(For some of the more interesting ‘mishaps’ see below.)
What is a rolling shutter?
A rolling shutter captures an image by exposing the sensor sequentially – row by row from top to bottom – rather than all at once. The entire exposure takes place over a fraction of a second, but because different rows are captured at slightly different moments in time, fast motion or vibration can introduce visible distortion.
Rolling shutter is the most common type of shutter found in mobile phones, digital cameras and most video cameras. These cameras contain active-pixel sensors (CMOS), which typically employ rolling shutters in order to capture images.
As previously mentioned, the sensor is not exposed entirely at the same moment in time but rather has a ‘rolling’ quality to the exposure. It is as if a slit is moving either horizontally or vertically across the whole entire image. This occurs at a rate of the maximum frame rate of the particular sensor. For example, if the sensor operates at 30hz or 30fps, a rolling shutter occurs over 1/30 of a second. If the sensor operates at only 10fps, then rolling shutter occurs over about 1/10th of a second (0.1 seconds). In either case, that means tens of images are captured at slightly different moments in time.
While the process is still quite quick, and in most cases, the object of the sensors is not moving quickly enough to have any effect, occasionally, this image-capturing process can significantly affect the outcome of the photography.
What causes the rolling shutter effect?
SMIL animation of the rolling shutter effect on a rotating propeller and a moving car. Source: Wikimedia.
The rolling shutter effect creates distortions in the images taken. Since the sensor is exposed in a rolling fashion, it actually captures the images and the light at ever so slightly different positions or brightness. So, for images that are moving quite fast or for scenes with high contrast in light, the final product may seem flawed. The most common effects are listed here. And see below for some mind-blowing images and videos.
What is the jello effect (wobble)?
The wobble effect, also known as the ‘jello effect’ is caused when an unsteady hand holds the camera or when taking a picture from a fast moving car. The rolling shutter will produce a wobbly or fuzzy image. This is why your attempt to take in the beautiful scene out your train window is nearly impossible.
What causes skew in rolling shutter images?
Similarly, if the subject of the camera or the camera itself is moving from left to right or vice versa, it can cause the image to bend diagonally in one direction. Imagine trying to take a photo of Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, as he runs by you from right to left. You’ll come away with an image in which you capture his head on the right side, his body in the middle of the image, and his legs and feet towards the left side of the frame. In essence, it will appear as if Bolt is leaning backward to the right even though he is actually tilted slightly forward (left).
What is spatial aliasing?
This is when the image shown in the final photo is something other than what was seen with the naked eye. This effect is most common when an object moves at extreme speed and parts of the image are displayed incorrectly. For example, if the propeller of an airplane is photographed, it often appears that the propeller blade on the left seems thinner than its counterpart on the right. It may even seem disconnected from the propeller completely.
What is temporal aliasing?
Because the sensor is exposed to the image at different times, it can create a partial exposure, especially when using flash. The flash may only be captured for part of the full exposure, incorrectly presenting two (or more) layers of brightness across the image.
Pros and cons of rolling shutter
Advantages:
- Lower manufacturing cost → more affordable cameras
- Lower noise levels due to higher native sensitivity
- Near-universal in consumer and smartphone cameras
Disadvantages:
- Motion distortion at speed (wobble, skew, aliasing)
- Not suitable for fast-moving subjects without stabilization
- Unreliable with strobe/flash lighting
Other Uses of Rolling Shutter
Although rolling shutters are only found in digital, smartphone, and video cameras (mostly consumer goods), they have a variety of other uses. Rolling shutters can be found in
- electronics, such as circuit board alignment and inspection, as well as identification for code and text reading;
- Image analysis and documentation in microscopy;
- Pick & place applications in robotics; and
- Code reading and multi-code reading of products in pharmaceuticals.
What is a global shutter?
A global shutter captures every pixel on the sensor simultaneously, in a single instant. Because the entire frame is exposed at exactly the same moment, there is no row-by-row delay and no motion-induced distortion, regardless of how fast the subject or the camera is moving.
So you might have already guessed it – global shutters behave how most imagine a camera actually operates. All pixels within the frame of the lens are captured at the exact same moment. The sensor in the camera is exposed to light in one single moment of time, typically about 1/10th of a second (0.1 seconds).
This means that the sensor is capturing the whole image in one moment of time. No rolling or scanning. And as you can imagine, this means that the rolling shutter effect is eliminated. There is no blurring, no skewing, and no spatial or temporal aliasing.
Cameras with global shutter used to be, by nature, a charge-coupled device (CCD). However, as CCDs are partially obsolete, nearly all global shutter sensors on the market are now CMOS sensors. They are typically found in cameras for high-end broadcasting, astronomy, and even some mobile mapping cameras.
The Mosaic X and the Mosaic Viking are two examples of this. Both are highly operable at highway speeds and collect image data in high resolution. They are ideal for 3D modeling, reconstructions, and VFX.
Pros and cons of global shutter
Advantages:
- Zero motion distortion – critical for vehicle-mounted or drone-mounted cameras
- Consistent exposure across the entire frame
- Reliable with flash and rapidly changing light conditions
- Essential for accurate photogrammetry and mobile mapping
Disadvantages:
- Higher manufacturing cost
- Slightly reduced dynamic range compared to rolling shutter sensors
- Less common in consumer products
Other Uses of Global Shutter
Just as with rolling shutters, there are more applications for global shutters other than mere high-end cameras and video cameras for shooting movies and sporting events. Global shutters are in a wide array of technologies:
- Traffic management, allowing for the accurate capture of important information such as license plates
- Astronomy, “the observation of transient events or in order to limit the effect of atmospheric turbulences.”
- Metrology
- Infrastructure inspection and surveying
- Robotics inspection
- Agriculture
- Intelligent transportation systems
Rolling shutter vs global shutter: side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Rolling shutter | Global shutter |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Scans sensor row by row | Exposes entire sensor simultaneously |
| Motion distortion | Yes – wobble, skew, jello effect | No – distortion-free |
| Dynamic range | Higher | Lower (typically) |
| Sensor noise | Lower (higher native sensitivity) | Slightly higher |
| Cost to manufacture | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | Static scenes, controlled lighting, general photography | Fast motion, vehicle-mounted cameras, precision mapping |
| Common in | Smartphones, consumer cameras, DSLRs | Industrial cameras, scientific imaging, mobile mapping |
| Mosaic products | Mosaic 51 (rolling, optimized for HDR), Mosaic Meridian Lite | Mosaic X, Mosaic Meridian |
And now for the fun stuff:
The Rolling Shutter Effect in Action
Although unintentional, the rolling shutter effect creates some mind-blowing images, so enjoy and share.
This video clip of airplane propellers out an airplane window looks like the propellers are spinning the blades OFF the plane. They seem to be shedding off and falling to the ground.
This video does a great job of showing the stark difference between a CCD sensor (global shutter) and CMOS (rolling shutter) from within the cockpit. The front propeller, filmed with a CCD sensor, shows the propeller spinning as you would see with your naked eye. However, the other half shows the blades looking more like zebra stripes than straight, rigid blades.
The next clip is from within a guitar as the musician strums the strings. The guitar strings no longer seem to keep their straight lines but become radio waves with each finger or thumb pluck.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for some cool trick photos to impress your friends, check out these examples. And yes, you can try these at home:
- Spin a coin (or a fidget spinner)
- Throw a frisbee
- Take a picture of a reflection of someone blinking
Frequently asked questions
Does rolling shutter affect video quality?
Yes. Rolling shutter distortion is especially visible in video when the camera or subject is moving quickly. The jello effect and skew become more pronounced at higher speeds, which is why many professional videographers prefer global shutter cameras for action or vehicle-mounted shots.
Can rolling shutter be corrected in post-processing?
Partially. Software tools can reduce rolling shutter artefacts in some cases, but they cannot fully eliminate the distortion caused by the time offset between rows. For applications requiring geometric accuracy – such as surveying or mobile mapping – correcting rolling shutter in post-processing is not a reliable substitute for a global shutter sensor.
Is global shutter always better than rolling shutter?
Not in every situation. Global shutter sensors typically have a lower dynamic range and slightly higher noise than rolling shutter sensors of comparable quality. For static scenes, controlled studio work, or environments with extreme contrast in lighting, a rolling shutter sensor may actually produce better image quality.
What shutter type do 360° mapping cameras use?
It depends on the system and its intended use. High-precision vehicle-mounted systems like the Mosaic X use global shutter sensors to eliminate motion distortion at speed. Systems optimized for dynamic range, like the Mosaic 51, use rolling shutter sensors with hardware and software compensation to minimize distortion artifacts.
Which shutter type is better for mobile mapping?
For mobile mapping, the choice of shutter type has direct consequences for data accuracy. When a camera is mounted on a vehicle moving at 40–80 km/h and capturing thousands of frames per minute, even a few milliseconds of row-by-row delay can introduce measurable positional errors in the output imagery.
This is why professional mobile mapping systems – including the Mosaic X and Mosaic Meridian – use global shutter sensors. The distortion-free capture ensures that every pixel in a 360° frame corresponds to a consistent moment in time, which is critical when the images are used for photogrammetry, asset inventory, or georeferenced mapping.
Rolling shutter cameras are not unsuitable for all mapping applications. The Mosaic 51, for example, uses a rolling shutter sensor optimized for high dynamic range – making it the better choice for environments with challenging lighting conditions, such as tree-lined roads or tunnels, where HDR performance outweighs the need for motion precision.
Where we’re headed …
As previously mentioned, the debate about rolling shutter vs global shutter is very evenly divided. There are pros and cons to both, making it difficult for many without limitless sums of money to decide which way to go.
Global shutters give a much more accurate portrayal of the images and the scenery captured within the frame. While the price tag and the level of difficulty involved in developing a camera with global shutter capabilities can deter many from attempting it, there are camera, photography, and 360-mapping companies that see it in their future. The use of a global shutter on a more frequent basis will add new depth and clarity and completely change the game. Stay tuned for updates.
