Handheld Shutter Speeds

[dc2]

Originally Posted by bauerman

All,

What is the slowest shutter speed that you can handhold and get acceptable results? After posting the shutter speed that you can get down to - tell us about your techniques of how you steady your equipment to achieve these results.

Mine would probably be 1/30 (not always - but sometimes) and I simply hold the camera with both hands firmly, tuck my shoulders against my body and hold my breath a bit (literally - not figuratively) as I press the shutter.

Jared

1/30 would be asking a lot from me on most focal lenghs Ilike a little faster

[dc2]

Originally Posted by bauerman

Yeah - I should have posted that the 1/30th figure is for a mostly a lens at wide angle rather than zoomed. 1/30th at 300mm would not work in most cases for me.............

Good point...

Jared

At wide angle I might get away with 1/30

[Paul Shields]

It really depends on the focal length - I can get down to 1/30 or lower with a small lens, but with something equiv to 400mm then I'm really lucky if I get shake-free shots at 1/125. There is definitely a stop or two to be gained by holding and breathing correctly. Would be interested in any tips myself.

[Paul Shields]

OK - only tip I'll offer is really a cheat, but it is to have your camera set up to continually fire while the shutter is depressed. I find that if shooting 3 or more frames per second (depending on shutter speed) then one or more will turn out to be steady.

[JDArt]

This is dependent upon both the camera and the lens. The heavier the camera, the easier it is to hold steady. The longer the lens, the harder it is to hold steady. So a heavy camera and a short lens are easiest to hold steady. With a 1d-series camera and a 50mm lens, I can hold steady at 1/16 sometimes. Yes, shooting off several frames helps, as does not breathing while depressing the shutter.

[Neil V]

I try to stick to one and a half times the effective focal length. I am looking forward to getting a 70-200 VR just for that vary reason.

[Sidebyte]

This is entirely relative to how steady you are....the older I get, the worse the situation. That's why I am investing in new VR lenses. Worth a couple of stops or resign yourself to using a tripod.

[cyclohexane]

I've managed to handhold a Nikon D70 with the 18-70mm DX that came with it at 1/3 sec in the dark by leaning against a tree and breathing as if shooting a rifle. Take a breath, exhale slightly, hold, and release the shutter. In general though, I rarely hand-hold under 1/40 sec. My dad used to do 1/15 sec consistently, but I don't think I'm as good at 1/15.

[ohenry]

Depends on how big I print ... it tends to be more obvious when examined critically .... anymore, I try not to shoot at low shutter speeds without support of some kind ... Not as steady as I used to be, I guess ... good thing I don't shoot guns

[mikej]

Jared, if you can tuck your shoulders against your body, you should be able to hand hold to a lot slower speed than that... but then looking through the view finder might be a challenge.

Mike

[Mr. Pickles]

Since this question is probably in reply to you asking me about an image I posted, then what I tld you applies.

1/13th sec.

Of course, it was a wide angle, and it wasn't drop dead on, but it was pretty darn good. Didn't work always either. Get arms and elbows in close, stop breathing, and a really easy trigger finger. Burst mode works too, but I didn't use it on my shot.

[mikej]

Jared, well, for all I know, you could be one of those circus people that can bend into a pretzel.


Mike

[dmacgee]

With the KM 7D's built in anti shake I can get away with 1/15th depending on the situation and have shot a couple even slower handheld. With the 75-300 1/25 is really my limit especially at the 300 mm end.

Dave

[dmacgee]

Originally Posted by bauerman

Dave - did you mean 1/125 in your post above? If not - you are VERY steady......

Do you turn off the anti-shake system in your KM when you have it mounted on a tripod - just curious.

Jared

No I actually meant 1/25th I don't do it often but the anti shake seems to compensate enough. (I'm not that steady and depending who you ask I man be considerd unstable

When its on a tripod I turn the antishake off, if you leave it on the camera tries to compensate for shake that isn't there.

[dmacgee]

Originally Posted by bauerman

Wow - Dave those are some great results with the anti-shake technology - to be able to get 1/25 at 300mm is just amazing. And regarding the tripod - that was what I was not sure of - if you left the AS on while on a tripod if the results would be unacceptable - thanks for the information.

Jared

I think its a combination of the AS technology and the camera weight(see the note earlier in the thread). I also find I can hand hold at slower speeds with the vertical grip on and shooting landscape, the weight of the batteries acts like a counterweight for the lens.

By comparisoin I've also got a Canon A85 and the slowest I can reasonalby shoot handheld without the flash is about 1/50th

[JDArt]

I find that it's harder to get steady shots with the compact cameras because I can't really hold them still very well.

[dc2]

Originally Posted by cyclohexane

I've managed to handhold a Nikon D70 with the 18-70mm DX that came with it at 1/3 sec in the dark by leaning against a tree and breathing as if shooting a rifle. Take a breath, exhale slightly, hold, and release the shutter. In general though, I rarely hand-hold under 1/40 sec. My dad used to do 1/15 sec consistently, but I don't think I'm as good at 1/15.

Nice to see you posting I read a article from canon saying that the more of an the smaller the pixcels you have the harder it is to prevent camera shake. I read this after I bought my 1ds2

[Wilt]

>> but I am really curious of tips or tricks of how to get sharp handheld shots without all the "toys" like VR or IS. <<

As stated by MJordan, tucking elbows into the body helps or use a nearby support (wall, bench, tree trunk).
Stand with your feet apart slightly making a bipod base for your body.
Also, more techniques as for sharpshooting...breathe out slowly and steadily can be more stable than holding your breath.
And easily and slowly depress shutter rather than poke at it suddenly.

Another technique is a string from the bottom of the camera and held down to the ground underfoot, with slight tension upward on the body as you shoot (minimizes the degrees of freedom of movement).

[dmacgee]

Wilt,

Besides breathing and using a wall or a support. Paul suggested burst mode, just to add to that if I'm a little uncertain, I'll bracket my shot. the KM does it automatically and I'm sure most of the others do to.

If the situation warrants it I'll drop to one knee and use use my elbow on my knee for support. In some situations I've also lain prone on the ground and taken the shot.

Best advice I was ever given was just experiment, find a technique that works for you and take lots of pictures, especially with digital its a lot easier to see what you need to correct.

[JKSeidel]

Originally Posted by dc2

I read a article from canon saying that the more of an the smaller the pixcels you have the harder it is to prevent camera shake. I read this after I bought my 1ds2

I can believe that. I noticed a huge difference in my ability to handhold when I went from my old 300D to my new 20D. The 20D is alot less tolerant. I can usually do 300mm shots down to about 1/60 and even an occasional 1/30, lower than that is pure luck for me with that length of lens. I'm quite happy doing even that, given the old rule-of-thumb of 1/(focal length) = minimum handheld speed. I use a technique I learned in a gun training course. B.A.S.S. - Breathe, Aim, Slack, Squeeze. Seems to work for photography as it does for using firearms.

I've talked to two locally based pros who swear by this: http://www.pixelagogo.com/gopod/. I just haven't seen enough reviews and commentary on it to make the plunge. None of the local photo supply shops carry them, so I've been unable to try one out.