On hand held shutter speeds.

[bronzeo]

I have learned that hand holding a higher MM lens is harder than a smaller MM lens, basically because the shake is magnified more..... and maybe a good calculator would be 1/50th sec. for a 50 MM lens shot, while 1/300th sec. for a 300 MM lens shot. (At least that is an easy way to remember if it is close. I usually shoot AV mode.

My question is, after applying those parameters, do I just move up the ISO to be able to get in those make that shutter speed happen? and a what level do I need to quit bumping the ISO and go get a tripod. I'm trying to get the shake out of my better photos, and I already have IS lenses. I can't really tell the critical qualities of the photo when in the field. Thanks

 

[tirediron]

Shutter speed = recip fl has been a guideline as long as I've involved in photography, so you're spot on with your learning. As far as how to get there, well, I'm a BIG proponent of tripods, so if you can use one and reduce your shutter speed, that's best, but that doesn't always work (freezing fast-moving subjects), so sometimes yes, you need to increase ISO, use faster glass or similar.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Do you think the shake is from movement or shutter blur from slow speeds? I've never used a tripod, although I can see why they're used for long exposures, portraits, or by photographers who will be set up for a longer amount of time. I've done sports and events and in general like to move around and change my vantage point.

Handheld I usually don't go slower than 1/60 - if I'm shooting late day and losing light and try a slower speed I have to get balanced and braced more than usual. I find with a telephoto lens it can be more tricky sometimes to keep it still, but I imagine it has been lots of practice that makes it easier to keep a lens still. I'm pretty efficient at framing and composing shots so usually I get a shot fairly quickly; if I'm waiting to take a shot, the longer I wait the more likely I'll have to take a break and lower the camera and reframe.

I usually use manual settings so it's a matter of figuring out what ISO will work best in whatever light I'm in, what shutter speed is manageable, and using a sharp lens and adjusting aperture to find the best combination for whatever I'm photographing. If you want to get a faster shutter speed setting yes, you'll probably need to use a higher ISO and/or a larger aperture.

 

[Derrel]

I have learned that hand holding a higher MM lens is harder than a smaller MM lens, basically because the shake is magnified more..... and maybe a good calculator would be 1/50th sec. for a 50 MM lens shot, while 1/300th sec. for a 300 MM lens shot. (At least that is an easy way to remember if it is close. I usually shoot AV mode.

My question is, after applying those parameters, do I just move up the ISO to be able to get in those make that shutter speed happen? and a what level do I need to quit bumping the ISO and go get a tripod. I'm trying to get the shake out of my better photos, and I already have IS lenses. I can't really tell the critical qualities of the photo when in the field. Thanks

Yes, elevating the ISO is an easy way to get to a higher shutter speed. One can also open the lens up, say, from f/8 to f/5.6, or from f/5.6 to f/4. Of course, at times, many lenses will "run out of aperture" in the late afternoon, meaning it becomes impossible to "open up the aperture" any more that maximum aperture, and so in that kind of a situation one must by necessity, elevate the ISO, OR slow the shutter down, or perhaps do a little of both.

 

[astroNikon]

You can also work on your handholding technique. I started out having bad holding technique for even a 85mm lens. Now i can hold a 500mm lens pretty good.
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-making-yourself-tripod-versus-using-one.html

 

[Derrel]

You can also shoot 10 or 12 shots, hoping for one really steady one...I did that last week around dusk, shooting about 30 minutes after the sun had gone down on the Pacific Ocean beach, at ISO 1600 at f/2.8 at 1/15 second, on a light-colored, sandy beach. I got a few shots handheld that were very sharp, as well as about 80% that were rejects, using my 80-200 zoom. I moved closer, and switched to my 35mm f/2 prime lens, and got a higher rate, about 75% good, using the same settings in slightly dimmer light. It was impossible to focus by "eye", but the camera's AF system was able to get a lock-on.

 

[bronzeo]

This is a shot that I made in Venice on a cloudy day, Canon DSLR, handheld on auto settings. I love this shot, but the motion blur of the shutter speed ruins it for any enlargements. I am basically trying to assure myself that this can be cured without carrying a tripod. Sometimes it just isn't practical.

 

[robbins.photo]

Shutter speed = recip fl has been a guideline as long as I've involved in photography, so you're spot on with your learning. As far as how to get there, well, I'm a BIG proponent of tripods, so if you can use one and reduce your shutter speed, that's best, but that doesn't always work (freezing fast-moving subjects), so sometimes yes, you need to increase ISO, use faster glass or similar.

Ok, first, Tirediron is insane. Second... hmm.. No, come to think of it that's all I had, just the one.

Lol.. kidding of course. TI is dead on here, if your shooting hand held a good rule of thumb is to try and keep your shutter speed equal to or greater than the focal length of your lens to avoid blur from camera shake. For faster moving targets you want a higher shutter speed to stop motion if possible, the higher the shutter speed the faster motion you can capture and have it look like everything is "frozen" in time.

As to the ISO settings, well it's going to depend on the camera and your personal tastes as far as how much noise you think is acceptable. Higher ISO's will introduce more noise, and some camera bodies are better at dealing with that than others.

 

[BrickHouse]

I believe that you need to take into account crop factor though too if using a DX lense?? So 35mm would not be 1/35 as a minimum handheld but rather 1/50. Yes? No? Maybe?

 

[Tinderbox (UK)]

Ansel Adams was supposed to have recommended 5x the focal length for minimum shutter speed for hand held photography for perfect sharpness.

John.

 

[Derrel]

Ansel Adams was supposed to have recommended 5x the focal length for minimum shutter speed for hand held photography for perfect sharpness.

John.

Sounds crazy, right??? But consider...a 50mm lens at 1/50 or 1/60 second often can yield a blurred image, due to camera shake, or mirror slap, or mirror slap + first curtain vibration, but at 5x 50, or 1/250 second...the chances of a blurred shot greatly diminish.

If you wanna' shoot hand-held landscapes, scenics, and walkaround shots, like the one in Venice, both Canon and Nikon have lenses that feature internal stabilization systems...which is one of the reasons people like those lenses for traveling: you are free to walk around and NOT NEED a tripod during daylight hours; you can with some practice, manage to get SHARP hand-held travel images of still subjects using slow speeds with a stabilized lens. One of the biggest issues is that, after a long walk, many people will have a slightly elevated heart rate, and may be breathing a bit heavily...a stabilized lens can really help with that.

 

[KmH]

An alternative to using a tripod is to use a monopod.

They also make monopods for video that have 3 short legs at the bottom of the monopod.
Benro A38TBS2 Video Monopod with Twist Lock Legs, S2 Head and 3 Leg Base (Black)

Or you can get an accessory to add short, low legs to a monopod you already have.
Extender Mount Monopod +Folding Base Universal Three feet Support Stand Tripod Kit (Extend Length 182cm) for Camera Digital DSLR Video

 

[bronzeo]

A lot of great feedback on this topic.... I gave my monopod to my nephew, but I think I might pick up another because you can leave them attached and carry them pretty easily. I don't think my reference pic was used with a IS lens, so that might have been corrected with it. We travel extensively and I really don't want to end up with a lot of halfassed shots that could have been corrected. Thanks for all the help......

 

[vintagesnaps]

Are you sure it's shutter blur? I don't really see it in that photo but maybe it's the way it's sized or shows up on here. I'm wondering if it's more the exposure.

I can see in the upper right corner what looks like maybe a hazy/overcast sky in the background that still could have been bright enough that if the lens shut down too much that might have caused the shutter to be set slower (to let in more light to compensate for a small aperture) depending on the ISO.

I shoot manual settings and rarely have used modes etc. but maybe using aperture priority isn't always the best option if you don't want the shutter speed to go too slow. It should be possible shooting outdoors in daylight to get a fast enough shutter speed to prevent blur.

 

[kundalini]

Hand held shots with slower shutter speeds than what is norm (1x focal length) requires proper shooting technique. Typical shooters don't employ this, but it does work..... with practice.