 BetterPhoto Member |
Handheld vs. Tripod As a general rule, what should be the slowest shutter speed to use before going to a tripod?
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Shauna Linde |
1/60 of a second. Any slower and you risk blur. :)
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Jon Close |
A general rule of thumb is 1/focal length. So with a 28mm lens 1/30, 1/50 with a 50mm, 1/200 with 200mm, etc. But the rule is very general. With macro close-ups, the image magnification also magnifies camera movement, so using a 50mm macro lens focused to 5 inches you may get camera shake blur up to 1/125. Similar with extreme telephoto lengths, 1/500 may not be fast enough to give a sharp image with 400mm lens. Also, the rule of thumb is intended for use when making prints 8"x12" or smaller. For larger-size prints or projected slides, camera shake is exaggerated, so you'd need shutter speeds faster than 1/focal length. As with most things, your mileage may vary. With very good technique - well braced, controlled breathing, gentle shutter button push, etc. - some can shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds than the rule of thumb, while others may need faster speeds. An Image Stabilized (aka Vibration Reduction or Optical Stabilized) lens can be handheld at 2 or more stops slower shutter speeds (i.e., 1/60 instead of 1/250 for a 250mm lens).
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David King |
I'm aware of the articles suggesting the 1/focal length rule. and also of the miracle shots, including one I have where the shutter was open a second and there is no camera blur. But those shots, all personal egos aside, are flukes. A few years ago eight of my fellow instructors and myself performed a test: we ranged in all ages and experiences. We took our own 35mm cameras with various lenses from wide to long and shot a test image both handheld and from a tripod with cable release. From those negatives we made 16x20 prints and compared them for any indications of camera shake. There were NO exceptions to the results. Even with 50mm 'normal lenses' we could clearly see the difference in sharpeness up to 1/250 of a second. The longer the lens the worse it got. Our conclusions were surprising to us and frankly a hit to our egos, but inescapable nevertheless: if you are planning on making an enlarged print and want it sharp, shoot from a tripod. Period, end of story. If you want to make 4x6s to hang on the fridge or go in an album, then it probably doesn't matter. In the ensuing years since that test as students turn in work, usually in 8x10 or 11x14 sized prints, there is no difficulty spotting those that were hand held as opposed to those shot from a solid tripod. So don't be lulled into thinking that someone's claimed steadiness will translate to your own real world shooting. If depth of field doesn't matter to your aesthetic and you insist on hand-holding, then shoot at the fastest speed possible. There is a reason why pros shoot from a tripod... and why they get to be the pros. And don't be fooled by the shots of fashion photographers shooting handheld: they are lighting with electronic flash which results in an effective exposure speed (the duration of the flash) of 1/1000 of a second and often faster. Sports photographers and photojournalists produce a small end product (think of the size of newspaper shots) printed under the absolute worst conditions on the worst paper that fuzz up even sharp photos so again, it is not the same issue. Stabilized lenses certainly help and if there is no way around having to shoot handheld they are the way to go along with such aids as monopods or gun-stock mounts. But it is not true that they can replace a tripod in terms of absolute image sharpeness. Unless you are a trained sniper and can squeeze the shutter between your heartbeats and absolutely control every one of the micro-contractions of all of the muscles in your body, you are just relying on luck to get that fritical shot sharp. That's fine when it really doesn't matter and sometimes it may actually, for who knows what reason, work. But pros know when money is on the line you shoot from a tripod. David
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