shutter at 1/8 sharp results?

[stump4545]

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just wondering if anyone can get sharp results handholding their m9/50mm combo shooting at 1/8sec?

 

 

1/15 seems not a problem but 1/8 seems to be pushing it too far.

 

will 1/8sec be achievable with practice or will it more likely be mostly miss?

 

 

thank you kindly.

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[stuny]

Yes, and much slower if you apply all the same techniques used with firearms target shooting.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello stump4545,

 

Routine w/ an M3.

 

Listen to Stuart please.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[stump4545]

what shutter speed should routine be when my subject is still?

1/8?

1/4?

 

is 1/2 sec easy to accomplish with a m9/50mm or this just too slow even with lots and lots of practice?

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Again stump4545,

 

The best way to find out is to practice & to try.

 

For some people 1/125th of a second is not a fast enough shutter speed. For others 1 sec is easy.

 

Also: The more you practice, the easier it gets & the luckier you get.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[pico]

just wondering if anyone can get sharp results handholding their m9/50mm combo shooting at 1/8sec?

 

OMHO - if you are athletic or thin, if you have a heartbeat you cannot hold 1/8th as a tripod would. But it might be good enough for you. Look at all the OOF images on this site to see how few really care.

[jaapv]

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Depends on your ability. There is a post on slow shutterspeed technique in the M9 FAQ.

[250swb]

I think most people can claim to be able to hold a camera still at 1/8th. Can they claim to do it all the time though, or do it to order every time, I don't think so. There is bound to be a high failure rate which gets swept under the carpet. So if you want to shoot slow shutter speeds on a regular basis use a tripod and remove the failure rate altogether. The photograph is more important than making a contest out of how you support the damned camera.

 

Steve

[moikle]

I used to be quite good at hand holding at low speeds then I got an arrhythmia.

 

Mike

[StephenPatterson]

just wondering if anyone can get sharp results handholding their m9/50mm combo shooting at 1/8sec?

 

Depends on how much I had to drink the night before...

[stunsworth]

It depends on how you define sharp. The results will always be less sharp than with a tripod, how 'less sharp' varies from individual to individual.

[jaapv]

We should not approach this with the idea that there is a sharp divide between photographs with and without camera shake.

Basically allphotographs have camera shake.

1. Imperceptible shake. The amount of blur is smaller than the resolution through thelens/sensor/printer at any magnification. Only with a good tripod andor very high shutterspeed.

2. Irrelevant shake. The amount of blur is smaller than the resolving power of the human eye at the intended magnification. (print size/viewing distance) Here the rule of 1/focal length is useful.

3. Non-disturbing shake. The image is "a bit"soft, but it is of no artistic consequence because of the subject matter (low contrast, not too much detail, interest, etc) Shuuterspeeds depend on technique, but may be as low as 1/2"

4. Shake but ignore- the subject matter has precedence over the technical aspects.

5. Deliberate blur - anything goes

6. Photo should be deleted.

 

Example of #5

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[bill]

1. Define "sharp". The word "acceptable" should come in there somewhere.

2. Don't drink alcohol, coffee or Red Bull

3. Don't smoke

4. Don't take drugs

5. Don't exert yourself - sex or running up stairs, for instance - just before taking a photo

6. Define "sharp"

 

I know 1 and 6 are the same, but that is the crux of the matter.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[jpattison]

see http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/134546-leica-table-top-tripod-ball-head.html

 

a small table top tripod is pocketable, and can be used as a chest pod.

 

John

[IWC Doppel]

1/8 for me is 'okay' so long as subjects are still.... But I am personally not consistent at this speed.

[pico]

For those who would like some empirical evidence of shutter speeds, hand-held, and various tripods you might look at "Edge of Darkness" by the late Barry Thornton, page 60. It is quite amazing to me how the choice of tripod makes quite a difference.

[richam]

Best bet, as already mentioned, is the little Leica table pod. I try to leave it on the camera in low-light situations -- it's easy to brace on most anything. But without it, the 2 second self-timer release may help a bit by eliminating finger motion. And brace arms against body and keep shoulder strap taut as possible. it's still difficult, and shooting digital at a higher ISO to allow for faster shutter speed is the solution I most often use.

[pico]

[...]

2. Don't drink alcohol, [...]

[...]

 

I cannot resist this opportunity to mention that in all of the established medical literature, alcohol is mentioned as a temporary treatment for essential (or familial) tremor. That means having an ounce or two of alcohol a few minutes before expecting the tremors to diminish - not going on a jag.

 

I share essential tremor with a former worker. His is much worse than mine and he dropped out of his career as a cinema tech because he cannot handle anything delicately. He is not a drinker but maybe a couple times a years he will go out with friends for a couple pints. He has to slide the glass along the bar or use a straw to drink the first pint. After the second pint his tremor is significantly suppressed - and naturally people tend to think he's an alcoholic. He is not. The alcohol works, but not for very long at all. (Mine is treated by high doses of Beta Blockers and in emergencies, Diazapan.)

 

Back to photography!

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[tobey bilek]

Hold Your Camera like a Rifle - NikonCafe.com

 

Read it thoroughly and follow the links. There are no bad ideas there.

 

Rule of thumb, 1/focal length as shutter speed. 50 mm lens, 1/60 sec. You can go slower employing the techniques and they work some of the time,not always. Bracket.

 

Some people are better than others.

 

Some days you are better than others.

 

16x20 prints will require more than 4x6.

 

For 98% guarantee, 1/125 or 1/250 for a 50 mm lens.

 

For 100% every time for large prints, a good tripod. Not a cheapo with round aluminum tube legs that weighs 3 pounds.

[pico]

For 100% every time for large prints, a good tripod. Not a cheapo with round aluminum tube legs that weighs 3 pounds.

 

And carbon fiber? I was given a thorough tongue lashing when I met one of the designers at our composite fiber research lab and factory. I told him that simply copying round aluminum tripod legs in CF struck me as misdirected. He let me know that their best customers were cine companies who used CF for camera platforms. I left puzzled, but parted with "Well, I have a surveyor's wooden tripod modified to take a camera mount. It weighs a ton." and he said, "Well, sure, if you want to do it THAT way." (I love wood)