Minimum Shutter Speed Setting on Q2?

[A_dam]

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Hi all,

I’m using custom profiles on my Q2 with a fixed minimum shutter speed of 1/30s. The idea is that the camera raises ISO to maintain exposure, but in practice I still often get motion blur in handheld shots — even though there was ISO headroom.

Has anyone found a more reliable minimum shutter speed for handheld shooting with the Q2’s 47MP sensor?

Also curious: now that AI-based noise reduction tools (like in Lightroom) do such a great job with high ISO files — has that changed how you set up your custom profiles? Are you more comfortable letting the ISO climb to protect your shutter speed?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[jaapv]

It all depends on your technique and the stability of your hands. There is no hard and fast rule. Don”t judge motion blur at100%. Use the magnification of the final product. 

[erl]

Generally speaking, 1/30 is too slow as a standard speed for hand held. It can be done, but not advisable as a rule. Try 1/125, or faster and your shakes will probaly go away, or at least reduce.

[zlatkob]

1/250th is a good reliable minimum shutter speed if you're using auto ISO and aperture priority. When the light gets lower, switch to manual shutter speeds around 1/125th or 1/60th and be sure to hold steady.

[SrMi]

If I use OIS, which I do, my slowest shutter speed is 1/15 or 1/30. The slowest possible shutter speed depends on the photographer.

If you are using Auto-ISO in A mode, then the shutter speed can go below the set minimum if ISO hits the ISO limit.

[keithlaban.co.uk]

I usually set min shutter speed to 1/125s or 1/250s in good light if I'm wary of subject movement, depending on the profile I'm using, but admittedly I do have shaky hands.

Noise reduction software is so good these days that I don't worry about increasing ISO. As has mentioned above occasionally the shutter speed goes below the set minimum when using Auto_ISO in A mode and I've achieved acceptable results at 1/60 or even 1/30s.

[JNK100]

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On the Q3 I go to iso6400 and 1/15 sec. if using OIS.

[SrMi]

I do not see a point in setting a max ISO value as it will cause mu shutter speed to go below safe handholding speed. If I want to risk it, I'd rather lower the shutter speed manually.

[ianforber]

I use 1/30 as the minimum on my Q2 and just put up with the odd blurry image. If I want a slower speed, I’ll just set it manually. I have become much more relaxed about ISO since DxO PureRaw4 came out. I still prefer to keep it at 3200 for colour shots but I’m happy to go to max ISO for b&w 

[Cogito]

Street photographer Paul Reid says he sets minimum shutter speed (in daylight) on his Q2M to 1/500, not only to eliminate camera shake but to freeze movement in his subjects. Lovely photographs. 

[bobtodrick]

The old rule of 1/30 for a 28mm, 1/125 for a 100mm was for acceptance sharpness in a print.

Something I suggest to people who are not getting sharp images at slow speeds who feel they should is to take few frames handheld as you normally would, then put the camera on a tripod and reshoot.   Many are quite surprised at how shaky they are.

[M11 for me]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Cogito:

Street photographer Paul Reid says he sets minimum shutter speed (in daylight) on his Q2M to 1/500, not only to eliminate camera shake but to freeze movement in his subjects. Lovely photographs. 

That shows that "it depends". . . . on such a lot of things. 

[LocalHero1953]

1 hour ago, bobtodrick said:

The old rule of 1/30 for a 28mm, 1/125 for a 100mm was for acceptance sharpness in a print.

Something I suggest to people who are not getting sharp images at slow speeds who feel they should is to take few frames handheld as you normally would, then put the camera on a tripod and reshoot.   Many are quite surprised at how shaky they are.

That was my old film usage, but the option to crop the Q2/Q3 (and any camera with high res sensor), and the availability of IS mean it's not so simple as 1/f now.

I set my slowest speed at 1/250 on the Q3-43, but that's to freeze motion, not avoid camera shake. If I know I'm going to severely crop an image from the Q3-43 then I will take extra care at holding steady. I rarely get camera shake blur down to 1/15 or slower if I'm careful - but it does depend on the crop.

[SrMi]

2 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

That was my old film usage, but the option to crop the Q2/Q3 (and any camera with high res sensor), and the availability of IS mean it's not so simple as 1/f now.

I set my slowest speed at 1/250 on the Q3-43, but that's to freeze motion, not avoid camera shake. If I know I'm going to severely crop an image from the Q3-43 then I will take extra care at holding steady. I rarely get camera shake blur down to 1/15 or slower if I'm careful - but it does depend on the crop.

In my view, 1/f was never a good advice, except that it indicates that the slowest handholding shutter speed depends on focal length.

I agree with this article by Jim Kasson:

Rules of thumb for handheld shutter speed

[LocalHero1953]

26 minutes ago, SrMi said:

In my view, 1/f was never a good advice, except that it indicates that the slowest handholding shutter speed depends on focal length.

I agree with this article by Jim Kasson:

Rules of thumb for handheld shutter speed

So do I, though Jim Kasson is saying much the same as I did, but with more numbers to back it up. And he doesn't discuss the modern high res sensor scenario, wherein you may not know what your 'focal length' is until you have edited and cropped your image. This is relevant to the OP's question.

My approach is to learn what shutter speed I can get away, based entirely on trial and multiple errors. Most of the time (and I'm always using IS when shooting digital) I am limited by subject movement, not camera shake.

I have tried to recover images spoiled by subject motion blur using Topaz Photo. At 1:1 pixel-peeking the blur remains clearly visible, but it is surprisingly effective at removing the eye-catching distraction when viewed at normal scales.

Edited June 30 by LocalHero1953

[SrMi]

4 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I have tried to recover images spoiled by subject motion blur using Topaz Photo. At 1:1 pixel-peeking the blur remains clearly visible, but it is surprisingly effective at removing the eye-catching distraction when viewed at normal scales.

Another use of AI sharpening tools is to increase DOF :).