Hand shaking

[tomieto]

Just wondering if hand shake affects the quality of the photos at 1/60 shutter speed?

Some of my photos turn out to be slightly blurred and wondering what is the root cause. Focus used is af-s single focal point place near the eye.

Pros pls advice ^_^

 

[SkyStrike]

If it's correctly focused, It can be due to 3 reasons....
- Your hand not stead enough...use a faster shutter speed
- Subject movement - Your subject is moving faster than 1/60s, so use a faster shutter speed
- DOF, if you are using those f1.x lens wide open, you may not have enough depth, so the other areas are "OOF", so need to stop down to at least f2.x or f3.x

 

[Irvine]

that depends on the focal length u r using according to the "1/focal length" rule in reducing the chances of getting blurred photos from handshake

 

[tomieto]

Im using a f1.8 50mm. Using 1/60. Some is due to OOF coz of incorrect focus. The rest I can only think of handshaking as the reason. So if I follow the 1/focal length rule means it has to be at least 1/50 ya?

 

[Irvine]

Im using a f1.8 50mm. Using 1/60. Some is due to OOF coz of incorrect focus. The rest I can only think of handshaking as the reason. So if I follow the 1/focal length rule means it has to be at least 1/50 ya?

yes, n practise proper hand-holding techniques to keep the camera steady.

 

[New2digital]

Im using a f1.8 50mm. Using 1/60. Some is due to OOF coz of incorrect focus. The rest I can only think of handshaking as the reason. So if I follow the 1/focal length rule means it has to be at least 1/50 ya?

Yes this is the general rule meaning it applies to most people in general. Of course there is always exception to any rules. I used to be able to snap handheld shots to much slower speed than 1/FL, but now even at 1/2XFL is a challenge to me. When we are young, we have better control of our muscles than when we get on with the years. I love existing light photography especially at low light situation, thus I have very high speed lens. These days I find it a major challenge to use these lens wide open with a tripod as firstly the DOF is ultra shallow and ultra steady hands is also a thing of the past for me.

For your specific case, it the whole picture is slightly blurred, there is a good chance that it can be attributed to your not so steady hands. If some part is sharp then DOF could be the culprit.

 

[detritus]

Im using a f1.8 50mm. Using 1/60. Some is due to OOF coz of incorrect focus. The rest I can only think of handshaking as the reason. So if I follow the 1/focal length rule means it has to be at least 1/50 ya?

DOF at F1.8 is quite shallow. even if your shutter speed is fast enuff, your focus accuracy also has to be spot on that's another factor to consider.

 

[kei1309]

NPNT

post images for us to comment on

 

[Valkarian]

NPNT

post images for us to comment on

Yup. Nothing like tackling the problem at its roots. Anyhow 1/60 can still get clear, sharp shots of something stationary. Also, with the 50mm 1.8, you want to be cAreful shooting wide open. The DOF is so shallow that stuff about 5cm away is already blurred out, and this lens is not very well known for OOF.

 

[rhino123]

Agreed. Without photo, all advises are based on guesswork. And can be highly inaccurate.

 

[ziploc]

Im using a f1.8 50mm. Using 1/60. Some is due to OOF coz of incorrect focus. The rest I can only think of handshaking as the reason. So if I follow the 1/focal length rule means it has to be at least 1/50 ya?

Assuming you're using a cropped body of 1.5x, then the rule of thumb should be 1/(50x1.5) = 1/75. So 1/60 is marginal, that's probably why sometimes you get clear images and sometimes blur. Other reasons would be like what SkyStrike said above (shallow DOF or moving subject). Try using at least 1/125, f/4 and pump up the iso if needed.

 

[tomieto]

Thanks for all the replies. Forgot abt that 75 thingy. Will try use f4 1/125

 

[Valkarian]

Thanks for all the replies. Forgot abt that 75 thingy. Will try use f4 1/125

this is seriously just a guideline, no need to fix yourself to it hardcore.

 

[kei1309]

this is seriously just a guideline, no need to fix yourself to it hardcore.

exactly the point. by right, by using 1/focal length, the shots should be reasonably shake-free. but if your hands are shaking like it's freezing minus 20 degrees celsius, then it's a technique issue, not the camera issue.

so like what we've said, post your pictures. we can't tell for sure if

1) it's handshake blur
2) motion blur
3) Out-of-Focus