Help needed on Camera Shake

[deb_moni_pix]

Hi

I brought myself a Canon 1000D & it came with a 18-55 lens. I want to become a good photographer & so tried to take few pics with low shutter speed. However, Camera Shake is a big issue for me. The pictures are getting blurred which clearly means that my hand is shaking badly.

I need some kind of help on this. How can i steady my hand so that i can take pics properly? When i used to do it with a digital camera, it was never a problem. Is there any kind of practice which i can do to avoid camera shake?

[Nicole]

Welcome to the site Deb! You're in the right place.

There are a few things that can cause camera shake, but it sounds like it might be an issue with shutter speed. The general rule is that to avoid camera shake your shutter speed should be at least 1/focal length you're shooting at. So if you're shooting at 55mm, at least 1/60 second.

You might also want to have a look at this article for tips on how to hold your camera steady: How to Hold a Digital Camera

I find that I can only go to about 1/60 second before I start seeing some motion blur.

If you can provide an example of some of the settings (like shutter speed, ISO, and aperture) you're using on a blurry picture it might help a bit too.

[autofocus]

As noted above, shutter speeds under 1/60 take a bit of technique and practice to get it to work. Proper holding of the camera is number one...lens cradled in your hand with other hand held tight with finger on the shutter. Elbows tucked in tightly to your body and use the old military BRASS formula (breathe, relax, aim, squeeze the shutter, shoot) When and where possible, brace your body and camera on something rigid, like a wall, a railing, a rock, a tree, etc. Of course, there's always a tri-pod or a monopod, and image stabilized lenses will help. As you get better, you'll find that you can get a good shot off at lower shutter speeds...but remember, your subject must also be stationary

[Krusty79]

Ideally, you would use a tripod, but I don't know if you have one. If you are serious about photography, you'll have to eventually buy a good one. Did you turn on the Image Stabilization (IS) switch on your lens? That will give you an extra stop or two if you shooting hand held (turn it off if using a tripod). If you still can't get a fast enough shutter speed and don't have a tripod, you may have to raise your ISO. However, you start to get more noise when your ISO goes up.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by deb_moni_pix

...When i used to do it with a digital camera, it was never a problem.

That's probably because 1) you had image stabilization in your P&S, and 2) your focal lengths were about 1/5 of the ones you're using now. While my S90 specs out as having a "28-105mm (35mm equiv)" lens, the actual focal lengths on it are 6-22.5mm.

This is why we get tripods and remotes and learn about mirror lock-up.