What speed for handheld

[Victhel]

As you will appreciate from my question I am new to digital photgraphy and this forum,
I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to ask this question.
My query is that I understand that in general when hand holding the camera the shutter
speed should at least the recipricol of the focul length. When appling this rule does the crop factor need to be considered.

i.e when I use my Nikon D50 with a crop factor of x1.5 and a 200mm lens should my shutter speed be 1/200 or 1/200*1.5.

I'm sure I will learn in time.

[Gonzo13]

As far as I know it does not take the crop factor into account.

[wulf]

It depends how steady your hand is!

I think the crop factor will be a part of the equation. It means that you have a smaller field of view than with the same lens on a full frame camera and so a small movement will have a relatively larger effect compared to scene. That is why you can get away with lower speeds with a wider lens - your tiny movement might be an unoticeable 0.5 pixels rather than 5px which blurs everything.

However, how steady YOU can hold the camera is more important than anything you can figure out on a calculator. Also, that factor is not consistent. I've got a lot of shots I am pleased with when taking handheld photos at a speed that was "too low" (and, yes, thrown a lot more away, too).

Wulf

[kencaleno]

It definitely takes the crop factor into account-I recommend, and teach use shutter speed equal to 3 times focal length to ensure virtually no camera shake-Ken

[inkista]

I'm with Wulf, it's not a hard-and-fast rule, and it depends on a) what your crop factor is, b) your personal ability to handhold, c) whether your lens/camera is stabilized in some way, d) your own personal judgement on what's "acceptably sharp" and e) unforeseen circumstances. I've had shots that were still blurred despite being faster than 1/focal_length*crop, I've had shots that were nicely clear and way below 1/focal_length. It's a nice guide to get you into the ballpark, just as your light meter is a nice guide for judging exposure, but if it were that simple, auto modes would be sufficient.

The only way to discover whether or not you need to add the crop factor in is to shoot and see. I find that I generally don't need to with my dSLR, but that I often do with my P&S.

[LoveDSLR]

For some people, it is nice to have some kind of guideline when they are learning new things.

With film and photos viewing at normal distance, 1/focal length is a good rule of thumbs for an average person. So you can start from 1/focal length.

My suggestion is to shoot at maximum focal length indoor and outdoor at various shutter speeds and examine the images. You will then find out your personal hand held shutter speeds.

If you have difficulty to remember the info then just write it down onto a piece of tape and tape it inside the lens cap.

[Fen]

It depends how steady your hand is...

I shoot for up to 1sec, hand held.

[Victhel]

Thanks Guys

I am farely confident with my hands being steady with say a 50mm lens at 1/30 but I am definately getting the shakes when my 70 -300 is out at maximum length. So I may need to practice my holding technique and breathing.

Thanks

Colin

[kencaleno]

take the test:

Attach a flashlight/torch to a tripod or stand so the light points toward you-In a dark room, or outside at night -stand about twenty feet back from torch, focus on circle of light, and make hand held shots-see which shutter speed you need to get a tack-sharp shot-enlarge to 100% in photoshop-then you will understand why I recommend shutter speed to be at least 3 times focal length. Regards, Ken

[vandergus]

It depends how steady your hand is...

I shoot for up to 1sec, hand held.

Alright, we'll just call you the human tripod from now on.