[rustynail925]

I tried 10 shots of the FA 35 @ 1/15 and have a 5/5 (focus shots/blur)
and DA 16-45 @35 @ 1/15 and was able to have 7/3 (focus shots/blur)
how come i was able to manage more focus shots on the DA which is bigger & heavier?
Is there a proper way to hold / support different lenses to have accurate shots on lower shutterspeed?

[wallyb]

"Proper"? No, not really. Just hold it the way that you see the least amount of shake in your hands with. There's no way that will give you blur-free shots at 1/15s all the time, it's just not possible.

As far as why you're getting more good shots with the DA, you might be more used to holding a heavier lens, and that's what your hand and arm muscles compensate for more readily. There's no camera-related reason.

[rustynail925]

So its just a matter of getting used to? I thought the lighter the better chance of blur-free shots. Thx for the input.
I also read that if you use a higher focal length you need a higher shutterspeed Is there any explanation on how it works? like for example the DA 16-45 @ 45mm it is shorter so i thought
it has higher success rate of having a blur free picture than using the 16mm which is longer

[reytor]

Couple of things comes to my mind:

1. The hand shake is different with a light from a heavy lens. Personally I have found out that with a light lens attached the hand shake causes shorter and faster movements when a heavier combination causes longer, but softer movements.

2. As the FA35 is faster lens, it is more difficult to focus correctly (as it's done aperture fully open). Now f2.0 to f4.0 is not as much difference as f1.4 to f4.0 in case of FA50 vs. DA 16-45 (or similar), where I would expect FA50 to have even more focusing problems. I have had some hard time to get FA50 locking focus in AF in bright light situations, ending up switching to MF.

3. Could the FA35 be damaged?

[Rondec]

As far as holding lenses, tend to have less camera shake with heavier lenses (up till you get tired). I find that the most important thing if I think I am taking a long exposure is to relax as much as possible and hold my breath during the shot, keeping my arms into my sides. Tensing up to hold your arms steady actually makes shake worse.

As mentioned above, not all blur is due to camera shake, some is due to subject movement or mis focus. Post some photos.

[rustynail925]

i dont think so. I tried it in a tripod and shots are in focus. Daylight shots are no problem

[hcc]

Just a few quick comments from some experience with both the Pana FZ20 and more recently K-7:
* When I have to use a slow shutter speed (1/30 to 1/20s or slower), I take a deep breadth before shooting to be more relax. It certainly help me.
* If I have to use 1/10s or slower, I sometimes try to steady myself by placing the camera, or simply my arm, on a solid, still support.
* With the K-7, the SR takes about 1-2 s to come ON (light in Viewfinder); it helps to have the SR on and it requires a 1-2s wait with the K-7.
* When I can, I prefer to set the shutter speed at 1/20s or faster, and manually control the ISO or aperture.

I hope that the suggestion helps. Certainly the first point does help me to steady the camera.

Hope that it helps...

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Last edited by hcc; 01-29-2010 at 05:55 AM. Reason: Typos

[reytor]

So it seems to be narrowed down to camera shake.

See Rondec's on how to hold the camera steady when taking hand held shots.
Everybody has probably a bit different methods (variations of the same ideas) and you should take your time testing, which suits you best.

[Parallax]

I have a mild tremor and what works best for me is to hold the camera with my right hand, and use my left hand to hold the base of my right hand instead of holding some part of the camera. It makes a HUGE difference for me, but your mileage may vary.

[mithrandir]

A monopod will go a long way toward reducing shake.

[Ben_Edict]

So its just a matter of getting used to? I thought the lighter the better chance of blur-free shots. Thx for the input.
I also read that if you use a higher focal length you need a higher shutterspeed Is there any explanation on how it works? like for example the DA 16-45 @ 45mm it is shorter so i thought
it has higher success rate of having a blur free picture than using the 16mm which is longer

Heavier lenses have more inertia, which helps stabilizing the lens and reduces small scall, fast shaking. There is probabaly an upper human-induced limit to the inertia-advantage. For everybody there comes the point, where holding something heavy leads to increased shakiness. So, I think, that medium-heavy lenses, like a 15-50/2.8 or a 17-70 etc. may be the best compromise to hold a camera steady. That is at least my own experience.

It also helps to really concentrate on the shot, like holding the breath just before triggering and trying to tension the arm muscles.

Ben

[opiedog]

An old timer pro once suggested to me:

1. hold your elbows to your body (not away from your body like a chicken ready to take off )
2. Inhale and squeeze the shutter gently while exhaling

seems to work for me.

[Mike Cash]

An old timer pro once suggested to me:

1. hold your elbows to your body (not away from your body like a chicken ready to take off )
2. Inhale and squeeze the shutter gently while exhaling

seems to work for me.

Also, if there is anything solid one can lean on or against while taking the shot it helps quite a bit. Something as simple as leaning against a wall or telephone pole is sufficient (in conjunction with the above advice, of course).

[reeftool]

A monopod will go a long way toward reducing shake.

I'm bringing one almost all the time now. It makes a big difference. It is more than a weight issue for long lenses. The slightest movement, maybe not even noticeable to you, will cause image blur. My 500mm mirror is one of the lightest lenses in my bag but almost impossible to hold steady without a monopod or tripod. I was shooting Herons and Loons from my kayak with a Sigma 70-300 and had problems getting good hand held shots, even on bright sunny afternoons with fairly fast shutter speeds. A cheap telescoping monopod that I could use in the shortest length from my kayak seat probably quadrupled my keepers. While I have on occasion managed to pull off a 1 sec. shot with the help of SR, I wouldn't rely on it.

[Lowell Goudge]

there have been a lot of good suggestions here, and there is one more, I will add, and this may not be relevant to your situation, but DO NOT USE LIVE VIEW.

As many have mentioned, you have to be steady, even with shake reduction, and the least steady way to hold a camera is to use live view with the camera held in space you only your hands, away from your body/

- Hold your camera up to your eye, while keeping your head steady.

- Keep your arms/ elbows in tight to your body to keep them from moving.

- Place one hand on the grip, the other under the lens to support it

- Take the shot while breathing our slowly

- try if possible to rest/lean against something solid, either your shoulder, to steady you or elbow(s) to steady your arms more.

SHake reduction helps but technique can also gain a lot. With good technique I can take a shot with my K7 at 1/40th with a 500mm lens.