What to do to get shutter faster in ap mode ?

[90blackcrx]

Besides messing with the iso, is there anything else to make it faster ? All my pics I'm taking free handed are coming out blurry, I don't no whats going on. Shutter speeds are .5 , 1/25 and yet they are still coming out blurry. Should I not zoom in all the way ? I don't get it , I took about 45 shots, 1 came out good and clear, all the rest are blurry. Is my AP setting wrong ? Usually around 4.5 to get the back round blurry.

[90blackcrx]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/90blackcrx/IMG_2403.jpg

File size: 379497 bytes
File date: 2006:10:15 21:50:51
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Date/Time: 2006:10:15 01:57:30
Resolution: 800 x 533
Flash used: No
Focal length: 28.0mm (35mm equivalent: 196mm)
CCD width: 5.14mm
Exposure time: 0.250 s (1/4)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO equiv.: 800
Whitebalance: Auto
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)

The one pic I thought came out good
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/90blackcrx/IMG_2389.jpg
File size: 244094 bytes
File date: 2006:10:15 21:50:50
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Date/Time: 2006:10:15 01:54:50
Resolution: 800 x 533
Flash used: No
Focal length: 47.0mm (35mm equivalent: 329mm)
CCD width: 5.14mm
Exposure time: 0.800 s
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO equiv.: 200
Whitebalance: Auto
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

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[Tsmith]

Unfortunately thats your only option is to up the ISO, use a tripod or flash. Keep the lens aperture wide open (smallest number) and try not to go below 1/30 of a second.

[90blackcrx]

Unfortunately thats your only option is to up the ISO, use a tripod or flash. Keep the lens aperture wide open (smallest number) and try not to go below 1/30 of a second.

See the cat pic was taken with the cam on the floor, I'm not saying there was no camera shake still, but do my settings look ok ?

Why is it ok to turn iso up really high at times, but not at others ?

[90blackcrx]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/90blackcrx/IMG_2423.jpg

Look any better ?

[Tsmith]

Hard to tell too much as the lighting is rather dim and you used a 1/15 second shutter speed, assuming handheld thats too slow for the lens your using. That lens isn't fast enough to get good results indoors using dim lighting. You need to use the flash for best results and even still don't expect miracles with the pop up flash unit.

[90blackcrx]

If I kept the shutter open longer and used a tripod would that result in a better pic ?

[kram]

If I kept the shutter open longer and used a tripod would that result in a better pic ?

absolutely....as long as the cat is not running :)

If you need any shutter speed less than 1/100, you will need some support - tripod, monopod or even some solid surface where you can place the camera.

[90blackcrx]

If you need any shutter speed less than 1/100, you will need some support - tripod, monopod or even some solid surface where you can place the camera.

But 1/100 is pretty quick shutter to began with, why would I need support ?

[Rellik]

He said LESS than 1/100. I would suggest bumping the ISO up. Also if you use your lens at 18mm, then you'll be at F/3.5 max, thus faster shutter speed for proper exposure. Alternative, is to increase the lighting in the room or get a faster lens.

[kevin_c]

See the cat pic was taken with the cam on the floor, I'm not saying there was no camera shake still, but do my settings look ok ?

Why is it ok to turn iso up really high at times, but not at others ?

In an ideal world you want to use the lowest ISO you can get away with, certainly between 100 and 400. any higher than this and noise starts to come into play on anything but small image sizes.

You sometimes have to turn the ISO up to enable you to get faster shutter speeds (or smaller apertures) in low light situations, just like yours, although I see you are already at ISO800 with these pics, by going up to ISO1600 you will gain one stop. (an increase in shutter speed of one value, i.e 1/60th to 1/125th sec)


This is exactly why people want/need faster (more expensive) lenses for low light photography, by using an f/1.4 lens for instance you will be able to use a much higher shutter speed (about 4 stops compared to your 'kit' lens @f/5.6)
i.e. if you are using 1/30th with the kit lens @f/5.6, with an f/1.4 lens you could be using 1/500th sec! or drop the ISO by one notch and use 1/250th, although your depth-of-field will be drasticly reduced - It's all a trade-off really.

[hope my maths are good this morning...:-)

EDIT - Nice Kitty BTW! :-)

[tzalman]

Why is it ok to turn iso up really high at times, but not at others ?

It is always best to use the lowest ISO that will allow a good picture, but a sharp and noisey image is better than blurry and noiseless one.

What is happening here is that you are running into the limitations of your equipment. Folk here sometimes seem overly obsessed with hardware but the simple truth is that the deeper your pockets the more you can expand the envelope. A good steady and sturdy tripod will allow low light shots of still obects but cats and other creatures breathe and blink so you still need a shutter speed of at least 1/60. Flash helps, but the camera's little flash gives harsh shadows and flat lighting, so if you use flash much you need a rotating external unit. As for lenses, the cheap kit lens can be good at f8 but if you open it up to the max in order to get a higher shutter speed it's pretty bad. And its max is 3.5. But to get a wider max aperture and good performance at that aperture means another big lay-out of funds. (There is one exception - the Canon 50mm f1.8 is only about $75 and it is decent at 1.8 and great from 2.8 up.)

So we poor souls who can't afford L lenses - or at least justify them as a business expense, have to understand the limits that our equipment and the nature of photography itself impose on us and work within them. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because it teaches discipline (as Kenny says, "Know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em") and creativity and because there are still millions of great images waiting within the boundries.
Elie

[StewartR]

I think the basic issue here is that there simply isn't enough light. That forces you into all sorts of unattractive compromises to get the shot.

I speak from experience here because only yesterday I spent a couple of hours crawling around on the floor to get a picture of a friend's cat. It was just like your situation: indoors, with rather subdued lighting. In order to get a decent photo in such light, the choices available are basically:
use a flash - but that could upset the cat;
use a high ISO - but that runs the risk of noisy pictures;
use a wide aperture - but then the depth of field might be too shallow;
use a slow shutter speed - but then you might need to support the camera, and even then the cat might move;or some combination of the above. In my situation the cat is a bit timid, so flash was out; I wanted the picture to enlarge and frame for my friend, so I kept the ISO down to 400; the lens I had with me doesn't go any faster than f/3.5, so I used it wide open; and I tried to brace the camera as solidly as possible with my elbows on the floor. Even then I had to try to coax the cat into areas where the light was best, so that I could get shutter speeds of 1/20th or better - I figured that would give me a reasonable chance of a good shot or two from the session. Like I said, it's all about compromises.

Fortunately I did get a couple of good shots!
[EDIT]This one was with the zoom at 40mm, ISO 400, 1/15th sec at f/5.0.

[chris clements]

Shutter speeds are .5 , 1/25 and yet they are still coming out blurry. .
Why would you expect to be able to hand-hold at these slow speeds?

But 1/100 is pretty quick shutter to began with
No it isn't.

[90blackcrx]

No it isn't.

In my mind it is.

[Choderboy]

In my mind it is.

Chris gave you the answer. Now you are arguing with him? Why not listen to what people are telling you?

I thought tzalman's post provided the clearest answer:

"A good steady and sturdy tripod will allow low light shots of still obects but cats and other creatures breathe and blink so you still need a shutter speed of at least 1/60."

1/100 is only slightly faster than 1/60, which I agree with tzalman should be considered minimum. You think of 1/100 as fast. For an animal , it is not.

[cheezerman]

Sticks fingers in ears: LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!


In my mind it is.

[chris clements]

In my mind it is.

Apologies.
I thought the problem here was blurry downloads from your camera, not blurry downloads from your mind :)

[StewartR]

Hey guys, can we cut the abuse and try to be constructive? I thought POTN used to be a friendly place.

Yes, of course, on the whole a shutter speed of 1/60th or 1/100th or faster is a good idea in situations like this. But it isn't mandatory. Half a dozen posts back, I attached a photo I took the other day in conditions very similar to those which the OP is trying to get to grips with. Note the shutter speed: 1/15th. I was lying prone on the floor, with my elbows firmly planted to support the camera and minimise shake, and I waited for the cat to sit still. I spent a lot of time cursing the cat for moving or turning his back just as I was getting set. I got about 3 good shots out of 50+, which is hardly a high keeper rate, but hey - I'd have been happy with just one!

But having said that, trying to take a hand held shot at 1/4 sec or 0.5s or 0.8s, as the OP originally tried to do, is a guaranteed route to failure.

[kevin_c]

Apologies.
I thought the problem here was blurry downloads from your camera, not blurry downloads from your mind :)

now now Chris... :-)

[Choderboy]

Hey guys, can we cut the abuse and try to be constructive? I thought POTN used to be a friendly place.

Yes, of course, on the whole a shutter speed of 1/60th or 1/100th or faster is a good idea in situations like this. But it isn't mandatory. Half a dozen posts back, I attached a photo I took the other day in conditions very similar to those which the OP is trying to get to grips with. Note the shutter speed: 1/15th. I was lying prone on the floor, with my elbows firmly planted to support the camera and minimise shake, and I waited for the cat to sit still. I spent a lot of time cursing the cat for moving or turning his back just as I was getting set. I got about 3 good shots out of 50+, which is hardly a high keeper rate, but hey - I'd have been happy with just one!

But having said that, trying to take a hand held shot at 1/4 sec or 0.5s or 0.8s, as the OP originally tried to do, is a guaranteed route to failure.

Agree with what you say. But I think recommending 1/60 as minimum for the OP is good advice. Once he gets an understanding of shutter speed and his own capabilities, (and likely motion blur from a cat) he can explore the lower limits of shutter speed himself.
I don't think he was asking for shutter speed to use with a 6% keeper rate :)
As you pointed out , one example had shutter speed 0.8s! It's the basics we are trying to establish here , not advanced techniques.

[Mark_Cohran]

I've said it a thousand times, but I'll say it one more for the OP - Photography is a compromise. It's all about the trade offs. You want a faster shutter speed to prevent camera shake or to stop action, and you'll need a higher ISO (more noise) or a larger aperture (less depth of field) or more light (flash usually, which means you have to figure out how to control the shadows, red-eye, etc.). If you want a lower ISO, then you'll need either a slower shutter speed (risking camera shake) a larger aperture (less depth of field) or combination of both. And so on and so forth.

What distinquishes a photographer from just a snapshooter, IMHO, is the desire to understand and control these variables as to get the best exposure and composition using the available equipment for the existing conditions. That means we need to understand both exposure and composition and the trade offs inherent in changing the variables of the exposure equation. It's a steep learning curve, but it's fun.

Mark

[samsen]

A flashing idea is always to use flash...

[StewartR]

I've said it a thousand times, but I'll say it one more for the OP - Photography is a compromise. It's all about the trade offs. You want a faster shutter speed to prevent camera shake or to stop action, and you'll need a higher ISO (more noise) or a larger aperture (less depth of field) or more light (flash usually, which means you have to figure out how to control the shadows, red-eye, etc.). If you want a lower ISO, then you'll need either a slower shutter speed (risking camera shake) a larger aperture (less depth of field) or combination of both. And so on and so forth.

What distinquishes a photographer from just a snapshooter, IMHO, is the desire to understand and control these variables as to get the best exposure and composition using the available equipment for the existing conditions. That means we need to understand both exposure and composition and the trade offs inherent in changing the variables of the exposure equation. It's a steep learning curve, but it's fun.

MarkVery well put, Mark.

[Jon, The Elder]

90blackcrx - Just guessing but I get the feeling you are fairly new to DSLR photography. It appears as though you are using the Auto Bracketing feature as a safety.
You have found out by now, that it is all about Light and time.
How much and how fast are critical. The color of the light also comes into play. As you are not using a flash and have your lens closed down a bit. The first shot looks pretty average to me, considering the circumstances.
Ear, whisker, tail, and eye twitches all can happen pretty quick.

Ya' got a shiney new rig there, you might try this excercise just to get a feel for the way it functions. I've been mentally using this as a reference for probably 30+ years.
Get your self a small elec fan and take a variety of shots at different ISO, lens settings, shutter speeds. The aim is to stop action and then allow a certain amount of blade blur to takes place. The overall experience will be very informative to you. Don't forget to do the same under changed light conditions.
Give it a try and come back with your opinions.
One of the great joys in photography is to learn these relationships and make them work for you. Any fool can own a camera, to become a photographer is quite a different matter.

If you have the time, pop up here:
www.pbase.com/jpferguson