Sharpness and photos

[vfilby]

Hello,

I like sharpness and I am wondering what I can do to get the sharpest images. I know enough to stop down to f8 or more when I can, good focus is always nice. I always try to make sure that my shutter speed is above the inverse of the focal length (a newbie rule I know.)

What else can I do? What is the bare minimum shutter speed to eliminate camera shake, slow moving objects etc? I understand that photographing sports or highspeed evens will require a faster shutter. What I am looking for is a decent rule of thumb. Maybe I should never dip below 120 or so?

The reason I ask is because I was taking some crowd shots today. I was running about f11 with a shutter of 1/80. I thought this would be fine but the pictures are alittle soft and I think it is the people moving.

Thanks,

[CyberDyneSystems]

1/80 is really not fast enough to stop people in motion... sure if timed right you can ppull it off.. but for the most part 1/125th is bare minimum. This is what I try for in a dark theatre with no flash.. if I can muster 1/125th I am golden.. if I have to settle for les.. I can make do down to 1/60th.. but then it becomes hit or miss.

But.. 1/125th won't eliminate camera shake by a long shot either... (depending on focal length )

You didn't mention your focal lenght.. but you should try to get 1/500th or more if you want consistant super sharp images... boost your ISO and open up the aperture a bit. Low shutter speeds can do far more harm than a large aperture.

Depending on the lens.. you can get sharp images at wide open f/stop.

[vfilby]

I have the kit lens, the 50 f1.8 (Easy to get a nice image), 28-105 and 75-300.

My concern is towards the 28-105. I expected better results than I am getting and I suspect I am the weak link.

[Scottes]

A lot can be done with good technique, and good technique can add 2-3 stops to your shutter speed.

From a thread about the slowest shutter speed achieved:

Basically I find that it's best to support every possible part of your body with another part of your body. Tuck your left elbow into your side. Wrap your right arm across your chest. Jam your chin into your chest. Slump a little - don't try to hold a rigid position or muscle tension will make you shake. Instead, find a relaxed position that won't let you fall, spread your legs out comfortably. Get used to the amount of pressure required to trip the shutter. Don't press down, but rather roll your finger over the shutter button. And breathe correctly. Breathe out gently, and halfway through roll your finger enough to add the final amount of pressure needed to trip the shutter.

Technique can easily add a stop - good technique can add 2 and sometimes 3 stops. I can consistently get 2 stops if I have the time to prepare myself, and often enough I get 3 stops so I don't consider it luck.

I spent years doing rifle shooting and I'm sure that helped. Everything above could be said about shooting a rifle, too.

And practice definitely helps.

But the above is geared towards camera shake. You *still* need to stop motion, and as CDS said, it depends on the motion. The above may let me shoot a 100mm lens at 1/25th, but 1/25th is not going to stop the action of a baby walking. CDS is right on with what he said.