How slow can you go?

Hand held shutter speed that is.

I have a 24-105 and have been thinking about the 24-70. I've been doing some test with my lens comparing IS vs non-IS performance. In 3-4 shot bursts, I'm surprised how good some of the non-IS shots look. Of course there are more acceptable shots with IS than without and the best IS shots are better than the best non-IS shots, but I'm thinking IS might not be as important at 105mm as I had once thought. I tested it as 1/50, 1/25, 1/13, and 1/5.

depends what lens I'm using. With my 24-60, I'm lucky to get shots 1/30 that are very clear. With my 10-20mm, I can go as low as 1/15 usually.

2008 Southern Rally, Kuitpo Forest, South Australia

1D MkII
100-400L (IS off) AF on
ISO 50, f10, 1/10 sec

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With my 18-50 at 50mm i can normally (with decent conditions ie no wind and warm hands) get reasonable results at 1/10.

It is surprising when you use good technique how low you can go.

Good foot position, bracing the camera with your elbows against your body, holding the main weight of the camera & lens in your left hand, timing your breathing etc should allow longer speeds than the "1/focal length" guide.

I have had good results from a friends 170-500mm (non OS) at 500mm shooting at 1/250 although it is not generally recommended.

2 secs handheld

LeeRatters wrote in post #9045508
2 secs handheld

must have been lucky though as i had faster shutter shots come out worse

have to agree with neil though with regard to positioning & comfort - makes all the difference.

2 seconds? Do you have a heartbeat or is your nickname "tripod"? I guess the wide focal length helps but damn, that's impressive.

I was sitting on a bench at a train station and got one second handheld, but other times have handheld 1/20 and it was a tad shaky. Still not sure how I got that first one so well...

I'm pretty shaky usually, but occasionally I'll get down to about 1/20 and do okay.

Normally, when I know I'm pushing it, I'll spray and pray several frames at once. Usually the "middle" shot might get me something decent.

mike_d wrote in post #9045642
2 seconds? Do you have a heartbeat or is your nickname "tripod"? I guess the wide focal length helps but damn, that's impressive.

If you adopt the correct stature and holding technique, it is actually surprisingly easy to get up to 1/2 - 1 sec without much shake.

One thing that does help is breathing - slow your breathing down prior to shooting and when taking the shot - breathe in, release 1/2 of it, shoot, and complete the exhale.

Another tip is when actually taking the shot- dont PRESS the shutter button, roll your finger over it. The press is sometimes what gives the shot the blur as the camera moves during it.