Some advice from a fun weekly challenge/article I read called Shooting Challenge
By:
Mark Wilson
Ever take a handheld photo that you thought was amazing, only to see it larger and realize that you totally blew it by shaking the tiniest bit? Well, you can limit these mistakes using a simple rule.
We know, the tripod is the surest way to get a perfectly sharp photo, but what about 99% of the time when we shoot handheld? How are we sure we get the sharpest possible shot?
There's an old trick to make sure you're using a fast enough shutter speed all the time, no matter what camera you pick up with any lens. It's called the 1/FL or 1/focal length rule, and it basically states that you can turn your focal length (or lens) into a fraction that becomes a suitable exposure speed.
So a 35mm lens equals a 1/35 exposure. A 100mm lens equals a 1/100 exposure. The principle is simple: The wider your lens (the less zoom), the slower you can photograph. And that makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Zoomy shots always have more potential for blur, much like the slightest shift of a sniper rifle will miss a target miles away.
Of course, like any simple rule, things become more complicated quickly. It's a colloquial method, and many argue that you actually need to shoot 1/2xFL for a perfect, enlargeable print. (1xFL for a small print, 2xFL for big one.) That means a 35mm lens needs a 1/70 exposure. A 100mm lens needs a 1/200 exposure.
Then it gets even trickier when we start talking cropped sensors—the sensors you have in your midrange SLR that aren't "full frame"—because the number printed on your lens isn't really its field of view anymore. Personally, I think 1/2xFL is a usable solution day to day. But if you want to get extremely technical, search for your camera's "crop factor," then match it to your lens on this conversion chart to find your new ratio. (I find this approach a bit overkill for a few technical reasons that may or may not approach pseudo science.)
Use any of the three FL rules you prefer—I'd recommend 1/2xFL. Just know what you're doing and explain it in your submission. The idea is to test and learn.
I quickly snapped the lead shot out my window at a B&B in St. Andrews. It's unedited and unremarkable. But I actually snapped it at two different shutter speeds. At an 18mm focal length, I shot it at 1/20 and 1/40. I've cropped a side by side here (1/20 on left, 1/40 on right) and left the division noticeable. Is it night and day? No. But look at the stone on each side of the line. See how much more detail you're getting separating each rectangle? OK, OK, part of that may be due to an ever-so-slightly better contrast, but it's also the quicker exposure. We're talking about differences at the pixel level that add up to an overall better, more detailed photo.
By:
Mark Wilson Ever take a handheld photo that you thought was amazing, only to see it larger and realize that you totally blew it by shaking the tiniest bit? Well, you can limit these mistakes using a simple rule.
The Technique
We know, the tripod is the surest way to get a perfectly sharp photo, but what about 99% of the time when we shoot handheld? How are we sure we get the sharpest possible shot?
There's an old trick to make sure you're using a fast enough shutter speed all the time, no matter what camera you pick up with any lens. It's called the 1/FL or 1/focal length rule, and it basically states that you can turn your focal length (or lens) into a fraction that becomes a suitable exposure speed.
So a 35mm lens equals a 1/35 exposure. A 100mm lens equals a 1/100 exposure. The principle is simple: The wider your lens (the less zoom), the slower you can photograph. And that makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Zoomy shots always have more potential for blur, much like the slightest shift of a sniper rifle will miss a target miles away.
Of course, like any simple rule, things become more complicated quickly. It's a colloquial method, and many argue that you actually need to shoot 1/2xFL for a perfect, enlargeable print. (1xFL for a small print, 2xFL for big one.) That means a 35mm lens needs a 1/70 exposure. A 100mm lens needs a 1/200 exposure.
Then it gets even trickier when we start talking cropped sensors—the sensors you have in your midrange SLR that aren't "full frame"—because the number printed on your lens isn't really its field of view anymore. Personally, I think 1/2xFL is a usable solution day to day. But if you want to get extremely technical, search for your camera's "crop factor," then match it to your lens on this conversion chart to find your new ratio. (I find this approach a bit overkill for a few technical reasons that may or may not approach pseudo science.)
Use any of the three FL rules you prefer—I'd recommend 1/2xFL. Just know what you're doing and explain it in your submission. The idea is to test and learn.
The Example
I quickly snapped the lead shot out my window at a B&B in St. Andrews. It's unedited and unremarkable. But I actually snapped it at two different shutter speeds. At an 18mm focal length, I shot it at 1/20 and 1/40. I've cropped a side by side here (1/20 on left, 1/40 on right) and left the division noticeable. Is it night and day? No. But look at the stone on each side of the line. See how much more detail you're getting separating each rectangle? OK, OK, part of that may be due to an ever-so-slightly better contrast, but it's also the quicker exposure. We're talking about differences at the pixel level that add up to an overall better, more detailed photo.
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