Rongnongno Loc: FL

Today I was the witness of a conversation between two 'photographers' who obviously did not anything about their cameras...

Both complained of the lack of sharpness.

Turns out they both use the infamous VR, expecting it to be the cure of all ills.

They demonstrated an ignorance I could not believe. VR 'allows for a lower speed' That is inherently wrong. Sure, there is some truth in it when dealing with a static object, but a moving one? That is wrong. The subject motion is and must be what determines the speed used if one wants tack sharp capture. You can play with the dof or ISO, not with the speed.

Then they did not take into account the type of sensor array their camera has, such as the density of it. The smaller the individual sensors are, the faster the shutter speed needs to be.

Then there was their use of JPG which opens yet another can of worm.

These two are 'shooting' weddings, more like a terminal execution in my opinion. A firing squad should be the next step, as in 'YOU ARE FIRED!!!'.

The issues are, again, in my opinion., a near complete ignorance of their cameras' capabilities and utter misunderstanding of what DR does and where.

VR helps stabilize the camera lens combination when hand holding it. It does not compensate for the subject motion at all.

So if your shots are not up to your expectation first and foremost check your capture speed. Since dof is an important part of having your subject within the acceptable field of sharpness*, the only setting you can use is the ISO setting. And to use ISO effectively, you need to shoot raw and know your sensor capabilities (DR as well as optimal ISO for invariant sensors). If using auto ISO the lower limit is the one that allows for the minimal speed to use in order to capture an image that is sharp.

In short, stop complaining like these two and take the steps necessary to reduce the throw-away due to lack of sharpness.

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* I do not use depth of field because the acceptable field of sharpness is shorter than the depth of field, even if the two terms are used interchangeably by many.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Where are your original unedited images, stored as attachments with all the EXIF? We don't believe random stories that simply claim the usual: Success is the photographer. Failure is the equipment.

therwol Loc: USA

As I read it, he didn't take the pictures and probably doesn't have access to them. He makes a simple and valid point. VR stabilizes a handheld image when the subject is static. It does not stop the blur of a moving subject at low shutter speed. Only a faster shutter speed can do that.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I couldn't read far enough beyond the first sentence to make that determination. All I saw was the usual, Success is the photographer. Failure is the equipment, with no documentation of why the equipment failed again this time.

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Grahame Loc: Fiji

How did you determine the actual degree of "sharpness" they were specifically referring to?

As we all know there are those that will consider a specific example sharp enough and there are those that will consider that same example not as sharp as they would want or accept for a specific purpose.

fantom Loc: Colorado

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Did I mention it was my captures? No. I was surprised by the conversation between two men who knew each other. I did not know them.

How did I know they were wedding photographers? They mentioned it.

Your argumentation and what follows are invalid.

Did the title confuse you? If so, instead of shooting from the hip w/o reading, as you admit later on, do take the same to read. You are usually not that obtuse.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

In today's world there is no reason to shoot with a shutter speed of less than 1/1000 in normal daylight conditions. That will solve almost all motion blur problems.

therwol Loc: USA

I agree with you on that. I almost never set the ISO on my camera to less than 400-800 in daylight conditions. I discovered early on that my pictures were sharper on my Nikon D810 and now D850 at 1/1000+ shutter speeds. I don't care how good VR (and IBIS) are supposed to be. I seem to get better results at high shutter speeds. Those high pixel cameras are sensitive to camera movement. To me, VR (and IBIS) are most useful in lighting conditions that would require an ISO that would compromise image quality, but both are useless if your shutter speed is so low that moving subjects blur as the OP described. I know that someone or some persons may point out a loss of dynamic range at higher ISOs. I don't see that being a problem for the pictures I take.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

The point being made is a valid one and it points to an unfortunate state of affairs. One of the most basic aspects of photography is that the shutter speed needs to be fast enough to eliminate motion blur (unless it is specifically wanted). There are only three other factors that are equally basic - the exposure needs to be right, the DOF needs to be right (which usually means "sufficient") and the ISO should be as low as circumstances allow.

Considering how simple and how basic those four requirements are, it's amazing that they are not all common knowledge and well understood. The fact that they aren't indicates that most teaching in photography is more complicated than it needs to be.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

The last sentence says it all

Rongnongno Loc: FL

The real issue is overreliance on technology w/o understanding what it does. It is not about exposure or anything else for that matter.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

In my humble experience it is focus error what I see often as lack of sharpness in many images and I am referring to static subjects. As you mentioned VR will never control movement, that is a task for the shutter speed most often combined with a high ISO setting.
We all know how useful VR or IBIS is for static subjects, no need to offer an explanation.

The two gentlemen "wedding photographers" most be very successful shooting weddings. I hope one of these days they will be lucky enough to not end up in court. Today photography, using digital, is easier than ever but knowledge and experience is what separates the good photographer from the less experienced one. I know of a local photographer here who does weddings who knows nothing about gear and how it actually works but instead his images are very good and many of them beautiful. He has learned a lot from experience since he has been shooting weddings for many years and learned many tricks from local photographers. If you ask him what VR is he gives you the answer in his own terms.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind