Shaky one hand photography
Nov 30, 2017 11:41:00 #
As a senior citizen that uses a cane or walker many times, I find myself holding my camera (Canon G9X) in one hand while composing the subject. Many times when the camera is set on “automatic” the results will be blurred because of a shaky hand. I have subsequently been setting my camera on “Shutter preferred quote, and while that seems to cure the blurriness, it also changes the depth of field. How can I get both a sharp picture and maintain the fast shutter speed, like around 1/1000?
Nov 30, 2017 11:46:38 #
Nov 30, 2017 11:48:12 #
If you need to set the shutter speed as high as 1000th of a second then you will need to play around with the ISO settings and/or the aperture settings to achieve the depth of field that you want. I know of no other options. If you crank up the ISO that will allow you to also increase your aperture setting. The trade-off is that the noise in your image will also increase. This can be improved in post processing what the trade off there is that you’ll lose some sharpness this in your image. As you can see, changing one setting affects all the others.
Nov 30, 2017 11:49:53 #
I'm not familiar with your camera - but the easiest way to solve this would be to go to "Manual" mode, set your shutter speed to 1/1000 and set your f/stop for the desired depth of field (f/8 or higher for more depth) and set the ISO to auto. A lot of us aren't crazy about auto-ISO but in this case it would be useful.
Nov 30, 2017 12:05:41 #
Bud Black wrote:
As a senior citizen that uses a cane or walker many times, I find myself holding my camera (Canon G9X) in one hand while composing the subject. Many times when the camera is set on “automatic” the results will be blurred because of a shaky hand. I have subsequently been setting my camera on “Shutter preferred quote, and while that seems to cure the blurriness, it also changes the depth of field. How can I get both a sharp picture and maintain the fast shutter speed, like around 1/1000?
Consider using a Cotton Carrier Vest with this accessory for the CCS Camera Harness and is intended for users who already own the Harness. The CCS SteadyShot easily slides into the Lexan Camera Mount and is designed to support your camera with a big lens or a DSLR set up for video shooting.One hand shooting and holding your camera as a bonus.B&H sells the Cotton Carrier line. Pricey but good.I use it.
Nov 30, 2017 12:07:23 #
rplain1 wrote:
... the easiest way to solve this would be to go to "Manual" mode, set your shutter speed to 1/1000 and set your f/stop for the desired depth of field (f/8 or higher for more depth) and set the ISO to auto...
This is what I have been doing for a year now - and mainly for the reason that I'm getting wobbly even using two hands
Except for trickier lighting situations where you might need to set ISO to your preferred exposure, it has worked out great.If you google "canon gx9 auto iso" you'll find discussions/suggestions/instructions.
Nov 30, 2017 12:43:23 #
Another note: if I'm looking at the correct camera, you have a fixed lens with an aperture range of f/4.9 - f/11 at telephoto and f/2 - f/11 at the wide end. If you're finding too shallow a depth of field for your preference on some shots, try getting closer and using a wider focal length rather than zooming in with the telephoto feature. I had similar experience with a bridge camera, Canon SX50.
The full user manual:
http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300020268/01/psg9x-cu-en.pdf
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The full user manual:
http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300020268/01/psg9x-cu-en.pdf
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Nov 30, 2017 12:43:42 #
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
PixelStan77 wrote:
Consider using a Cotton Carrier Vest with this accessory for the CCS Camera Harness and is intended for users who already own the Harness. The CCS SteadyShot easily slides into the Lexan Camera Mount and is designed to support your camera with a big lens or a DSLR set up for video shooting.One hand shooting and holding your camera as a bonus.B&H sells the Cotton Carrier line. Pricey but good.I use it.
Bud,
Stan's idea of combining a SteadyShot with a Cotton Carrier is something you should investigate. Although I do not need a SteadyShot (image stabilization lenses on my D800 work for me), I use my Cotton Carrier all the time because it takes the weight off my bad neck and back and centers the weight on my body.
Nov 30, 2017 13:09:22 #
Bud Black wrote:
As a senior citizen that uses a cane or walker many times, I find myself holding my camera (Canon G9X) in one hand while composing the subject. Many times when the camera is set on “automatic” the results will be blurred because of a shaky hand. I have subsequently been setting my camera on “Shutter preferred quote, and while that seems to cure the blurriness, it also changes the depth of field. How can I get both a sharp picture and maintain the fast shutter speed, like around 1/1000?
A change in shutter speed will not change the depth of field, period!
Nov 30, 2017 13:43:15 #
You need more light. Try shooting with a flash, or in brighter light, or at higher iso. However the higher iso will add noise.
Nov 30, 2017 13:45:20 #
OP states she is shooting in shutter priority mode. Shooting in shutter priority mode will allow the camera to compensate for a fast shutter by opening the lens to the maximum (smallest number) f-stop. That will reduce the depth of field.
speters wrote:
A change in shutter speed will not change the depth of field, period!
Nov 30, 2017 15:29:07 #
speters wrote:
As Bobspez pointed out, using shutter priority mode (on any camera I've owned, mostly Canons) does change the depth of field because it adjusts the aperture to compensate for any change you make to the shutter speed. My first dslr had no auto-ISO option, so you chose your ISO and if in shutter priority, the only adjustment the camera made was to aperture. A change in shutter speed will not change the depth of field, period!
However, one of my newer cameras also changed the ISO as part of the exposure adjustment when you changed the shutter speed while in shutter priority mode. So new photographers might want to do controlled tests to see exactly what is happening in each mode. Now don't you feel silly for being rude?
Nov 30, 2017 16:03:49 #
Nov 30, 2017 16:53:06 #
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
Bud Black wrote:
As a senior citizen that uses a cane or walker many times, I find myself holding my camera (Canon G9X) in one hand while composing the subject. Many times when the camera is set on “automatic” the results will be blurred because of a shaky hand. I have subsequently been setting my camera on “Shutter preferred quote, and while that seems to cure the blurriness, it also changes the depth of field. How can I get both a sharp picture and maintain the fast shutter speed, like around 1/1000?
Bud,
At this point I would consider a combination of solutions. The SteadyCam and Cotton Carrier combination will work. If your subject can be primarily illuminated by flash, the extremely short duration of the flash will freeze movement in most camera modes including automatic modes. I would start with shutter priority with the shutter speed set to the highest sync speed of your flash. The walking stick solution may also work, but it will depend on your particular impairment. Another thing to consider may be using a camera with image stabilization. I do not know allot about Canon other than that their stabilization is built into the camera body, but Nikon's VRII lenses give four (4) f-stops of stabilization. That means you can shoot at a lower shutter speed and still have sharp pictures. Combining that with the various camera setting manipulations that have been discussed, you could have a solution that works for you.
Nov 30, 2017 17:00:36 #
bpulv wrote:
Bud, br br At this point I would consider a combi... (show quote)
I believe that like Nikon, Canon IS is in the lens.
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