watersedge Loc: Bristol UK

i have a crop factor camera using a 15mm - 70mm lense. what would you suggest the minimum hand held shutter speed would be for getting a sharp photo

melismus Loc: Chesapeake Bay Country

Everybody is different; it depends on how steady you are. Experiment and see for yourself.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Good answer!!.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Getting a sharp image is a lot more complicated than just considering shutter speed.
There is a unwritten rule about it though, 1/focal length is minimum, this rule is used by many. Many, like me, use a much higher shutter speed.
So, considering your longest focal length is 70, so your field of view on a cropped would be 105 mm, so using the above unwritten rule, your minimum shutter speed should be 1/105 sec. or 1/125 sec.
Then also consider the following:
1. Do you have VR, if you do, that is SUPPOSED to help you at low shutter speeds. Generally speaking, I use VR until I get to 1/1000 sec. But again, it all depends.
2. How steady can you hold your camera, elbows in to side of body, camera held with two hands, left hand under lens, eyepiece firmly held against your face thus with two elbows and face you have made a mini tripod.
3. One foot should be in front of the other as if your walking, not side by side.
4. Breathing, always take the shot on the exhale, slow and easy as you trip the shutter.
5. Push the shutter button slow and easy, do not jab at it because this can move the camera during exposure.

Say Cheese Loc: Eastern PA

Years ago I was taught the slowest shutter speed when hand holding a camera was the MM of the lens.
75MM 75th of a sec
200MM 200th of a sec
That was with film cameras and film with ASA of 100 or maybe even 400

chevman Loc: Matthews, North Carolina

I looked at the previous post of the woman photo with this question, “ is this picture sharp?” In my opinion that shot was as sharp as you would want to take of a person. Reason being is you don’t want to have the picture to sharp especially the skin because it makes the portrait look to harsh. I did not notice camera shake in your portrait picture and the pores of the skin was sharp. You could sharpen up the eye lashes and hair in post processing with an unsharp mask but you don’t want to sharpen the skin on a person especially a woman. Generally speaking you will get sharper images with faster shutter speeds, practice also with the focus points of your camera. Using a flash will also result in a sharper image. This also takes practice and some experimentation.
____________________________________

BebuLamar

Of course everybody is different but the rule of thumb is 1/(focal length x 1.5).

watersedge Loc: Bristol UK

ok thats helpful. ive been roped into taking a few wedding photos and groups so trying to get in practice getting sharp photos.

khorinek

I would use a minimum shutter speed of 1/80. (lens focal length = shutter speed rule). However, I rarely go slower than 1/125 unless I'm using flash, then you can shoot slower because the flash will stop action not shutter.

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

Looking for sharpness? First, profile your lens and see which f stop is sharpest. Most of my lenses are sharpest at f/8 to f/11. After that is determined, you have to adjust speed and ISO to compensate for any movement of the camera. For me, 1/250th is about as low as I can go without a tripod or some other steady resting spot.

watersedge Loc: Bristol UK

would you say use a higher iso to get a faster shutter speed.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

How may pixels fit on the head of a pin?

A several responses have suggested, the only accurate answer is 'it depends' on many factors you've failed to identify in this game of guess. Is the lens IS / VR enables? Is the subject moving? What are the skills of the photographer?

khorinek

These are all good questions. Building a solid foundation is always a good place to start. As the photographer becomes more confident and skilled in his/her abilities, these questions would come into play.

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

There is a limit to how far you can go with ISO, shutter speed and f stop and still get acceptable results. It all goes back to the relationships in the exposure triangle. If you realize that, basically, one click of the shutter speed equals one click of the aperture equals one click of the ISO, you can begin to realize what has to be done to achieve the best results. There are no fixed rules; every shot is different. You have to actually think about those 3 relationships ....., or, just set it on AUTO and accept the results.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

And that's still the general guideline.