Hints and Tips

Shaking off the Shakes

Camera shake is an often under-estimated problem, especially for 35mm workers. The resolution of prints enlarged beyond 10x8" is particularly vulnerable, with minute vibrations over fractions of a second causing  disastrous degradation of an image.

Here are a few tips to reduce this problem.

Camera Support

Unless it is possible to use rapid shutter speeds (less than 1/250th/sec), a tripod is a must. This should be as expensive and as robust as you can afford. A cheap, light tripod can give a false sense of security. It may be easier to carry but is probably not worth the bother or the expense.

The same goes for ball heads and three way heads; use the best quality possible. Any weak link in the system makes the expense of the rest a waste of money!

A good quality bean bag can be an effective tripod substitute.  It may even be better than a tripod in very windy conditions or in awkward corners. Camera bags plus or minus bean bags on top, can also be used for support especially when taking pictures low down or close ups near ground level. They can be easier to position than "bagpipe tripods" such a Benbo or Uni-Loc. The latter are none the less excellent for many situations, BUT when used with horizontal or vertical extension their stability is severely compromised, especially in a wind or with a camera that has a heavy, slapping SLR mirror and a crude metal shutter.

Tips for tripod stability

Check that the legs are tight and firmly set on the ground.  

Moss and other soft, springy surfaces can be a problem, as the tripod is sitting on a trampoline! 

Use centre tube vertical extension carefully as this reduces stability enormously even with expensive tripods, especially in a wind. Using a bean bag on top of a fence, gate post or car can be the preferred option.

Find a way (if no hook) of hanging a camera bag around the tripod so as to increase stability, by weighting it down, especially when windy.

Check that all moving parts of ball heads and three way heads are screwed firmly onto the tripod and that quick release plates are really stable - remember the weakest link!

Weight for weight, carbon fibre tripods are reckoned to be more stable that metal types.

Tips for camera use

Use a mechanical or electronic cable release. Although more expensive, electronic releases are likely to set up less vibration.

For stationary subjects use the delayed action timer. If possible set it to a 2 seconds minimum to allow vibration cause by a cable release to die down.

If your camera has a "mirror up" facility use it as often as possible to reduce the vibration that mirror movement creates.

Check your technique

It may be worth checking your techniques by setting up a series of test shots of a convenient subject, such as a stately home with plenty of windows, gargoyles and the like to create fine detail. For each camera used, set up using your tripod remembering the hints given above. Take several shots (to test consistency). Then hand hold and take several shots of the same subject  Note the wind conditions, focal length of the lens, shutter speed etc.

Take more shots with a weighted tripod or with and without vertical extension and so on. You can test the effect of any variable so long as you only change one at a time and compare back to your first base test. If you use slide film, project your results to a good size on a top quality screen and check the sharpness of detail. If using negative film, enlarge small areas to the equivalent of at least a 12x16" print and once again make comparisons. You might like to test the use of a bean bag or lighter tripod in the same way. The variables you could test are almost infinite. You could take a series of hand held shots at different shutter speeds to discover the speed (for you, your camera and any particular lens) at which camera shake becomes unacceptable.

Deryck Ford