The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion

CHAPTER 6

HANDHELD SHOOTING AND SHUTTER SPEED

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By using Program Shift, I was able to shoot the same scene

with different depths of field.

Program Shift is a very powerful function. With it, you have the ability to manu-

ally select a shutter speed or aperture while ensuring that your exposure is cor-

rect, but you don’t have to leave the automatic features of Program mode. is

makes it easy to grab a little manual control when you need it.

Handheld Shooting and Shutter Speed

No matter which mechanism you use, once you start fiddling with shutter speed,

you have to be very careful about the shutter speed you choose. Pick one too low,

and you’ll run the risk of getting blurry images due to camera shake. e problem

is simply that it’s impossible to hold a camera perfectly still. As animals, we don’t

stand still, we sway—it’s a necessary part of balancing on two legs. When you

throw in breathing and a beating heart and possible windy conditions, holding a

couple pounds of camera perfectly still becomes impossible.

So, what’s the slowest shutter speed that you can use when shooting handheld?

at depends on your lens and on the focal length you’re shooting at.

With a longer focal length—when an image is greatly magnified and has a very

narrow field of view—holding the camera steady is much more difficult, because

any tiny movement or vibration is much more noticeable than at wide angles, ...