'Safe' shutter speeds are those where camera shake is unlikely. The picture below was shot at too slow a shutter speed, which is why it's blurred. The usual guide to ‘safe’ speeds is to take the equivalent focal length of the lens and divide it into one. For example, a digital compact at its wideangle zoom setting will have an equivalent focal length of 35mm, which means a shutter speed of 1/30sec is likely to be shake-free. It's maximum focal length, though, might be equivalent to 105mm, say, in which case a minimum shutter speed of 1/125sec is advisable. With long telphotos or superzoom lenses, the risk of camera shake increases in proportion to the focal length. With one of the latest 26x superzooms, for example, you may need to use a shutter speed of 1/500sec at the maximum zoom setting (500mm equivalent). Cameras like these, though, have image stabilisers. These keep the image steady in the viewfinder and reduce the effects of camera shake so that slower shutter speeds can be used.
Safe shutter speed
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Camera shake,
Shutter speed
'Safe' shutter speeds are those where camera shake is unlikely. The picture below was shot at too slow a shutter speed, which is why it's blurred. The usual guide to ‘safe’ speeds is to take the equivalent focal length of the lens and divide it into one. For example, a digital compact at its wideangle zoom setting will have an equivalent focal length of 35mm, which means a shutter speed of 1/30sec is likely to be shake-free. It's maximum focal length, though, might be equivalent to 105mm, say, in which case a minimum shutter speed of 1/125sec is advisable. With long telphotos or superzoom lenses, the risk of camera shake increases in proportion to the focal length. With one of the latest 26x superzooms, for example, you may need to use a shutter speed of 1/500sec at the maximum zoom setting (500mm equivalent). Cameras like these, though, have image stabilisers. These keep the image steady in the viewfinder and reduce the effects of camera shake so that slower shutter speeds can be used.