Which SLR allows consistent handheld steady and slow shutterspeed ?

[f16sunshine]

Those slow speeds are for amateurs only. Professionals use faster speeds:
Ansel Adams found 1/250 with a 50mm lens to be his slowest speed handheld, using a rangefinder!

Yes but, Adams also felt any aperture above f8 (135mm) was soft, too shallow DOF, and... not useable

 

[Spanik]

Never had much problems going down to 1/15s with my Eos RT. Also useful is reading up about how rifflemen and bowmen use position and control their movements. The same things help steadiing your camera.

 

[MRohlfing]

Yes but, Adams also felt any aperture above f8 (135mm) was soft, too shallow DOF, and... not useable

...and that's why he had to take a big LF camera and a big heavy tripod in a truck everywhere he went!

I guess we don't want that!

 

[jarski]

trick is to press shutter button, like trigger on gun.

and yes, hefty body damps movement, but also tires hands.

 

[filmfan]

What you will find here will not answer your question. Instead, what you will find is a list of which SLRs people here own, regardless of how steady the slow shutter-speeds are.

 

[varjag]

Varjag,

can you elaborate on it ? From what I read, Visoflex is not immuned from mirror-slap. I have a M4 which i am considering using the Visoflex II with some of my elmarit 90 or hektor 135 for
portrait in available light.

thanks

Ray,

It certainly is not immune but the Viso is a hefty thing, it's finder is a heavy chunk as well, and it all mounts on substantial Leica M. The release arm is a very long lever which makes for very little shake to fire the mirror. In addition you can adjust the mirror release point to your liking.

Be aware though, the thing is ascetic as bolt action rifle. But gets the job done!

I use a II too, but I think the III has better mirror kinematics and even more mass.

 

[Gumby]

One last question: Does the Soft release button commonly paired in RFs work well for SLRs too ? ie. a gain of +1 stop ?

thanks

Soft release buttons make some SLRs more comfortable to use... but I think the "gain of +1 stop" is largely imaginary.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

What you will find here will not answer your question. Instead, what you will find is a list
of which SLRs people here own, regardless of how steady the slow shutter-speeds are.

I've used Canon, Nikon, Ricoh and Pentax manual focus SLRs.
In my experience brand/model doesn't matter much, if at all.
Most photos exposed at 1/30 or less handheld are not sharp.

Chris

 

[rxmd]

I realize that this is a forum for old fashioned cameras, but image stabilization is the one area where modern cameras really shine. Insisting on classing cameras and then thinking about (sorry) absurdities like a Visoflex "because it's heavy" seems pretty awkward to me. If you want to use film, you can use a halfway modern film SLR; but if I'm going to carry a Visoflex, I can also just carry a monopod instead and get better ergonomics.

Here's a generic shot taken at 70mm focal length, 1/10s handheld (no particular attention to breathing etc, just stood there and took the shot)

Here's a 1:1 crop from the 21MP file, from the "far end". On film, at this scale you'd already be looking at grain.

And this lens is not exactly a gem and its image stabilizer isn't one of the best around. There is simply no way you can get that on a classic camera without a tripod.

 

[wblynch]

slow lens can not be saved by image stabilization

 

[rxmd]

slow lens can not be saved by image stabilization

Of course it can, why couldn't it? Lens speed has nothing to do with it, a stabilized f/11 shot will profit, no matter what the maximum aperture is.

 

[jaredangle]

A heavy SLR and fast lens, preferably wide. I use a Nikon F4 w/ G3 bright screen and a 50mm f/1.2

A 35mm f/1.4 will improve the handholding ability too

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

thanks everyone. i shot half a roll on the pellix with the 55/f1.2 on 1/15 again. waiting for the roll to be developed.

raytoei

 

[paulfish4570]

whatever one you shoot a whole bunch with ...

 

[kuzano]

Hand Holdability...

Hand Holdability...

Camera mass is good. Mirror Lockup is good, and those are well known standards. To that, I add the self timer....and the old classic... the string pod.

The self timer relies on no time crunch on the shot. It does however, all you to concentrate on a steady hold when the shutter activates.

Set the timer, compose and half shutter expose the shot. Now press the last half of the shutter action. You then have 2 or ten seconds to concentrate on a steady hold. Works for me. Good for a stop or two.

The string pod is a good non-stretching cord. At on end is a round eye 1/4 inch bolt that screws into the tripod socket. At the other end is a loop that your foot fits in. Length is adjusted to your height... ground to eye. Then standing in the loop, hold the camera at the upper end of the string with slight tension. Shoot as normal, with the string pod steadying vertical movement of the camera. Works for me, good for a stop or two. Folds up into a pocketsize wad.

 

[HHPhoto]

From my experience with different SLRs:

The Nikon F6 has an excellent shutter and mirror dampening system. You can use slower times with this camera compared to other SLRs.
In the budget area the Nikon F80 has a very good dampening, too.
Both are also quite silent.

Cheers, Jan

 

[OlliL]

In the budget area the Nikon F80 has a very good dampening, too.

Absolutely!
Great, silent and smooth camera.

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

here's one taken at 1/15 on the pellix, i did not use a soft release but should have. xp2 at ei 250