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How to Hold a Digital SLR Camera

digital-photography-school.com — Avoid 'camera shake' with this simple guide.

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  • judgeFire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18It can also help to 'squeeze' the camera instead of simply pressing down on the shutter release button.

    The way some people hit the button too hard actually ends up moving the camera, right at the moment of exposure. When you apply pressure evenly there's less shake.
    • Spybot, on 10/12/2007, -16/+9uhhhh....tripod and remote shutter? that does it for me.
    • brandizzle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I can't squeeze the camera because I always end up squeezing harder on one side than the other so it moves even worse, but what I do do is press the button 3/4ths of the way down and then wait a second before gently pushing it the rest of the way. *shrugs* it probably seems odd and unnecessary but it forces me to think "don't press too hard", because otherwise it's pretty common to believe the harder and faster you press it, the sooner you'll get the picture and not miss the moment. That and I try to rest my elbows on something.
    • mfratt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This is the way I've always held my camera. I have the Sony F717 (not sure if its slr, but it is very high quality), and with the weight of the lens, it is very difficult to hold it any other way.
    • StarCrusher, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4If you own a digital camera and don't know to hold it with two hands, I doubt you're a candidate for understanding about squeezing the shutter button rather than hitting it with a beer bottle
    • rspeed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@mfratt

      It's not an SLR. The easiest way to tell the difference is that the viewfinders of SLRs use the main lens through an optical system. In other words, light comes through the main lens and bounces off a series of mirrors and/or prisms into your eye.
  • jacuff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Here's a few more things that aren't listed in the article...

    Use a shutter speed of a least 1 / focal length. You may need to multiply that focal length by 1.2, 1.3, or 1.6 depending on your particular dSLR. So for example, at 125mm on a Canon 20D, you would want a shutter speed of at least 1/200.

    Use a lens that has Image Stabilization or Vibration Reduction. These lenses will typically give you 1 or 2 additional stops before the image would come out blurry. This will differ among lenses.

    A tripod is still the best way to go to reduce overall blurriness. A monopod will also help. If those two aren't available to you, the techniques in this article will help you out.
    • Konquest, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Just to clarify, the rule of thumb is 1 / focal length in the 35mm equivalent. Most cameras come with lenses around 28mm to 100mm. So at the most wide angle setting, you can go up to 1/30 s and 1 / 100 s at the most telephoto setting. The same holds for every camera.
  • mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -21/+9I really didnt learn a thing from that article that I didnt know already.
    • tobsterius, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21Good. then it wasn't meant for you... there are quite a few people that are new to this "photography" thing, every little bit helps.
  • catfive, on 10/12/2007, -13/+19Something everyone needs to do BEFORE holding a DSLR... take a photo class!
    • Terc, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8Why is catfive's comment being modded down? When purchasing digital slr cameras, you can expect to pay between $500 and $800 for most and easily more depending on what you want. When spending this kind of money to presumably get better pictures it is a VERY good idea to at least take a quick photography course at a local college or art institute. You're very likely to be disappointed if you thought just having an expensive camera would give you great pictures. Learning to use it correctly can yield fantastic results.
    • DanielKongos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The great thing about digital is that you can just practice and get immediate feedback. No need for a class. I never took a class and my photography has come along relatively well (key word: relatively). I do find though that taking a picture at the end of an exhale helps with stability.
    • mo0o0ocow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I definitely agree with Daniel. I've been into photography for about 5 years. I started out with a simple point and shoot, then moved on to the Rebel (film SLR). But using a dSLR helped my photography a great deal. It's easy to play with different shutter speeds and apertures, and you get instant feedback on what works and what doesn't. That's much better than waiting until you finish a roll and waiting to have it developed.

      Also, if you have the motivation, I wouldn't say a course is necessary. There are a lot of resources online for amateur photographers. Reading guides online definitely helped me out. I'd recommend photo-class http://photo-class.deviantart.com/ on deviant art. This is not to say a course wouldn't help (I am very sure it would), but it's just not necessary for everyone.
  • Sippi, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3How is this useful?
    Most of these suggestions are generally well known. If you need instructions on how to stabilize your SLR camera, you shouldn't ever have one in your hands in the first place.
    • Flashman, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14That's circular logic. "If you need instructions, you're too stupid have one, but you don't need instructions unless you've already got one."

      Um, sure.
  • keswick, on 10/12/2007, -7/+24Next on digg, how to hold a pencil!
    • ace87, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I agree, how exactly is this Digg worthy? You just hold it!!!
    • shogunu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Hear, hear!
    • rspeed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"You just hold it!!!"

      I see people holding SLRs wrong ALL the time. There was even a commercial where some kid was holding what appeared to be a Digital Rebel with his left hand on the camera body.

      Bad bad bad.
  • zakool21, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"Something everyone needs to do BEFORE holding a DSLR... take a photo class!"

    On the money!

    "You may need to multiply that focal length by 1.2, 1.3, or 1.6 depending on your particular dSLR. "

    No. The focal length multiplier is actually a crop factor and does not change the actual focal length. 1/focal length is perfectly acceptable.

    Taking a deep breath or holding your breath is one of the most useful tricks you can use to take better pictures at slower shutter speeds. As a professional, this is like second nature, but may not be so to starters.
    • Konquest, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2" No. The focal length multiplier is actually a crop factor and does not change the actual focal length. 1/focal length is perfectly acceptable. "

      If you have a dSLR other than one that costs 3000$ (and the case may be if you need to read this article...), then you sensor is smaller than a 35 mm film and the 1 / focal length rule does not hold well. For example, a 18mm lens plugged in front of a Rebel XT will not yield the same result as if you put it in front of a 20D (or any camera that has a 35mm chip). Hence, the camera shake will not be the same in both cases.
    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1You are mistaken, the crop factor does change the 'effective' focal length. Therefore shooting at 50mm on film is like shooting at 75mm if you put the same lens on a Nikon DSLR (1.5 Crop). The added zoom accents the "camera shake" and the rule becomes 1/(focal length*multiplier) instead of the original 1/focallength for a film camera
    • zakool21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"For example, a 18mm lens plugged in front of a Rebel XT will not yield the same result as if you put it in front of a 20D (or any camera that has a 35mm chip)."

      You may be mistaking the 20D for the 5D. The 20D is an APS-C sensor, virtually identical to that on the XT. The 5D, 1Ds and 1DsMarkII all have the full frame sensor.

      1/focal length is conservative. What I meant is that the actual focal length isn't being changed, but one can still shoot at a speed lower than that of 1/focal length or 1/focal length*multiplier. For example, I can shoot perfectly sharp images at 17mm (on the 20D, equaling 28mm) at 1/4sec. Depends on the person.
    • scooterMX, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Keeping both eyes open also helps reduce camera shake.
    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Of course you can shoot slower. But he was making a clarification about the rule (of couse, rules are made to be broken, but they still act as a good guide for beginners who are obviously the target of this article) not saying that it is impossible to shoot sharp at speeds slower than what the rule suggests.
    • Poco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Just to be clear - the Rebel XT and the 20D have the same size sensor. The 5D has a full frame sensor.

      I also agree that the 1/focal length rule needs to be adjusted for sensor size.

    • invader, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i think the multiplier is 1.6 for the digital rebel xt and the 20D to compensate for the sensor size
    • jacuff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Just to clarify on the different dSLRs. Can a Nikon friend help me with the Nikon models?

      Canon 1D (and Mark II) - 1.3x
      Canon 1Ds (and Mark II) - 1x
      Canon 5D - 1x
      Canon 10D - 1.6x
      Canon 20D - 1.6x
      Canon 30D - 1.6x
      Canon D30 - 1.6x
      Canon D60 - 1.6x
      Canon Digital Rebel - 1.6x
      Canon Digital Rebel XT - 1.6x
    • chicagospur, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@jacuff.

      All Nikons are 1.5x.
    • webfiji, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Nikon Types
      Nikon D50
      Nikon D70(s)
      Nikon D2X
      Nikon D2Hs
      Nikon D200
    • julesp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Hey guys, when you correct a commenter try to put a link to some facts that back up your correction. Now I ask this because sometimes I don't even know who to believe when two people say in comments totally different things.
  • Flashman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Good article. Another related tip regarding video cameras: that hand-strap on the side is the absolute worst way to hold them, as your wrist will shake from the effort of holding the camera upright. Instead, I find it's best to invert one of your hands and rest the camera on your palm. Much more stable.
  • chaosmachine, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8so basically the trick is to use two hands instead of one? great article...
    • Phyrefly, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Behold, the end of IS and VR: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-05/30/content_603675.htm
    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Haha human tripod.
    • ace87, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Excellent Comment!!!
    • AtWorkSurfer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Holy crap that 3 armed baby is amazing. I feel bad for the baby and all, but who among us has never wished for an extra hand? I don't know if that third arm works but it looks pretty normal. Somebody ought to be checking to see what gene defect caused that anomaly. Ethical concerns notwithstanding, if that sort of thing could be reproduced bilaterally and reliably, I can't think of any reason why a human shouldn't have four arms.
  • Daniel591992, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6"How to Hold a Digital SLR Camera"

    Can it possibly be that hard?
    • NiLeS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3yes.


      If you want decent pictures, that is.
  • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -15/+2Helpful I guess, but hilarious to see on the front page of digg. I think Digg has gone digital camera crazy in the past few weeks.

    http://esspeaphotography.blogspot.com
    • invader, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1there is a circle and a slash next to the timestamp. click it to block/report spammers :)
    • Terc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1dont spam. when you do people like me block you.

      invader, looks like you beat me to it.
    • plutonium83, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Do you even look at your previous comments? They are all buried because you spam that link to your blog.
    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Well seven people have dugg me down (as of this posting), but checking my sitemeter it shows that there have been 25 hits to the address from this page since I posted it. If half the people who were interested in the site enough to click the link gave me a thumbs up i'd be sitting at a nice plus 5.
  • BSpolice, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This all seems to be self-evident. Quite similar to shooting a rifle actually.
  • XStatic, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4My 6 year old figured this out on his own...
    It might have something to do with the weight of the camera and lens forcing him to do so though...
  • BlackPhantom, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Erm. This extremely obvious point has reached front page?! And I think that this applies to all types of handheld cameras actually...
    • invader, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2the only reason they singled out digitals is because amateurs love to use the LCD as a viewfinder, which means holding the camera farther from the body and becoming less stable.

      besides that, the D was completely unnecessary. i find it common that film photographers try to belittle digital photographers, even though cameras these days can produce 35mm-equivalent images. so i guess there was a subtle undertone in the article saying that anyone who uses a DSLR is an amateur and/or blithering idiot

      :)
  • stonebear, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm surprised he left out an important technique: Hold your breath for just a moment as you squeeze the shot off.
    • Poco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1
      That is one I've heard before and is the only advice here that I didn't figure out on my own. That would be worth a Digg if the article had mentioned it.

      The article is a bit obvious in the sense that I'm new (1 year) into SLR photography and I figured out that stuff pretty quickly on my own. There is nothing groundbreaking. If possible, I even try to hold the camera against a solid object (or my left hand wedged between it and the object) to get even more stability.
  • jackovas, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Paging Captain. Obvious. Repeat. Paging Captain. Obvious.

    What a tool.

    Mind showing how to press the shutter too? Oh how about DOF-Preview.

    Or how about the proper way to slit your wrists?
  • TenebrousX, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Two hands! Ingenious!
  • ddegner, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Get a Leica M ! They are quite and have no mirror to cause camera shake. I can hand hold mine at 1sec with a 50mm lens.

    /end snobby camera one-upsmanship
    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Haha... what? The mirror has nothing to do with camera shake from hand holding the camera.

      Also 1" sec exposure is long enough for any camera shake the mirror causes to be hardly noticable.
    • ddegner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The mirror can cause camera shake when holding the camera (at least according to the lore of Leica photographers).

      Who says camera shake, tilted horizons, or out of focus images are bad? VII photographers are some of the best out there and they use these tools all the time http://www.viiphoto.com/detail-story3.php?news_id=449 .
    • Shivatron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I agree with EssPii regarding the exposure time claim: Leicas are great cameras, but if you think a reliable (as opposed to once-in-a-lifetime) 1sec handheld exposure with ANY camera is going to be even slightly sharp, perhaps you need new glasses.

      Oh, and BTW EssPii: mirror slap does contribute to camera shake. Typically, the average person can handhold a cameras without a reflex mirror (rangefinders, TLR, and optical-tunnel viewfinder cameras) for a bit loger exposure than they can for a camera with a reflex mirror. Having said that, you're right to point out that a claim of a reliable 1sec handheld exposure is BS (unless the handholder is a cyborg).
    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Mirror slap does contribute to blurry shots, but only over a certain range of shutter speeds. I don't know the numbers off hand (and I am sure it is different for each camera) but at some point, assuming the use of a tripod, the exposure will be long enough that the portion that is blurry due to slap will only be a small percentage of the total exposure time and will not really be evident in the end photo. Also at some point the shutter will be too fast for the mirror slap to do anything. Outside of this range it doesn't affect shots. Inside this range it does.
  • chicagospur, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Crap article.

    Doesn't even show how to hold the camera properly when shooting in portrait mode, which is probably the thing that most people do wrong.
  • riznich, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0As a professional photographer, I noticed that this article left off a very important technique for added stability and consistent quality. One should support the lens with the left hand and wedge the left elbow into the body. Combine this with holding your breath and squeezing, not pressing the shutter button (similar to how you fire a firearm). Using this technique will allow a photographer to use lower shutter speeds while maintaining sharp quality because this technique basically turns your body into a tripod. If you combine this technique with a VR or IS lens one should be able to get solid photos as low as 1/4 second. I am not saying that this replaces a tripod, it just produces consistently better photos with longer lenses that can be quite heavy.
    • Skeuomorph, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yes, as riznich points out, your left arm should be a brace between the lens and your abs. Also, if you're standing next to me in a crowd and decide to shoot vertical, do not stick your right elbow in my face. I'm liable to jostle it accidentally and then you'll have a great big dent in your face from your flash shoe.



    • riznich, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0nice - now see they should put that on the box when advertising for a vertical shutter grip / battery grip. "Buy this product so your face doesn't become dented"
  • phatpat88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2this is an abosolute joke... Kill iT!
    bettr off hire a pro..

    Bottom line, everyone thinks they are a photographer, but they are not! There is more to photography then a Digital Rebel or 20D
    • el_jefe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Actually, anyone who takes a photograph using any type of camera, is by definition...a photographer.

      What you meant to say was...

      there is more to being a *good* photographer than digital rebel or a 20D. And I would have to agree. Its sad that camera companies are ending poduction of film cameras. There are legions of photographers that will never know how to actually develop film, and to me thats just sad.

      On a side note, for those really interested in photography...you should put down the digital and try a medium format or large format camera. The picture quality is leaps and bounds over anything digital today. With one exception...Mamiya ZD.
  • lancefisher, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've subscribed to the RSS feed from this site for a while now, and they constantly post tips which are very helpful for beginner to intermediate photographers like me. I think I originally found this site through Digg.
  • icantor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0shutter speed. full stop (get it?)
  • mattyj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1For digital cameras, just buy a Panasonic. It has an image stabalization feature that works really well for me, and I tend to shake a bit.

    • EssPii, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0What about all the other cameras/lenses with IS or VR? Its not some new technology that only panasonic has.
    • Shivatron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2> For digital cameras, just buy a Panasonic...

      Wow, why didn't you tell me that earlier! I'm going to go throw out my Canon 1D, 17-40/4, 50/1.4, 135/2, 550EX, et cetera, and buy a Panasonic!

      (In case you can't detect my sarcasm: Clearly, this is narrow-minded advice. There are many choices in the digital camera market, and many of them happen to include image stabilization as well as other features you may find useful. You're not limited to Panasonic.)
  • Lostcosmos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I hold mine between my legs - or sometimes I just set the timer and chuck it up in the air.
  • izzybomb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Ive actually found that when you take the picture instead of just chucking it at people, it turns out better.
    • Skeuomorph, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There's several Flickr groups dedicated to camera tossing photography. Seriously.
  • mikeflynn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Common sense. No digg.
  • theRIAA, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i have an old sony cybershot. i just pust the button, then i have 2 seconds to hold it still before it takes the picture
  • tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Tripods are not always practle. And most people's hands tremor when you squeese.

    My solution: E-Grips! http://www.egrips.com/ They work as good or better than that Anti-Shake featore on some digital cameras.
    I never get the "Custom Cut" ones, I just get the Universal pack. I put them on my Digital Camera where my fingers touch it. I just grip it as normal and it does not slip.

    I put them on lots of things, my laptop, mouse, PDA, cell phone, remote controlls, portable hard drives, nearly anything that I need to grip.
  • ShutterCat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Here's what works for me: As long as you're using the viewfinder, glue that thing to your face, your arms to your sides, and your body to a wall if possible.
    Treat the breathing and shutter release technique the same way you treat firing a rifle. Exhale, hold, and squeeze.
    Don't point it at anything you aren't willing to take a picture of ;)
  • hppyfngy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This is News? This is like Camera 101...
  • mattmoose88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Camera Shake can still be a problem when you are zoomed out to 300mm, that's when a tripod is a must....
  •  

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