HOW TO BEAT THE SHAKES

Mike Harris explains why it takes more than just a steady hand to overcome camera shake and capture sharp images

- Mike Harris

30 MINS Camera shake might seem like a relatively simple concept, but are you maximising your potential for tack-sharp images every time? Shaky shots occur when your shutter speed isn't fast enough to compensate for unavoidable camera movement and is therefore most common when you're shooting handheld.

You may have been advised never to shoot below 1/50 sec or perhaps even 1/125 sec, but there's no hard and fast rule, as there are so many variables to consider. Anything from the weight of your gear to the way you hold your camera can affect the sharpness of your shots, but perhaps the biggest factor you need to consider is focal length.

It's often suggested that your shutter speed's denominator (the second number) should match or exceed the value of your focal length - so, for example, if you're shooting at 200mm, your shutter speed would need to be 1/200 sec or faster. But this assumes that you're using a full-frame camera and if you're using a APS-C camera, you need to consider its 1.5x (Nikon) or 1.6x (Canon) crop factor. With a crop factor of 1.5x, a 200mm focal length would be 300mm in 35mm terms, so you'd need to shoot at 1/320 sec or faster.

Stabilisation technology in lenses and camera bodies enables photographers to get sharp results at slower shutter speeds, but these systems have their limits; and even if you're using a tripod, camera shake can still be a problem. So read on to find out how you can combat camera shake, and ensure that every image you capture is pin-sharp.