"Bob Blakely" [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: "Bracing myself with my left elbow in, hand under the lens barrel, inhaling deeply, letting about 1/2 the air out of my lungs, holding and shooting between heart beats makes my photos better. A tripod makes my photos even better yet."
First, let me thank the first three who replied to my thread-starting question. You clarified the matter exactly as I had hoped. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Modern Photography's Eleanor Stecker wrote frequently on camera shake, offering creative tips for holding the camera steady when a tripod or monopod wasn't at hand. She urged readers to look around them for stabilizing aids. For example, when shooting around food, try setting the camera atop a drinking glass! I wish I would have remembered her advice to "look around" at Thanksgiving. My sister and I were taking a brisk walk. At her local park, I stopped to shoot a couple frames of a sign that detailed the town's history. My film speed was 100, my lens 50mm, and on that overcast day, as I recall, I had to settle for an exposure of 1/60 second at f/2.8. The results were less than satisfying. I remembered later that I could have rested the camera on my 5-foot sister's shoulder! By the way, I agree (sadly) with the comments about the Super Program. (I've owned three.) These days, I try to use it principally with flash (1/125 second) or at twice the "minimal recommended" (1-over-focal-length) shutter speed. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
