----- Original Message ----- From: "William Robb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Try this: > Put your best lens on your camera. > > Put a short roll of fine grained film (it doesn't matter what type) into > your camera. > Take pictures of the same scenen hand held, at 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, > 1/60, and 1/30, adjusting the aperture to ensure correct exposure. > > Repeat the test, except this time, put the camera on a rock solid tripod, > and use mirror lock up if possible. > > Process the film and examine the results under a microscope. > > When I did this, I was surprised to find that a tripod improved the > resolution of pictures taken with a 50mm lens at 1/1000 of a second. > > William Robb >
Bill; I think the issue here is that you and I and many other people know that using a tripod will give you better, sharper results whenever possible, but other people on this list and elsewhere like to brag about their hand-holding ability. To them, saying they can hand hold a 400/2.8 lens at 1/60 from the back of a pickup truck on a dirt road going 50 mph without noticeable camera shake <ooh, ooh, grunt, grunt> is manly and shows their tremendous "skill" at photography. Telling these people that tripod use makes for better pictures is like talking to a brick wall. They won't listen or much less, try your test. Just the fact that someone could ask "What's the slowest shutter speed I can hand-hold a XXXmm lens?" indicates a lack of effort on their part. Jeez, why don't you try it and see what kind of results you get? Hey, since we're on the subject of the 1/focal length hand-holding rule, why don't we talk about the "rule of thirds" as well! Christian Duck and cover
