Sony RX100M3

[Betty LaRue]

I guess all this discussion is only valuable if we often turn up images from a shoot that has camera shake.

 

I've had the problem a few times. They were when I bought a new camera with a big jump in megapixels. After my trial workout, I'd just refine my technique and move on just fine.

 

Occasionally I have been aiming the camera somewhere when a photo op jumped in my face. Not one where I could even compose the shot, but try to grab it in a flash. Sometimes ok, sometimes...meh. That's when camera shake might get me.

 

I do have to use great technique to hand hold my D800 in iffy light.

[Allan Bell]

Never press the shutter this implies a jerking movement. Gently squeeze it. Like they do with a trigger on a gun. If you pull the trigger it pulls the gun off target. Gently squeeze the trigger. This from my days when I had an interest in target shooting.

 

Treat the shutter button like a lady.

 

Allan

[John Mitchell]

 

 

I used the self-timer a lot when hand-holding my old manual focus cameras in low light situations. Even with today's mirrorless cameras, it's still difficult not to shake the camera a bit when pressing the shutter. When using the timer, make sure that you're in single shot (rather than rapid fire) mode, though, and keep the shutter button pressed down until the picture has been taken. It's odd how as you age some things get better and other things get worse. In the end, of course, everything gets worse, but best not to think about these things.

 

I tried that out today, John, this being winter, a time when I turn to . . . trying stuff. I can't think why this would help steady the camera and produce a more accurate, non-shaky exposure. It seems to me you are just moving the exposure time (say 1/15th of a second) by two seconds into the future. How does that help? The camera must still be steady for the time of the exposure, no? 

 

 

John probably means "camera shake by pressing the shutter". The moment you press the shutter, your camera will move slightly downwards resulting in an unsharp picture - especially when dealing with shutter times around 1/15 second. Setting the self-timer to 2 seconds avoids having to press the shutter. All you need to do is hold the camera steady without any additional movement. A technique very often practiced in macro photography.

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

 

Yup, that's exactly what I meant. I find that using the 2 second timer allows you to press the shutter in advance thereby preventing additional camera movement when the shutter fires -- not much different from using a timer when the camera is on a tripod. Works well for me (for stationary subjects, of course).

[Ed Rooney]

Madonna miseria!  I know how to use the shutter release, fellas. I've been doing this for a while. I don't need any Micky Mouse tricks.

 

What we might get with the 2-second delay is the Decisive Moment . . . plus two seconds. How would that work out?  

 

Have a nice Christmas and New Year, people. 

 

Edo

[John Mitchell]

Madonna miseria!  I know how to use the shutter release, fellas. I've been doing this for a while. I don't need any Micky Mouse tricks.

 

What we might get with the 2-second delay is the Decisive Moment . . . plus two seconds. How would that work out?  

 

Have a nice Christmas and New Year, people. 

 

Edo

 

Timers kill the Decisive Moment. No doubt about that. HCB would not have approved. However, as mentioned, this technique can work well for stationary subjects. I've done a lot of shooting in museums where tripods are verboten, and this "Micky Mouse trick" has come in handy over the years. Just thought I'd pass it along. Take it or leave it. Buone feste.

[Bill Kuta]

I used to sometimes use my 5D with a monopod attached (at its shortest length) as Wim describes. And for verticals, I just held the bottom end of the monopod in the crook of my arm, and it still provided some damping that way.

 

Too lazy now, I guess, although I have been thinking about using the monopod to extend the camera up, or sometimes over the edge of bridges, cliffs, etc, with my small light mirrorless of course. Want to try using it that way with a remote shutter release.

[Ed Rooney]

I'm sorry, John -- that Mikey Mouse remark was not pointed at you . . . not exclusively. Sure, I can see a limited use for a 2-second delay in certain rare situations. My remark was aimed at Wim, Philippe, and, to a lesser extent at you. Because you don't own a RX100-3, and that's the subject under discussion.

 

Wim is suggesting we carry a high-quality camera that was designed to actually fits in a pocket . . . and then we carrying along a box of stuff from a hardware store too. Frankly, in this age of small cameras, IS and adjustable ISOs, if I come to a place where I still can't take a picture -- I don't shoot. This is stock we're talking about. We're not covering a once in a lifetime event. (Not often, anyway.) 

 

Edo 

[wiskerke]

Come on Edo, you haven't clicked the link, did you? The badge is the MacGyver badge. ;-))

I don't carry sticks or stones either when I am carrying only one RX100. It helps however to experiment with ones gear from time to time to understand what works or when to give up shooting handheld. Even with the nice night mode, which however has not saved one image for me yet, Philippe. Good enough for whatsapp, yes.

The trick with the pole may just come in handy when you are allowed to carry a short stick and something a bit heavier than the Sony, but not a tripod. Or when it's no problem to look goofy, but it is a problem to look like a real photographer. Or when you want to shoot video handheld with your tiny rx100. - Has anybody used the mk4 for 4K yet?

My usual solution is to look for something stable to press my camera to. Or to hang it from. My Sonys have balanced on wine bottles and beer glasses; hung from fences with a rubber band, sometimes steadied by a piece of gum. If it falls down there's never been any harm done, because I keep the lanyard around my wrist. I must admit that my slrs and dslrs also have hung from many rails and gates and nails in walls, because I'm usually too lazy to carry a tripod. That has changed a little bit when I made myself a 689g/1.5lbs=24.3oz one, but not all that much. Even when I do take it, it may still be forbidden to use one. I know however that it helps a lot to mount the camera to the tripod and hold the ball head. And it would help even more when I would use my rubber band to attach my other rx100 to the bottom end. Ok ok that's the MacGyvering again, but it helps when you know the principle behind it.

And that's the only thing the MacGyver series were good for, because I thought that show was utter rubbish. On par with the A team. I don't have kids, but kids around the house preferred the A-team.

(Which was when I found out that was actually made for 6 month old not 6 year old kids - they stopped watching. Maybe not entirely true. That was only the girls. Boys keep watching.)

 

wim

[Ed Rooney]

Luckily, I was traveling a lot in those days . . . but as bad as MacGiver was nothing was worse than The A Team. I spent almost a month once with a real A Team near Da Lat in the Central Highlands; I didn't see anyone who resembled George Peppard there.  

 

I have a carbon-fiber Slik that I carry in a shoulder sling. It's almost weightless. I also have the classic Leica table pod. 

 

And I guess you're right: I didn't click that link. Sorry, but I've been clicking on links all day -- it's holiday link time. 

 

Have a Happy Christmas, wim.

[wiskerke]

Happy Christmas Edo!

And to all the other RX100 carrying Alamists!

And all the non-RX100-carrying Alamisti and Alamiste as well of course!

Happy Christmas to you all!

 

From experience I can tell you that Da Lat in peace time was quite a nice place to have a Christmas or New Year.

(Until I tried to blow my fingers off with some fireworks made from gunpowder - I was lucky: no lasting damage.)

 

wim

[alphaomega]

I have my RX100M3 with me wherever I go. Great camera. I use it as my old X700 set to A with the wonderful addition of AF. For my type of photography, control of DOF is important although easier with APS-C size and higher ISO (without affecting quality). Looked at RX100M4 and decided I did not need the "improvements". With storage so cheap I always shoot RAW & Jpeg, particularly in winter. Sometimes use the Jpegs in summer, but find that Sony Jpegs are a bit "rough" compared with the RAW you can manipulate in LR and PS Cloud. Really no excuse for not using LR/PS now considering a cost of £8.57/month (here in UK).

[Betty LaRue]

I have my RX100M3 with me wherever I go. Great camera. I use it as my old X700 set to A with the wonderful addition of AF. For my type of photography, control of DOF is important although easier with APS-C size and higher ISO (without affecting quality). Looked at RX100M4 and decided I did not need the "improvements". With storage so cheap I always shoot RAW & Jpeg, particularly in winter. Sometimes use the Jpegs in summer, but find that Sony Jpegs are a bit "rough" compared with the RAW you can manipulate in LR and PS Cloud. Really no excuse for not using LR/PS now considering a cost of £8.57/month (here in UK).

I've tried shooting raw+JPEG, but end up deleting all the jpegs. Seems there's always something I want to do to the image, whether it is straightening horizons, using the Upright tool, enhancing a blue sky or whatever. So I'm just more comfortable with the Raws.