Hi, > But to get pictures as clear as John Shaw for instance (well, I doubt I will ever >become > as good a photographer as him), I realize I probably have to use a slower speed film >and > a tripod.
> So I plan to start using my cheapo tripod more (watching the wind :-)). And I am >thinking > about moving to slide film next year, maybe a lot of Fuji Velvia, for instance. I would recommend you to try some slide film immediately because it eliminates at least one possible source of unsharpness, namely the enlarging and printing process. Provided you have access to a proper lightbox and lupe you will be able to see 1st-generation results with the (almost) naked eye. If you're particularly keen to get good results hand-held, then the normal recommendation is to make sure your shutter speed is at or above the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens, which means that for a 50mm you're shooting at 1/60 or faster. As other people have suggested, you should keep the aperture at about 5.6 or 8 because this is where lenses tend to have the highest optical quality. Focusing accuracy is also slightly less critical because of the greater depth-of-field. You should also consider how you stand, how you hold the camera and how you press the shutter. In the olden days camera manuals used to include tips about this, accompanied by photos of attractive Japanese women from the 1960s. The MX manual includes exactly this type of advice, although the attractive model looks as though she's been crying. Photographers can be such brutes. Here's her advice: "your camera can be held more firmly in the left hand, which does not release the shutter. If you hold the camera with your right hand [..] this may cause camera movement. Often, blurred pictures are due to camera movement." this is advice I've lived by for 23 years! There are then 3 positions, A. B and C. Basically you support the lens with your left hand, keeping your arms close to the body. Don't stab at the shutter release, but be gentle with it. Exhale as you release the shutter. Keep your feet firmly positined slightly apart to form a stable base. Take your time. Relax. You should be able to get perfectly sharp photos using these techniques for most situations. If you want to eliminate your camera/lens as a source of error then, as suggested, use a tripod and cable release for a series of shots at different apertures and shutter speeds. Then do the same shots at the same apertures and shutter speeds hand-held. Then repeat with a different lens on the same body. Repeat again with the original lens on a different body. Then repeat with the other person's Canon, and have them repeat with your equipment. All the while make notes of all the variables, so that when you get the film processed you know which conditions each frame was shot under, and you should be able to pinpoint the problem. This should cost you the price of a couple or rolls of film + processing, plus a drink for the Canoneer. Choose a static subject in even light which has plenty of fine detail and contrast to focus on, rather than a solid block of even tone with little contrast. --- Bob mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
