How to hold my camera still ?

[Kavin Ishwar]

Hello
I am into photography for about 2 years now. I use two cameras D5000 and D7200. I usually do landscape photography with my 18-55mm lens and I am totally fine using this lens. The problem arises when I use my 55-300mm zoom lens, my hands find it difficult to hold the camera still which really frustrates me and spoils my pictures. It gets even worse if I use my friend's A7 iii with zoom lens. How can I avoid this ? few tips ?

--
Indian

 

[InkedMarie]

Have you thought about using a tripod to keep the camera steady?

Marie

 

[Kavin Ishwar]

Hi !

I do have a tripod. But it won't help me when my subject is high and have to hold my camera at a certain angle. I must use my hand where there is no other go

 

[Peter Del]

Left hand underneath the lens, right hand holding body, legs apart, high shutter speed.

 

[tclune]

Left hand underneath the lens, right hand holding body, legs apart, high shutter speed.

Also, relax your muscles. Before you click the shutter, breathe in and partly exhale. Hold your breath and slowly press the shutter.

 

[geru]

Are you holding the camera properly? YouTube has many videos on holding a camera steady, search for " how to hold a camera steady".

You could even use a good monopod.

 

[Fujiuseruk]

There many things to get right , holding the camera with both hands , the left hand supporting the lens.
Your stance , tucking your elbows in and having the camera up to your eye.

How you take the photo , are you stabbing the shutter button or gently applying downward pressure.

Your shutter speed also can have an effect .

You can also try using a monopod or tripod or resting against a solid object .
Finally your breathing technique.

Remember if your camera has image stabilisation also give that chance to settle before taking the shot.

 

[Neverlost99]

I’ve been struggling with the exact same thing and I think honestly I don’t shoot fast enough. I’ve been spending more time now really holding that focus back steady and thinking like shooting a rifle. I had a handgun training one time and after 10 minutes of explanation it was dramatically better and I’m trying to bring that type of concentration to the photography experience. I’ve noticed my camera has a delay setting and I’m sort of wondering if maybe I should add a small delay from the time that I use the shutter.

 

[geru]

I’ve been struggling with the exact same thing and I think honestly I don’t shoot fast enough. I’ve been spending more time now really holding that focus back steady and thinking like shooting a rifle. I had a handgun training one time and after 10 minutes of explanation it was dramatically better and I’m trying to bring that type of concentration to the photography experience. I’ve noticed my camera has a delay setting and I’m sort of wondering if maybe I should add a small delay from the time that I use the shutter.

The longer you hold the camera in the shooting position the more the possibility of shake.

Steadying a camera is similar to shooting a rifle; assume proper stance, grip, and control breathing.

One thing I changed that helped me was I stopped using my finger tip to press the shutter, instead I lay my finger (first joint) across the shutter release it helps me to gently press the shutter release.

 

[FingerPainter]

Left hand underneath the lens, right hand holding body, legs apart, high shutter speed.

Yes, and eye to the viewfinder, elbows tucked in to ribs, feet spread, knees slightly bent. Gently squeeze the shutter release button.

 

[Neverlost99]

I think I’m the victim of using the back LCD way too often because of my trifocals. I need to take the glasses off use the ibis correctly and maybe use a framing grid more often and cut back on my double espresso

 

[Bob A L]

Are you using the eye level viewfinder, or the lcd on the back of the camera? Plenty of good articles on how to properly hold a camera steady, but most effective is to use the viewfinder, cradle the camera in left hand and brace left elbow against body, hold camera against face for stability, and assist with right hand. Then there are tripods, sandbags, beanbags, and anything else you can brace on. If you use the lcd, you're on your own, I know of no way to keep things steady using the lcd.

 

[Gato Amarillo]

I’ve been struggling with the exact same thing and I think honestly I don’t shoot fast enough. I’ve been spending more time now really holding that focus back steady and thinking like shooting a rifle. I had a handgun training one time and after 10 minutes of explanation it was dramatically better and I’m trying to bring that type of concentration to the photography experience. I’ve noticed my camera has a delay setting and I’m sort of wondering if maybe I should add a small delay from the time that I use the shutter.

To the OP -- look up some videos or tutorials on target shooting, especially with rifle. You should find some helpful ideas.

Gato

 

[Gato Amarillo]

There many things to get right , holding the camera with both hands , the left hand supporting the lens.
Your stance , tucking your elbows in and having the camera up to your eye.

How you take the photo , are you stabbing the shutter button or gently applying downward pressure.

Your shutter speed also can have an effect .

You can also try using a monopod or tripod or resting against a solid object .
Finally your breathing technique.

Remember if your camera has image stabilisation also give that chance to settle before taking the shot.

Good advice.

In an urban area you can often find a solid object to brace yourself -- a sign post, street lamp, another building and so on.

You can lean your body against it, or sometimes just put your left arm or hand against it to steady things.

Gato

 

[Neverlost99]

You almost need a mini “ mantra”. Brace, breath, squeeze.

 

[Aberaeron]

Hello
I am into photography for about 2 years now. I use two cameras D5000 and D7200. I usually do landscape photography with my 18-55mm lens and I am totally fine using this lens. The problem arises when I use my 55-300mm zoom lens, my hands find it difficult to hold the camera still which really frustrates me and spoils my pictures. It gets even worse if I use my friend's A7 iii with zoom lens. How can I avoid this ? few tips ?

Make sure that your camera and/or lens has image stabilisation and that it is switched on to the appropriate mode.

Use shutter priority auto exposure mode [S or Time mode depending on brand] and use an appropriately fast shutter speed. On full frame and equivalent cameras, use 1/ the focal length as a minimum. So for a 200mm FF or equivalent focal length use 1/200th shutter speed as a minimum even if your holding method is good.

Hold the camera tight to your body, looking through the viewfinder, and use two hands with your elbows tight to your side. Use a steady press of the shutter button that does not inadvertently move the camera.

If your camera is prone to shutter shock or mirror slap, then use a shutter speed that is faster than the range within which these are documented to be problems. Or otherwise use whatever mitigation method your camera provides such as electronic shutter, electronic first curtain shutter, electronic automatic switching of shutter types [some Panasonic] or zero-second anti-shock mode [most Olympus].

Lean your body or your camera-holding hands onto something immovable or very stable.

 

[Redhenry]

I never had a problem holding a camera steady until about two years ago when I noticed that my left hand shakes if I raise a camera to my eye. I gather that this is called ‘essential tremor’ and is not uncommon for people in their 60s and over. I had tried all the techniques mentioned above but eventually sold my DSLR and lenses and used my Sony RX100 at waist level with the screen flipped out, which works fairly well. Then I tried the iPhone 13 Pro and it’s so well stabilised that I don’t have a problem any more. If I need better IQ than the phone, I take the Sony with me.

 

[BBbuilder467]

Hello
I am into photography for about 2 years now. I use two cameras D5000 and D7200. I usually do landscape photography with my 18-55mm lens and I am totally fine using this lens. The problem arises when I use my 55-300mm zoom lens, my hands find it difficult to hold the camera still which really frustrates me and spoils my pictures. It gets even worse if I use my friend's A7 iii with zoom lens. How can I avoid this ? few tips ?

Practice with familiar subjects that are relatively close. Holding the viewfinder at eye-level, you should be able to avoid camera shake at 1/focal length without image stabilization. That's a guideline to help learn the technique.

Look at the shutter speeds you have to see if you're in the range to avoid camera shake hand-held. I need an extra stop or more to use the LCD. I'm not as steady holding the camera extended away from my body.

If you can hand-hold 30mm at 1/30th second, you should be able to hand-hold 300mm at 1/300th. Compare your shutter speeds to see if you're anywhere close to practical. Anything slower than 1/focal length will be more difficult to avoid camera shake.

With the narrow apertures used for landscape, you can have some really slow shutter speeds that aren't feasible hand-held.

 

[AstigmaticOwl]

Are you holding the camera properly? YouTube has many videos on holding a camera steady, search for " how to hold a camera steady".

You could even use a good monopod.

A gimbal head like the Wimberley MH-100 on a monopod allows you to shoot nearly vertically.

 

[thinkinginimages]

Two simple tricks worth playing with to see if they work for you: take a bit of elastic cord. Make a loop to go around the lens barrel and another attach to your belt buckle. The idea is to have a bit of resistance/tension, when raising the camera.

The second trick is similar. Shorten/lengthen the camera strap so that when you raise the camera you're pulling it taught against the back of your neck.

The overall concept is that you're creating a third connection to your body.