Reciprocal Rule

Field Technique

The rule of thumb for handholding: keep the shutter speed at least as fast as one over the focal length. A 125 mm lens wants 1/125th of a second or faster; a 500 mm lens wants 1/500th. It is only an average. Steady hands cheat it by two or three stops, unsteady ones cannot reach it, and in-body stabilization rewrites it altogether.

Related Terms

5 Axis Sensor Shift

With image stabilization systems, the top of the line cameras has a 5-axis movement correction. • Axis 1 - Up and down with the camera moving in a vertical manner. • Axis 2 - Side to side with the camera moving in a horizontal manner. • Axis 3 - Camera vertical rotation. • Axis 4 is Yaw, which is a rotation in a circular motion from side to side. • Axis 5 is Pitch, which is a rotational or circular movement an example is rotating so the horizon is not level.