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Remarkable!

fotografz

Well-known member
Yesterday, my former assistant and now wildly successful wedding and portrait shooter came for a visit yesterday ... arriving in his new Porche that he paid cash for (glad someone is making some money:thumbs:)

He wanted to see the A900 ... and handle it a bit. He wondered how effective the SSS in-camera stabilizer worked. Well, I bolted on the Sony 500/8 Mirror and shot a plant across the room hand-held ... a totally unremarkable photograph that demonstrates how remarkable this feature works ... frankly, I was even surprised.

A900 @ ISO 2000, 500 mirror fixed f/8 ... at ... get this ... 1/20th shutter! :eek: I mean come on ... 500mm @ 1/20th? And we just finished our 2nd double strong coffee :ROTFL:

(also goes to show you that it's best to avoid specular highlights in the OOF areas unless you like donuts.)

The flower pic was done with the 500 AF mirror also.
 

jonoslack

Active member
HI Marc
Of course, I've experience this sort of thing too. What's really confusing is reports that you really need a tripod to use the D3x . . . . Whereas, with the A900 we're all getting sharp pictures at stupidly slow shutter speeds.

Is it just the IS? Is it to do with mirror shock?

Whatever the cause, it's one of the enduring pleasures of using an A900.
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
What's really confusing is reports that you really need a tripod to use the D3x . . . . Whereas, with the A900 we're all getting sharp pictures at stupidly slow shutter speeds.
You're right -- this is something that frequently crops up in reviews/discussion of the D3x, plus the assertion that your technique has to be absolutely top-notch to get the best out of the camera. If someone had said to me that you could get sharp results from a 500mm lens hand-held at 1/20th of a second, I would not have believed them. Well, seeing is believing.

A question for A900 users: do you have Image Stabilization turned on all the time or only for specific lenses/circumstances?
 
S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
HI Marc
Of course, I've experience this sort of thing too. What's really confusing is reports that you really need a tripod to use the D3x . . . . Whereas, with the A900 we're all getting sharp pictures at stupidly slow shutter speeds.

Is it just the IS? Is it to do with mirror shock?

Whatever the cause, it's one of the enduring pleasures of using an A900.
agreed 100% :thumbs:

I love how I can shoot my 50/1.4 at f/2 for a tad more sharpness even if it means my shutter speed drops to around 1/20th in low-light. With exception of subject motion blur at those shutter speeds, I'm consistently astounded at how slow I can hand-hold this camera. I do also think the shutter is quite well "buffered" as well... even if it's not the quietest in the market.

With my 5D's, I often felt like I needed 1/75th or 1/80th to get decent sharpness with a 50mm lens... and I do (or at least did) have pretty steady hands afer playing trumpet professionally for many years.

Jonathan D.... I leave SS on all the time, but I don't hardly ever shoot on a tripod. Given a good cf tripod and an arca cube or similar :)D), I'd turn it off... otherwise, it's too nice to not worry about my shutter speed to turn it off, lol.

ETA: looking through some casual snaps, found this one of my youngest kid... ISO 1600, 50mm @ f/2, 1/20th
 
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Lars

Active member
Marc, very impressive. A question, since we cannot tell from the posted image - is the first shot really pixel sharp, or "just" impressive?
 

jonoslack

Active member
A question for A900 users: do you have Image Stabilization turned on all the time or only for specific lenses/circumstances?
HI Jonathon
I leave it turned on, it doesn't seem to have a negative effect. Like Shelby, I hardly ever use a tripod, because it really doesn't seem to need it.

Marc, very impressive. A question, since we cannot tell from the posted image - is the first shot really pixel sharp, or "just" impressive?
Hi Lars
Of course I can't speak for Shelby's shot, but I'm getting pixel sharp shots at slow shutter speeds - I've never tried a D3x, but it's much easier to get sharp shots than it was with a D3.

I suspect that it's more than just the IS, but these things are so hard to put your finger on.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Marc, very impressive. A question, since we cannot tell from the posted image - is the first shot really pixel sharp, or "just" impressive?
Since I don't know what "pixel sharp" means, I guess I'd have to go with "just impressive" ;)

That I got anything even resembling "clear" with a 500mm @ 1/20th shutter is something I've never experienced before ... so yeah, I'm impressed ... but certainly wouldn't go off intentionally doing that as a rule.
 
S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
Marc, very impressive. A question, since we cannot tell from the posted image - is the first shot really pixel sharp, or "just" impressive?
Hey Lars... I'll get a crop up this evening when I get home. It's pretty good. Not crystal clear like at low ISO, but I think my image was degraded more (as far as sharpness) from the high ISO than the slow shutter speed.
 
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