Anyways, the classic design of an SLR causes camera shake—even if said camera is perched securely on a tripod. That’s because in an SLR, the mirror which allows the user to see the image literally through the lens flips up when the shutter is pressed, allowing the camera’s sensor or film to save the picture. Unfortunately, that action also creates vibrations that cause camera shake and lead to lower-quality pictures, no matter how small these vibrations are.

We have the Japanese to thank for this discovery. They were able to develop a tool for measuring even the slightest movement. Here were their findings:

The resolution of an SLR camera was substantially reduced to 1/4 or lower by the mirror shock (vibration generated when the mirror bounces up).

Next, it was confirmed that the vibration generated by releasing the shutter remains even when a picture is taken after a certain period of time from the mirror lockup to prevent a mirror shock.

Then, the Nishi Lab and Tani Electronics found that camera shake significantly worsens when a lighter tripod (approx 1.5kg) is used. Also, they conducted a quantitative investigation about the influence of the installation direction of the tripod.

So what’s the point of all this? Well, one of the researchers summed it up quite nicely: “”There is no point in enhancing resolution unless we take some measures to reduce the vibration of a camera unit as a whole including a tripod.”

I’m curious though: does this mean point and shoot cameras, which presumably use smaller parts that move less, experience less camera shake when perched on a tripod?

(image from Wikipedia)

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The following:

• Drill with 1/4-inch bit
• Screwdriver
• Wrench

Well… well, continue reading please…
Can turn these:

• 1/4-inch Stainless steel washer
• 1/4-20×1 1/2-inch stainless steel pan head machine screw
• 1/4-20 Bar Knob
• 1/4-20 stainless steel lock nut
• lid from a 20oz bottle

Into this:

Of course, you can’t help but wonder: what if your camera’s tripod mount is off-center, as pictured above? Do you have to hold the bottle steady while taking the picture? Even if that’s the case, it’s still better than those impossible-to-keep-still hands mother nature’s cursed us with. In any case, bottle-holding is probably a requisite for any bottle-camera combo, given that the wind can easily tip over the top-heavy setup.

(images and idea courtesy of hackedgadgets.com)

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The problem is, you’ll need a perfectly still hand to properly capture these kind of scenes. And unfortunately, since no one can keep perfectly still (our heartbeats cause the tiniest kind of motion in our hands), it would do well to use a tripod.

Any photographer serious about capturing great photos—and even point and shoot owners are serious about this—should consider a tripod a crucial accessory. There are cheap ones out there anyway, and any point and shoot camera or dSLR worth their weight is designed to work with tripods. I was lucky enough to have a solid base to rest my camera on to keep the frame still; what if this wasn’t available?

Amazon has at least one tripod costing less than $25. I don’t think you can go lower than that.

(Image by Rico Mossesgeld)

Post from: The Gadget Blog