FZ cameras - minimum shutter speed
 

I always felt 1/4 is too slow, maybe 1/15 or 1/30 is more fitting. So I am curious, what do you set your individual minimum shutter speed at?

well there is no universal minimum. it depends on focal length.

the old rule is 1/equivelent focal length. which with today's image stabilization you can go 1.5-2 stops slower. and of course from there other variables come into play, like stability of footing, can you lean against a doorway, how much coffee you ate, do you in general shake alot.

i myself am not a steady person, so i tend to stay closer to the 1/focal length if possible even with stabilization. others drink less caffeine and can do better.

the caffeine thing is not always the case, I am a coffee addict. But do a pretty solid job with long shutter speeds. Be nice to us caffeine addicts. LOL

But back to topic. 1/focal length is a good rule of thumb.

The shutter is completely a function of the situation and what needs to be done. In a low light situation, stationary subject, I might press the camera against the side of a tree and hold for stability and use what ever shutter is necessary to attain a satisfactory lower ISO shot.

sdromel is correct-

There is no fixed minimum shutter speed. It is all based on the photo situation.

To be safe, you can always depend on 1/focal length to get an idea where shutter speed becomes questionable.

Sarah Joyce

Well, the rule-of-thumb for shutter speed is 1/focal length. So, if you are shooting at 500mm, you should have S=1/500. However, this RoT was created way back when when cameras/lenses had no image stabilization. Today, some manufacturers claim that their IS can save up to 4 fstops. This means if your camera is one of these, then 1/60 would be the minimum shutter speed you should use to avoid blurriness caused by camera shake (1/60, 1/125, 1/250 and 1/500 - 4 ftops). However, I think most cameras will give you about 1 1/2 - 2 fstops. So, shooting at 1/500 I'd say the shutter should be around 1/125. Of course this is, as the name says, a rule-of-thumb. If you have steady hands, you can go as low as 1/60 and still get a decent shot at 500mm but it will be a hit and miss type of thing. I'm assuming hand-held shooting, of course.