St. Barts Church, Inside and Out - Canon SD500

[JTL]

O.K...yet another photo to help combat Canon SD500 misinformation. Where does this "it doesn't shoot good in low-light" stuff come from? I was told by a close associate in consumer marketing that some companies (Sony being one of them) actually hire college students to go online or to do word-of-mouth on campuses to trash some products and promote others! I was shocked, but I guess I'm just naive! I'm not saying this is what's happening, but hey, you never know.

Anyway, the following shot was TOTALLY hand-held...not even leaning on anything...not even kneeling. Standing upright, but holding with two rock-steady hands (all those years of guitar playing have paid off once again). There's a little softness, but that's to be expected.

So let's see if the critics have anything to say about this! Personally, at this point, I find all the nay-saying amusing...because I'm out there shooting with the SD500, not squawking about it (ok., maybe I'm squawking a little, too :D ).

St. Barts Church, 51st and Park, Manhattan. Canon SD500, ISO 50, f/2.8, 1/8 sec.
http://JTL.smugmug.com/photos/19903850-L.jpg

The one below was taken outside the same church...
St. Barts Church, 51st and Park, Manhattan. Canon SD500, Auto. The camera chose f/7.1, 1/160 sec.
http://JTL.smugmug.com/photos/20013029-L.jpg

[Thalas'shaya]

gorgeous shots!

[gary_hendricks]

Oh my Gawd. The SD500 is definitely in my books now.

[speaklightly]

JTL-

Thanks for the fantastic SD-500 photos. Those are definitely "WOW" photos. Can you please share with us how you handheld a sutter speed of 1/8th of a second? I think we can all learn about hand holding slow shutter speeds.

Sarah Joyce

[JTL]

JTL-

Thanks for the fantastic SD-500 photos. Those are definitely "WOW" photos. Can you please share with us how you handheld a sutter speed of 1/8th of a second? I think we can all learn about hand holding slow shutter speeds.

Sarah JoyceThanks for the feedback, folks! :)

Sarah...I will post a mirror photo on this thread showing how I gripped it and explaining my arm postion, stance, etc. later when I get home...

[EAP]

Beautiful church. I am also very curious how you managed that hand-held! I can't seem to keep my hands nearly that still.

[Bald Eagle]

Fantastic photos. I love the indoor shot as well as the outdoor shot. Thanks for sharing these great photos. :)

[JTL]

O.K.

Below is a pic showing how I hold the camera for shooting with longish exposure times in available-light. Notice that the camera is actually firmly resting on the clenched middle finger of my left hand (my ring finger and pinky are clenched as well), with my index finger wrapped completely around and gripping the front of the camera and my thumb pressing hard against the back. I am actually pressing down firmly with my right hand and my right thumb is completely wrapped around and gripping the back of the camera and my right index finger firmly gripping the top/front while my middle finger, ring finger and pinky are clenched. The camera is approximately 14" from my body, with the LCD at eye-level. My elbows are cocked and locked at approximatly 45-degrees. In addition, my feet are approximately one foot apart, with my right leg in front, knees slightly bent, absorbing most of the weight on my left leg.

Update: I just wanted to remind everyone that since I took this shot looking into a mirror, the left/right hand positions appear OPPOSITE than in my description.

The SD500's Digic II processor also helps, because there is only about a .3-sec shutter lag. Also, the large, smoothly operating shutter release button makes this grip and shoot technique even easier. I don't think this grip would work as well with anything larger than the new SD line. I usually fire off at least five shots and at least one is always usable. Hope this helps everyone understand how I pull off these shots! ANYONE with a tiny, fast, high-resolution camera, longish fingers and a steady hand/body can pull it off.

Once again, thank you everyone for the kind words. This site is just plain great. :)

Canon SD500, f/2.8, 1/10 sec.
http://JTL.smugmug.com/photos/20089533-M.jpg

[Bluedog]

Interesting technique JTL. As you noted to: ".3-sec shutter lag" ... is a huge advantage. Good job ... ;)