FUJI GA645ZI: slowest and safest shutter speed?

giaphoto · May 5, 2014

Hi, I have two fuji GA645zi that I am using lately (they have some problems to the lcd that I am trying to fix and one has died...btw asked here on forum for help in the repair section).
Is the old rule 1/focal length valid for medium format as well?
The camera has a 55-90mm lens and is a medium format camera with 6x4.5 cm negative. Not going slower than 1/45 show be pretty safe hendheld. Is this right?

mweintraub · May 5, 2014

A lot also has to do with the type of shutter / camera type. Ie. SLR vs. TLR vs Rangefinder. Leaf shutters in TLR and Rangefinders tend to allow slower shutter speeds because of lack mirror slap and shutter movement.

giaphoto · May 5, 2014

It's a rangefinder camera/ Leaf shutter, that looks like a big compact but it's fun to use.

thegman · May 6, 2014

I think it's a really personal choice, with a range finder like a Leica or GF670, I'd go a lot slower than that rule, but with TLR, I would want to go faster. Also, it depends on the type of photo. A grainy B&W street shot can likely handle some blur/shake. A considered landscape shot, might benefit more from being sharp.

If you're OK with it, then it's OK.

Pioneer · May 6, 2014

Each person and camera is different. I have some normal shakiness so I tend to err on the opposite side and go a bit higher than most people do.

For me to be confident that I will really get a sharp photograph I usually shoot a 50mm lens at 1/250.

If I am just snapshooting I don't worry much about it but I have learned that sharpness requires a bit more effort on my part.

YMMV

Curt · May 6, 2014

I have one, a monopod or small light tripod is a real plus. If you can't then experiment with the settings to establish what is going to be your minimum acceptable hand held speed.

Poisson Du Jour · May 6, 2014

giaphoto said:
Hi, I have two fuji GA645zi that I am using lately (they have some problems to the lcd that I am trying to fix and one has died...btw asked here on forum for help in the repair section).
Is the old rule 1/focal length valid for medium format as well?
The camera has a 55-90mm lens and is a medium format camera with 6x4.5 cm negative. Not going slower than 1/45 show be pretty safe hendheld. Is this right?

That is a question you should ask yourself, and really experiment to find the answer. Irrespective of how stable and steady your hand grip may be, blur caused by shutter/mirror movement or just plain reflexive movement will be visible in large prints; if you are only going to print small I would not worry about any glaringly visible blur. I would consider 1/100-1/125 as very safe for handheld while around 1/45 to 1/60 would be very considerable risk for a big camera. Yes, you will come across proud commentary in forums everywhere about how photographers handheld giant cameras down to 1/15 or 1/4 second, but they never seem print to say, a wall-filling 80x70cm or around a metre square, where every quality inherent in medium format imaging must shine through and at large sizes the slightest amount of blur will be appallingly obvious. I've blurred some of my handheld shots on 6x7 but only ever printed to smallish (5x7) 'postcards' for proofing of the scene and nobody was any more the wiser for the shocking blur that is visible at 8x10 print size!

piu58 · May 6, 2014

It is no problem for me to take a real sharp photo with 1/30 second and f around 80 mm. I tried this with a Rolleiflex and with the Fuji GA645 camera, photographing an USAF 1951 pattern. Using an SLR (Canon) I could use 1/15 s with the 50 mm lens with some concentration.

It helps to sacrifice a roll of film and try it out. The pattern can be found in the net as pdf file. The developed film should be inspected using a microscope. One has to compare the images done with different exposure times against a reference photo got with very fast time or tripod.

destroya · May 6, 2014

i have this camera and for me I have got real sharp photos as slow as 1/10 of a second at the widest zoom. as you zoom in I am comfortable as slow as 1/20 for quality images. the leaf shutter really makes the difference.

Alan Gales · May 6, 2014

When I was young I used to be able to hand hold 35mm cameras with normal/short focal length lenses at 1/30 of a second with no problem. Now I find I often get blurred images at 1/60 due to camera shake. I don't know if it's age or what. I'm 52.

Of course now I'm married with a daughter, step-daughter, two step-sons, three step-grand children with another due any day, and a step-great granddaughter.

Maybe it's nerves?

Pioneer · May 6, 2014

Alan Gales said:
When I was young I used to be able to hand hold 35mm cameras with normal/short focal length lenses at 1/30 of a second with no problem. Now I find I often get blurred images at 1/60 due to camera shake. I don't know if it's age or what. I'm 52.

Of course now I'm married with a daughter, step-daughter, two step-sons, three step-grand children with another due any day, and a step-great granddaughter.

Maybe it's nerves?

That's it!! I just knew there was a reason!

FUJI GA645ZI: slowest and safest shutter speed?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency