Handholding 1/60th of a second is the minimum I feel safe with and only when using a focal length 50mm or shorter -photo made with an iPhone 5When a shot comes out blurry, the usual culprit is shutter speed. Therefore, it is critical to make sure you are using a minimum shutter speed that you can handhold reliably. For me, that is 1/60th of a second. There are many conditions that apply to this, but basically if you are using an 18-50mm lens, photographing a still subject, not using a tripod and not using a flash, then the minimum shutter speed you should set on your DSLR is 1/60th of a second. This is also why shooting in manual mode is a great help as you will purposefully set your shutter speed to what you know is the minimum (1/60th). If you shoot in aperture priority mode, the camera may set a shutter speed below that resulting in a blurry shot.
- 1/60th of a second minimum for any still subject shot
Some people may be able to reliably handhold a slower shutter speed, and yes sometimes I do attempt it myself, but I know that for sure 1/60th with a focal length 50mm or under and a still subject will produce a sharp image. So if your still subject photographs are coming out blurry, set your shutter speed to 1/60th minimum, use good shooting technique and you will be able to produce a sharp photograph.