Why are my photos blurry?
Blurry photos almost always come down to one of three things: the shutter was too slow (camera shake), the subject moved, or the camera focused on the wrong spot. Here's how to tell which one you're dealing with and fix it.
Quick answer
Use a shutter speed of at least 1/(effective focal length) handheld — faster for moving subjects — and put a single AF point on your subject (continuous AF if it's moving). If the whole frame is soft it's shake or motion; if only the background is sharp, you missed focus.
Causes & fixes
Settings to check
Common mistakes
- Leaving the camera in Auto indoors, where it drops the shutter too low.
- Blaming focus when it's actually motion blur — check whether even still edges are soft.
FAQ
What shutter speed stops camera shake?
A safe starting point is 1 divided by your effective focal length (focal length × crop factor). On a 200mm lens with a 1.5× crop, that's about 1/300s. Image stabilization buys you a few stops slower.
How do I tell motion blur from missed focus?
If something in the frame is tack-sharp but your subject isn't, you missed focus. If nothing is sharp, it's camera shake or subject motion.
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