Avoid Motion Blur
On most cameras; the vibrations caused by the shutter and mirror are very well damped and negligible. But for a big medium format SLR such as this Bronica EC TL, the vibration may cause motion blur even if the camera is on a tripod.
The “black card” method
It will help you to attain maximum sharpness for short long exposures like 2 or 4 seconds, but also for longer exposures in certain conditions -like a very dark night scene with a distant light in the background.
The plane should entirely cover the front lens. Ideally, unlike this phone, the plane has to be matte black.
- Put a black card, or the lens cap if you have nothing else, in front of the lens.
- Shoot. Wait 1 or 2 seconds to ensure the vibrations are gone.
- Then remove the black card and start counting.
- Do not touch the camera the instant before removing the card, you’ll generate vibrations.
- Once the exposure is done, put the black card in front of the lens. Again, be careful not to shake the camera before covering the front of the lens. And close the shutter.
And voilà, you have a perfect long exposure with no motion blur.
Example of a photograph made with this technique (Bronica EC TLII):
Bypassing the Lack of Mirror Lock-Up
It is low-tech but very effective.
A good thing about this technique is that it also works even if your camera has no mirror lock-up function. Just a bulb mode is enough to use it.
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