Getting Super Sharp: Mirror Lock-Up

All right, we're starting to get a bit obsessed with camera shake, but that's what this chapter is all aboutremoving any movement so we get nothing but the sharpest, cleanest photo possible. The next trick we're going to employ is mirror lock-up. What this essentially does is locks your camera's mirror in the up position, so when you take the shot, the mirror does not move until after the exposure is madelimiting the movement inside your camera during the exposure, and therefore giving you that much sharper a photo. How much does this matter? It's probably second only to using a solid tripod! So, you'll need to find out where the mirror lock-up control is for your camera (most of today's dSLR cameras have this feature because you also use this to clean your sensor). Once you set your camera to mirror lock-up, you now have to press the shutter release button (on your remote or cable release) twice: once to lift the mirror, and then a second time to actually take the shot. Now, this technique sounds a bit nitpicky. Does it make that big a difference? By itself, no. But add this to everything else, and it's another step toward that tack sharp nirvana.