Sony a (alpha) DSLR-A100 Operating Instructions Manual page 14

Hints for preventing blur
Hold the camera steady, keeping your arms at your side and support the lens with the
palm of your left hand. Step out with one foot to stabilize your upper body, leaning
against a wall or putting your elbow on a table will also provide support. Using a tripod,
or using the Super SteadyShot function is also recommended.
In a dark location, using the flash allows you to take a bright picture even of a subject in
dim light and it also helps to prevent camera shake.
If you want to make the most of the ambient light, or if the subject is out of flash range,
you can increase the shutter speed to reduce the camera shake without firing the flash by
increasing the ISO. (However, this tends to make the image grainy or subject to noise.)
When the subject is outside the focus frame (Focus-lock)
• The focus-lock function is also effective when shooting subjects with which autofocus is less effective
(page 15).
1 Place the subject within the focus frame and press the shutter button halfway down.
• The z indicator lights up in the viewfinder. A local focus frame is illuminated briefly to indicate the
point of focus.
14
Normally, in auto focus mode, place the subject within the focus
frame and take the picture. If the subject is off-center and
outside the focus frame, the background within the focus frame
will be in focus and the subject will be out of focus. To prevent
this, use the focus-lock function by following the steps below.