Five myths about Image Stabilisation
Canon calls it image stabilisation, Nikon uses vibration reduction and Sigma has Optical Stabilizer. The name may be different but the aim is the same. IS, VR and OS all promise the chance to shoot sharper shots at slower shutter speeds.
I love Image stabablised lenses but they can’t work miracles, so lets dispel a few myths.
IS lenses will stop blurred images
Image stabilisation will certainly reduce camera shake and often by a considerable amount, but let your shutter speed drop to low and your photo will still blur because of camera shake. Although image stabilisation will lower the shutter speed at which camera shake blur will happen, it can’t completely remove it.
Of course IS can do nothing to stop motion blur which is when your subject moves during the exposure.
My advice… I love IS lenses but beware of their limitations
IS must be switched off when using a tripod
Generally speaking this is a good idea. Many IS system get a little confused by tripods which can lead to soft or blurred images, but as you can see in this video I leave my IS turned on when using a tripod.
So am I risking my photos being blurred? Well I’ve lost count of how many times people have pulled me up on it. The thing is many image stabablised lenses, including my Canon 24-105L, are what’s known as tripod aware which means the IS switches itself off when it’s not needed.
Whilst it’s fine to switch IS off on tripod aware lenses, you do run the risk of forgetting to switch it back on.
My advice… If you’re not sure if your IS lens is tripod aware then switch it off.
IS can replace a tripod
No image stabilisation system can completely replace a tripod but if I’m honest it can reduce the need for a tripod.
Tripods allow super long exposure, slow you down (which is good for composition) and give unrivaled sharpness to a photo.
My advice… You can’t beat a tripod but you don’t always need one.
IS lenses are always sharper
Well no, not always. As a general rule to avoid camera shake you want your shutter speed to be equal, or better still, double the lens focal length for a sharp shot. So when I’m hand holding a 200mm lens, I like my shutter speed to be 1/400th second or more.
If it suddenly drops to 1/100th sec, an IS lens will give a sharper shot every time. However what if you’re using the same 200mm lens and your shutter speed is 1/2000th second? In that case the advantage of IS lenses is the square root of nothing.
My advice… Non IS lenses are just as good as IS lenses at fast shutter speeds.
IS, VR, OS… they’re all the same
Well nearly. Some IS systems are better at stabilising then others. You’ll often see then rated as the number of stops improvement you’ll get. The best IS lenses offer around 4 stops but there’s more to it then that.
Many lenses will have more then one mode of stabilisation. For example you may get a general IS and a panning IS settings. The panning setting will reduce vertical shake only, which can be very handy for sports photographers.
My advice… More stops of IS means more money but buy the best you can afford.
- Related:
- lens
- photography
- tripod
Thanks for share your experience.
Very sound advice and interesting about the IS lenses being tripod aware. After watching your two portraits one light vid recently I was considering pointing out you’d left IS on … But of course you knew that!
Would you consider doing an IS test video to confirm the four stops claim?
Cheers
Vern
From personal experience I can already tell you 4 stops claims are based on laboratory conditions rather than the real world 😉
Dear Gavin.
Love your tutorials. One bone to pick with you; How come you always snub Pentax? Show is on the doll where the K1000 touched you.
I don’t snub anyone David. I own Canon gear so it features in my work.
If you can pursuade Pentax (or for that matter Sony, Olympus or Fuji) to loan me some gear to review, I’d be more then happy to share my thoughts.
Thank you Gavin!
I own the 24-105L lens so thank you for using it as an example. I had no idea the IS on this lens was tripod aware but I usually leave it on unless I’m running very low on battery power and do not have a spare. I may consider switching it off on a tripod if I am confident that I will not get any vibration.
Great advice.
I have a Sigma 18-125 IS and had loads of problems with blur when using the tripod until I decided to try it with the IS off and amazingly all fixed and sharp.
The IS system must get bored if there isn’t any movement and add some for good measure.
Great tips, you’re an inspiration to me and one of the people who got me to take my photography seriously,, thank you 😉
Thanks for share 🙂
Hi Gavin
Thanks for another interesting article, you mention “tripod aware” lenses. Is there a simple way to identify these class of lenses?
Regards
Shakey (Yes..that’s my real nickname not just a on-topic joke)
Sound advise as always Gavin, cheers
Just wondering, why does a tripod confuse and stabilization system? Funny, I have had a Nikon VR lens for about 5 years and didn’t know there was on on/of switch. Learn something nearly every day from Gavin Hoey!
Gavin,
You are one of the most knowledgeable and creative photographers I have ever known. I have benefited so much from your video tutorials and your blog posts,and I love the humor you through in as a bonus.(lol) I learn something new every time I dial into your teachings. Thanks so much for sharing what you know. You are a true professional and mentor.
My test: Nikon D3 and Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD.
With this combination you have to turn sabilisation off. But I would say, that only when times are longer than 0,2s – 0,5 s, with shorter times there sholud be no problem!
http://nepomembno.com/vronoff/
Hi Gavin
Many thanks for your article!
Does the IS of a lens also work when you video with a DSLR???
Cheers for your reply and have a good weekend.
Regards from Switzerland.
Yes IS will work in video and it makes a huge improvement for the viewer. However if you’re using the camera to record audio too, the IS noise will be very annoying.
Gavin,
Vert interesting article. Keep them coming.
I use nikon d5100 w/18-55,55-300 mostly tripod landscape and never thought to turn it off.next time i shoot ill check the Gabon thank Gavin.
Hi Gavin,
As usual – a very informative and unbiased article. Thaks very much.
With regards to Pentax. I have an entry level K-r which incorporates in-body shake reduction. (SR)
Do you have any thoughts on in-body SR verses lens OS or VR?
Does this negate the need for me to buy OS equiped lenses such as sigma?
Rgds
scott
I’ve read some article says that there are a number of picture styles which can be used when shooting in modes such as manual, aperture and shutter priority. The creative control modes can only be used as their own independent modes, but you can increase or decrease the level of their affect.
Hi Gavin,
That is sound advice, as always.
Many Olympus cameras and all the current interchangeable lens models, have IS built into the sensor and I have found this works brilliantly. I can gain three to four stops on my E-5.
It does need to be turned off when the camera in on a tripod or the image is slightly softened when viewed at 100%. As a matter of course I reset my camera to my favourite settings before every shoot and this switched it back on. Though I have forgotten twice!
The IS also is switchable to compensate for only vertical or horizontal stablisation so it does not try to work against you when you are panning.
As Olympus’ IS is on the sensor it also allows for smaller (and in theory less expensive) lenses and means that any lens attached to the camera, including legacy lenses, are stablised.
Thanks for the great site.
Can you say something about Sony SLR Cameras that have image stabilisation in the body? Would this impact on performance too and would it cause the image to crop as the camera tries to steady the shot?
Great article and plenty to think about.
You say that non-IS lenses are “just as good” as IS lenses at high shutter speeds. Are they not better? IS lenses have extra elements and other design complexities to enable IS. Non-IS lenses have no such compromises.
Fair point Tom but in the real world there’s no way of telling if a picture was taken with a I.S. lens or non I.S. lens just my look at it.