Anti-shake technology...camera or lens

[Big Mike]

If you ever wondered,
wondered, whatever became of me,
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati....Cincinnati WKRP.

Sorry, I got sidetracked...

If you have ever wondered about which is better...anti shake built into the lens or built into the camera body...Here is an interesting article, with actual test results.

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/4615/image-stabilization-special-stop-the-shake.html

To sum up, the in-lens tested slightly better but of course, IS/VR/OS lenses cost more and you have to buy it with each lens. In-camera is a one time cost with the body and it works for all lenses.

 

[sabbath999]

Interesting to note what I have seen myself (and have commented about to some eyebrow raising here in the forum) that the Nikon 18-200's VR is almost preternaturally good, and far better than I have been able to achieve with the 4 other VR and one IS lens (the 28-135 which did very little to improve the image on a friends XTi) I have shot with.

 

[Big Mike]

I also found that interesting, that one lens (Nikon 18-200) tested better than all the rest. I haven't used the 28-135 IS, but it has been around for quite some time...and IS technology has improved since then. The one I do have, the 17-85 IS, is pretty good...which is what their results show.

They didn't test either of Canon's new IS lenses, which are supposed to be a newer technology (the 18-55 & 55-200).

 

[Mike_E]

I keep wondering when someone is going to come out with a VR grip!

I'd pay for that!!!

 

[Big Mike]

All these articles never seem to mention that good posture/stance and technique can help just as much as this anti-shake technology. Also, I'm sure anyone could improve their tolerance for camera shake with some resistance training to build up their arm strength and stamina.

 

[sabbath999]

While you are dead on as usual Big Mike, the weird (but obvious when you stop and think about it) thing is that VR/IS/OS helps people who have poor shooting posture and habits more than people who have good ones. The more you shake, the more it helps...

Of course, people who don't shake much and who get 3 stops better will ALWAYS be better than people who shake a lot and get 4 stops worth of help... it is just one of the odd facts of life.

There's nothing like shooting Kodachrome 64 handheld that will teach you how to hold a camera steady.

 

[Big Mike]

I guess the good part is that it also helps those who do have good stance and technique. I've heard plenty of people say they get nice sharp results while shooting at 1/8 or 1/13...which is pretty darn good.

Come to think of it, I often get pretty tired and out of breath when shooting. It's only partially because I'm not in great shape :er: but when shooting with slower shutter speeds I stop breathing, pause, freeze and shoot. Just like shooting a rifle or other gun etc.

 

[Jeff Canes]

I decided to stay with Canon when switching from Canon FD to a new film system because I want the anti-shake option. And at the time Canon was the only brand with this option. So far I have only one IS lens the 70-200 f2.8. After having this lens for a few years and shoot most sports with it, I don’t think that the IS has been all that helpful for shooting sports. Because the shutter speed is faster that the IS. For me I wasted $500, but today you can’t buy the non-IS 70-200 f2.8 anymore.

 

[Mike_E]

Anything below 1/13 and I have to shoot bursts to be sure of getting anything worth printing. I was serious about a Gyro grip if anyone knows an engineer that wants to make a tidy sum. Just make it a box for one size fits all, a vertical grip along with it would be nice but I would really like to be able to shoot a 28mm at 1/2 sec and get a good print.

 

[EOS_JD]

I have shot handheld at 200mm and 1/15th and got pretty decent results. But you do have to have a pretty steady posture. Subject motion is more of a problem when shooting with slow shutter speeds.