How fast does shutter have to be for vr to be unnecessary

[Kbarredo]

So im thinking of getting the nikkor afs 55-200mm lense. i cant decide whether i should spend the extra hundred on vr. I will be shooting animals in alot of light as well as portraits in lots of light. I was wondering is vr really worth it. If im constantly shooting in lots of light that take 1/500 or faster will vr become unnecessary. At what shutter speed will the blurring stop. I once heard you need to atleast be 2x the number your focal length should be. So is my minimum without a tripod be 1/400

 

[DerekSalem]

2x your focal length is a good number, but if you get proficient at hand-holding you can drop to 1x the focal length (so at full zoom you'd have to be around 1/320 of a sec including crop). The difference is IS/VR will let you drop *VERY* far below that. The IS on my 70-200 lets me take a shot at 1/10 of a sec at full zoom without shake. Can't beat that.

 

[Dao]

Whether it worth to pay extra for IS/VR/OS/VC, it is quite personal. Different person have different definition regarding "worth" or not. For me, if you can afford it, go for it especially for telephoto.

 

[mrpink]

Get the VR.






p!nK

 

[flea77]

It sounds like you already have an idea of what you are shooting, so what will be your typical shutter speed?

The IS on my 70-200 lets me take a shot at 1/10 of a sec at full zoom without shake

This hits the nail right on the head for me. What is it that I will be shooting at 1/10th of a second? Well lets see, weddings are out because people move so even if the IS got rid of all the camera shake it cant make the bride stop moving, ditto with sports, portraits of anyone who is actually alive and breathing. Hmmmmm. I know, still life! But wait, when I shoot still life I am on a tripod, arent you supposed to turn most IS/VR/OS off when on a tripod anyway? Also, when shooting still life I usually use my lights so there is no need to drop below 1/200th and the flash will stop the movement/action anyway.

Now all humor aside, I have yet to find a situation where I believe IS/OS/VR will do me any good, YMMV.

Allan

 

[Kbarredo]

Ok so yeah I guess I dont need it. I only use this lens for moving birds or candid shots.

 

[KmH]

Most of the time, VR should be turned off:

Nikon VR explained

 

[orb9220]

Sorry the VR version is worth the extra. Especially for static type shots which will allow you to get the most out of this cheapy lens.

As is a great performer for the monies. Have shot over 1800 images with this lens as is my walkabout choice around town. And for closeup macro'ish to capture nature in darker canopy of woods. The VR has saved my bacon more than a few times for static type subjects.

And yep not needed in bright light or motion flight or sports. But that is not always the case.
When starting to cloudy or indoors VR has come in handy. Still can use it jacking up the iso and VR does help and worth it. As the VR is under $200 right now from amazon and others.
Picked mine up last year used for $125.
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