Is it worth it for the IS lenses?

[Vic Vinegar]

I use fast shutter speeds for action shots and a tripod for everything else. I'm fine using the regular non IS lenses right now but the price difference is huge and it makes me think I'm missing something. Can someone please explain why an IS lens would be useful because I might get one in the future if it's really worth the $600. I just don't know enough about lenses to be able to tell whether or not it would be a worthwhile purchase for me.

 

[tecboy]

IS is good for low light and panning shot at very low shutter speed.

 

[KenC]

If you're able to use a tripod most of the time then it's probably not worth it.

 

[Overread]

How IS helps:

1) It allows you to handhold a lens and take a sharp shot using a shutter speed slower than without IS. Most use the 1/focal length rule and then assume they'll get several stops slower than that with the IS (amount depending on the generation of IS - I think many are up to 4 stops now).

2) It allows you smoother panning when in its second mode when used on a tripod/monopod. Ergo where you're moving it side to side and the up/down is held by the support (and thus only one axis of IS is needed).

3) It allows a smoother view through the viewfinder when handholding - most evident with longer focal length lenses.


Note IS takes time to spin up and during that period of time it induces more blur than it removes. As such if you point-focus-shoot very fast you can get IS causing blur unless you had the IS already running (shutter button half depressed - a good reason to use back-button AF since you can do that and the AF won't mess around with you because that is on the back-button only).

As such if you're always shooting at fast shutter speeds and always on support then IS might have no benefit to you.

This, of course, ignores optical properties of the lens; some are higher priced because not only do they have IS, but they might be significantly newer or be at a higher product grade - and thus have the potential to have other properties that you're paying for along with the IS.

 

[Vic Vinegar]

Awesome awesome advice everyone. Based on what you guys said, and the price, I think I'm good with my regular lenses.

 

[TCampbell]

One comment about IS that I didn't happen to notice... has to do with focusing speed.

Prior to you taking the shot, you'd presumably want to focus that shot. The AF sensors are trying to lock focus on a subject that might be bouncing around because the lens doesn't have IS. Even though you intend to shoot at a very fast shutter speed (to the point that IS might not be needed), having the IS means the camera can stabilize the image and thus lock focus on your subjects faster.

If you are intending to do hand-held "action" photography, then IS still helps -- even at very fast shutter speeds.

 

[fjrabon]

One comment about IS that I didn't happen to notice... has to do with focusing speed.

Prior to you taking the shot, you'd presumably want to focus that shot. The AF sensors are trying to lock focus on a subject that might be bouncing around because the lens doesn't have IS. Even though you intend to shoot at a very fast shutter speed (to the point that IS might not be needed), having the IS means the camera can stabilize the image and thus lock focus on your subjects faster.

If you are intending to do hand-held "action" photography, then IS still helps -- even at very fast shutter speeds.

I mentioned this a few weeks back and people came after me with pitchforks.

 

[TCampbell]

One comment about IS that I didn't happen to notice... has to do with focusing speed.

Prior to you taking the shot, you'd presumably want to focus that shot. The AF sensors are trying to lock focus on a subject that might be bouncing around because the lens doesn't have IS. Even though you intend to shoot at a very fast shutter speed (to the point that IS might not be needed), having the IS means the camera can stabilize the image and thus lock focus on your subjects faster.

If you are intending to do hand-held "action" photography, then IS still helps -- even at very fast shutter speeds.

I mentioned this a few weeks back and people came after me with pitchforks.

Those people coming after you with pitchforks and clearly inexperienced and just plain wrong. This is an established fact and even Canon tells customers that it will improve auto-focus performance when shooting hand-held.

 

[Overread]

You know I never thought about its use for AF - I purely thought of it in terms of handholding and giving a stable image; but yes that makes full sense that if the image is more stable then keeping that AF point locked on will help, but also it will help the sensors themselves.

 

[fjrabon]

One comment about IS that I didn't happen to notice... has to do with focusing speed.

Prior to you taking the shot, you'd presumably want to focus that shot. The AF sensors are trying to lock focus on a subject that might be bouncing around because the lens doesn't have IS. Even though you intend to shoot at a very fast shutter speed (to the point that IS might not be needed), having the IS means the camera can stabilize the image and thus lock focus on your subjects faster.

If you are intending to do hand-held "action" photography, then IS still helps -- even at very fast shutter speeds.

I mentioned this a few weeks back and people came after me with pitchforks.

Those people coming after you with pitchforks and clearly inexperienced and just plain wrong. This is an established fact and even Canon tells customers that it will improve auto-focus performance when shooting hand-held.

yeah, there's a large group that just sort of repeat the "turn it off if you shoot over 1/300, because it will cause problems" because they heard somebody say it once and they can't actually think for themselves.

I shot with it on with the 7D, 5DII and 1DX with the 70-200 IS II L for thousands and thousands of shots at around 1/500 and all it did was improve focusing speed and accuracy for sports.

 

[snerd]

I shot with it on with the 7D, 5DII and 1DX with the 70-200 IS II L for thousands and thousands of shots at around 1/500 and all it did was improve focusing speed and accuracy for sports.

That's all?!