IS or no IS is the question.

[brdy]

Not any closer to making decisions on lenses yet .. Refer previous post "What would you but (its a long one ). Yesterday.

But have a couple of questions that some of you would know.

How important is "Image Stability " in a lens.

Canon has a good 70-200mm f4 USM L series lens. Its and L lens but does not have IS its about half the price of the IS version of same L lens.

around $600 for no IS ...$1200 with IS

Iam new to dslrs (in fact havnt bought one yet) so help me here ...1st can you hand hold and shoot with a lens of this focal range or does it really need a tripod anyway , I have heard that IS saves a couple of f stops. If the lens is on a tripod does IS help at all.

 

[tirediron]

IS is NO help on a tripod, in fact it may be a hinderance if it's not turned off for tripod shooting. Shooting a 200mm lens hand-held is very do-able; just remember the 1/FL rule; that is: Make sure you shutter speed is at least 1/200 of a second or greater. I would save the $600 and put half of it toward a good tripod which will stabilize all your lenses.

 

[Big Mike]

Image Stabilization helps to prevent blur caused by camera shake. They claim that it gives up to 4 extra stops of 'hand-holdability'...but more realistically, it's likely two to three stops.

So using the rule of thumb mentioned above, rather than needing 1/200 for shooting at 200mm, you could probably get away with 1/30. That's pretty good. But if there is less light, and you can't even get that 1/30 shutter speed, then you would still be looking at blurry hand-held shots....and if there is more light and you could get a shutter speed of 1/200 or faster, then you don't really need the IS.

Also of note, is that IS won't help you to freeze moving subjects. If you are shooting at 1/30, it's likely that people who aren't sitting fairly still, will show blur.
And as mentioned, it's not meant for use on a tripod, where the camera is very still to begin with.

So to sum up...it's better to have it than not...but depending on what & how you shoot, it may not be a good investment.

 

[Joves]

Sure you can shoot handheld with or without IS at that focal length, we used to do it in the old days of film and manual lenses. As Tired and Mike point out shutter speed is your friend as is proper holding technique. If your shutter speeds get really slow then support will be needed a tripod, monopod (with proper technique again) or, even a stationary object. I cant believe some of the lenses that they are putting IS/VR on anymore but, I guess that it is strictly that the general buying public is requiring it. Next they will have a 50 f/1.4 with IS/VR.

 

[flyin-lowe]

I was looking at this lens as well and was told that the 4.0 IS preforms about as good as the 2.8 non IS. Anybody ever use both these lenses that could say that one is a lot better then the other. I was also told to save my money and get the 2.8IS because I will end up there eventually. I don't plan on putting a $2000.00 lense on my $400.00 camera.

 

[edwardmendes]

When shooting on a tripod the IS should be turned off. If you're using a monopod or hand holding then IS is a huge help, this is particularly true with longer focal lengths.

 

[imagemaker46]

I shoot sports and hand old all my lenses, from the 70-200 up to the 400 2.8, I don't like using the IS, I find it distracting. I also have been hand holding the big glass for decades and am used to it, regardless of shutter speed, it comes down to personal choice, I would say for the average person using longer lenses, it's a good idea. If it's about saving money then I don't think it is necessary, didn't have IS years ago and images worked out just fine.

 

[KenC]

It depends on the circumstances in which you find yourself shooting. If you mostly are out in the woods or country shooting nature or landscapes with your tripod, IS is useless. If you frequently walk around a city in the downtown area and can't set up a tripod, and want to use your telephoto zoom, you will find it invaluable. Other situations may be between these and IS will be helpful, but not essential. Only you can assess your needs and decide.

 

[RacePhoto]

I owned the same lens IS-USM f/2.8, sold it and bought the F/4 non-IS.

Like everyone fair says, it depends on what you want to do. Opinion that 2 stops is the most you'll get hand held, no matter what the claims are. IS is no help for motion or panning, it actually hurts as the IS hunts. I shoot 90% of the time with the IS turned off, and have started buying Non-IS lenses for the longer lengths.

The quality of the images from any of the Canon 70-200 lenses are equal, and the non-IS lenses actually focus closer, but it's hardly an important benefit, just a note.

Here's something that might make a difference. The IS lenses are weather sealed! The f/4 does not come with the tripod ring (you don't need it, the lens is lighter and smaller) The f/4 comes with a gray cloth bag, not the nice zipper case. That's where much of the price discount starts to come from, not necessarily the lens and what's inside. If you really want a tripod ring, get one on eBay.

If your goal is to take pictures and the difference between a f/2.8 and f/4 lens speed, doesn't hurt, and you want to save money, by all means get the f/4 Non-IS version, it's a fantastic sharp lens and great value.

$2499 f/2.8 IS-USM vs $675 f/4 and the images are every bit as good? You could buy another lens or another camera for what you saved!

 

[Josh66]

I don't own any IS lenses, and I don't really plan on buying any either...

It's just that for the kind of shooting I do, I would never use it - and why pay extra for something you don't need?


I am almost always either shooting from a tripod, or shooting moving subjects - both situations in which you don't want/need IS.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Some lenses have a panning mode for their IS. I have the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS mark1 and love it. I could live without the IS but find it handy at times. I also use the canon 2x extender which makes it 400mm and IS still works which is nice. You can get by without it though. I could careless about ha ing it on shorter lenses though. I just like it on long ones.