When does VR REALLY start to get important?

dan.rpo · Apr 2, 2009

At what point is VR important when choosing a lens? Is it necessary for a 55-200 zoom lens? Or not until i start going for a longer zoom?

nikonpreap · Apr 3, 2009

vr comes in handy if you dont have a tripod

Phranquey · Apr 3, 2009

dan.rpo said:
At what point is VR important when choosing a lens? Is it necessary for a 55-200 zoom lens? Or not until i start going for a longer zoom?

Since the lens is an f/4-5.6, not a particularly fast lens, it is going to come in handy just about any time you are shooting hand held. It will really make the most difference when you are in lower light conditions.

dan.rpo · Apr 3, 2009

because sigma makes a 55-200 lens as well for considerably cheaper than the nikon 55-200 VR...however, the sigma does not have OS/VR/IS. what would be your opinion?

patrickt · Apr 3, 2009

You don't need VR on any lens if you can shoot at a high enough shutter speed. So, if you're shooting wildlife in Colorado during the day, it's less critical than if you're shooting wildlife in the dim light of a jungle in Central America.

Consider how you will use the lens. If you need to shoot at a medium f/stop are you going to be able to up the shutter speed to equal the focal length plus the FOV factor?

adamwilliamking · Apr 3, 2009

It becomes important at 1/30 shutter speed, regardless of the lens

Dwig · Apr 3, 2009

dan.rpo said:
At what point is VR important

after the 3rd cup of coffee ...

when choosing a lens? Is it necessary for a 55-200 zoom lens? Or not until i start going for a longer zoom?

Seriously though, VR becomes important when you aren't using a tripod and the shutter speed approaches 1/(2 * focal length) (e.g. 1/125 w/ a 55mm lens). It becomes critical as the shutter speeds get slower than that.

Some users are better at hand holding a camera than others. For some the break point can be 1 or 2 stops faster than the above rule. Given that the 55-200 is a rather slow lens, VR is more important with it than some other lenses since you will be using slower shutter speeds to compensate for the smaller aperture.