VR (or IS) - Is it worth it?

[pressld2]

In a comment on one of my photos Nick cantle has asked why I usually have VR switched off when using my 80-400 lens. A very good question so I thought I’d start a thread on it to explain my thinking and see what other people’s views are.

The manual for my lens recommends switching VR off when using a tripod and I’ve seen this on a few photography web sites too. The reason given (on the web sites, not in the manual) is that while the VR is good at reducing camera shake when hand holding at below optimum shutter speed, it actually produces softer images if the camera is tripod mounted. I checked this out using a test card and it is very true. Take a look at these 100% crops (don’t forget to click on the image again to view it at 100%)...



(Mode 1 means that VR is engaged as soon as the shutter is half pressed and mode 2 means it’s not engaged until the shutter is actually fired.)

There’s no question that the top image with VR switched off is by far the sharpest.

So my thinking is this: even when I’m not using a tripod I am nearly always using something - the ground, a fence post, the window of a hide - to rest the camera on. I only really hand-hold when trying for in-flight shots and then I’m usually getting 1/400th of a second or better anyway as I’m pointing at the sky. I think that 90% of the time I get sharper images without the VR than with it.

These two were taken using a pod
()
and resting it on a hide window frame. The blue tit is 1/20th of a second and the great tit 1/15th...



My 16-85mm lens has Nikon’s second generation vibration reduction - VR II - and the results are better but I still think the sharpest image when tripod mounted is the one with VR switched off...



(Normal mode only cancels up and down vibrations and is used when panning, active mode cancels all vibrations e.g. when shooting from a moving vehicle.)

Personally I don’t think the presence or absence of VR would influence my decision about whether or not to purchase a lens in future, except insofar as these days it’s only the cheapest lenses that don’t have it and they are not likely to have the highest IQ anyway. But what do other people think of VR? Do you use it? Is Canon’s IS better than Nikon’s VR?

Dave P.

[DavyG]

Hi Dave,

None of my lenses have IS (VR), however my Olympus E510 has IS built into the body.

I normally use a monopod and have found that using IS has it's benefits, the only problem I have is remembering to turn it off when I'm using a tripod.

I agree that images are softer when taken with IS on and the camera tripod mounted.

I've found IS to be particularly helpful when using the Bigma on a monopod.

Dave

[AlphaZeroOne]

The way that is has been explained to me is that on a tripod the IS will still be 'seeking' any motion in a active mode (rather than passive mode). Therefore, so the theory goes, the image will tend towards the soft side as a result of the IS mechanism constantly shifting, actively seeking movement. I guess that it will also depend on how stable or sturdy the tripod is. But then I am just an amateur!

[jennyb]

Interesting, Dave. I had not heard this before, but I will bear this in mind when using my IS lens, although I tend to only handhold that one, anyway.

Jenny

[Geoff F]

It depends on the lens. Most of the latest lenses using IS etc work equally well with a tripod but some of the earlier lenses have a problem. Also how steady is a tripod; wind rock or a person using manual shutter button, as opposed to cable release, can cause vibrations.

I find that most of my soft images result from using auto focus which is incorrectly focusing while manual focus is frequently sharper, although the time lag in deciding where the best focus point is, often results in missed photos.

It is often advised to switch off IS on a tripod to conserve battery power. But, too often, I have then removed the camera from the tripod for a hand held shot and forgotten to turn IS back on.

[squishy]

i really dont know i suppose if it lets you get a shot where you wouldn't without it. my cam (S9600) doesn't have image stabilisation, and i've never really wanted it. it seems to me you can use the trick of resting the camera against something (with my fold out screen, i can rest it against my chest, a method i have found to be quite useful) or you can use a tripod, any of those methods will usually give better photos then just hand holding with the VR/IS on.

[Gill Catton]

when I was out many moons ago with Boddie and Eeyore to see the seals at blakney, certainly Boddies IS lens made a big difference when photographing them, but then we were on a boat hand holding being the only option really due to the motion of the boat.

[Jim Ford]

I believe that lens based image stabilisation inevitably produces optical compromises, resulting in image degradation.

Lens manufacturers have traditionally taken great pains to ensure that the optical axes of all the lens elements are in perfect alignment. To then 'jiggle' one of the elements out of line with the others must surely result in optical errors to some degree, in spite of them being minimised through clever design.

Jim

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

Lens manufacturers have traditionally taken great pains to ensure that the optical axes of all the lens elements are in perfect alignment. To then 'jiggle' one of the elements out of line with the others must surely result in optical errors to some degree, in spite of them being minimised through clever design.

That's my thinking exactly Jim, and is why I switch it off unless shooting from a moving vehicle or, as Gill said, from a boat.

It occurs to me that all I've done so far with my test card shots is prove what the manufacturer's manual said - switch it off if you're using a tripod. A more meaningful comparison would be with/without VR when hand-holding at around 1/100th sec. I'll do that but probably not until the weekend as I'm at work during daylight hours all this week.

Dave P.

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

Most of the latest lenses using IS etc work equally well with a tripod but some of the earlier lenses have a problem.

Some lenses can now 'detect' when the camera is tripod mounted and automatically switch the VR off. I'm not entirely sure how they do this, whether it's some sort of switch built into the tripod mount or whether they simply detect that there is no vibration to reduce.

Dave P.