IS On or Off & More On Image Stabilization

[Arthur Morris]

A few things to note: The original thread here is 14 years old . All bets are off in high winds. Actually, some panes are from 2008! More than 16 years ago. The technology today is far improved. That said, I leave OSS on when on a tripod whether for flight or for static. Mode 2 is on all the time. In addition, the camera can make a difference as well as with the Sony a-11 ii.

with love, artie

 

[Arthur Morris]

ps: Remember that IS will never stop subject movement.

 

[Phill Luckhurst]

A few things to note: The original thread here is 14 years old . All bets are off in high winds. Actually, some panes are from 2008! More than 16 years ago. The technology today is far improved. That said, I leave OSS on when on a tripod whether for flight or for static. Mode 2 is on all the time. In addition, the camera can make a difference as well as with the Sony a-11 ii.

with love, artie

One of the big changes in all those years is the way optical IS works on RF lenses. In EF the IS elements were locked when IS is switched off or the lens is off. In the RF the optical IS is floating, so needs power to lock it in place when IS is switched off. So uses power, albeit a tiny amount, even when IS is not active. It also rattles quite a bit when the lens is detached or the camera is powered off. I’ve seen quite a few panic about that.

 

[Bruce Elkman]

The issue of having image stabilization on or off is lens specific. With my Nikon lenses the "VR" off on a tripod varies with each new generation of optical stabilization. The better lenses can sense movement and stabilize on the vertical axis and ignore movement along the horizonal axis.

The user needs to take the time to read the manual for the lens that is provided by the lens manufacturer and can be downloaded as a PDF file. I do this every new lens I acquire.