Bill Munny Loc: Aurora, Colorado

I have always followed the advice of turning off the VR when using a tripod. Why is this the correct way to use VR? Can anyone tell me what will happen if I do not turn it off while using the tripod? I tried it on and off using good old "scientific method" of testing and I do not see any difference.

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Sure - the little devices in the lens that stabilize it start looking for motion. They are actually slightly moving some of the lens elements searching for that motion and not finding it. So your images can actually be softer. Unless the lens can actually detect NO motion and disable the system (I think the Nikon 200-400 can do this) then always turn off VR/IS/VC when mounted on a tripod. Leave it ON if using a monopod however.

Kuzano

And using your test you probably won't. But focus will take longer.

Best I've heard. VR locks on focus when it finds focus and no motion. VR looks for motion until none is found and focus is found. VR hunts longer for focus in the absence of vibration.

Works for me.

Why do people have to find logic and test abstract things like VR?

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

In addition, some lenses now have a "Sport" mode on their VR/IS/VC which should be used as stated above. If unsure, check the manual that came with your lens, or check on-line, as they continue to introduce nuances to the system. For me, as I am older with a feeble memory, I use those systems handheld only although I would never doubt Captain C's advice. I just own lenses with too many versions of those systems to remember them all. YMMV!

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

It is my understanding that this was true with early versions of VR stabilized lenses but that modern lenses generally do not have this problem.
I keep VR turned on when on a tripod but I also use a gimbal so there is always the possibility of slight movement when I press the shutter button.
I have not noticed any slow down in focus when I was testing VR on and off.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Again, I would strongly suggest that you read up on the specific system in your specific lens. Otherwise, you might be losing some sharpness or focus speed. Even if it is "not noticeable" in may still exist. The computers that run our modern camera/lens systems are much faster than we could ever be. Best of luck. Keep Shooting!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Bill, as usual, the Captain is right. The process that you are inquiring about is called "Shake Return".
Google it and see if you can find something meaningful.

This on/off thing comes up a lot.
Generally speaking, for Nikon lenses turn it off. On Canon lenses leave it on.
IF you have one of the few Nikon lenses that is tripod sensing, you will ALREADY know that. If you have one of the few Canon lenses that are NOT tripod sensing, you will already KNOW that.
For all other brands you need to consult the company!
SS

Bill Munny Loc: Aurora, Colorado

Thanks all for the info. Kuzano, I am a scientist so it is in my nature to find logic and test. Sorry that I have upset you but some people are just not accepting just because. I try to find the best path to travel down, even it that path is a bumpy dirt road.

FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

I only use my VR lenses during active earthquakes. And I always get good results because VR lenses love motion !!! -FiddleMaker

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I have not tried with my Nikon bodies but with Olympus mirrorless cameras it does not seem to make a difference.

Kuzano

Oh, I wasn't upset. I'm too laid back for that. I'm just a wise A__! Sorry about that. What you said is interesting. While I did go to college to be an engineer, and have worked the last 30 years in computers and consulting, I am a poor scientist. I am a hell of a trouble shooter though. My strength is in simply making things work, but not too analytical in the process.

Everybody has their own way.....!

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Why can't the camera manufacturers be upfront in simple bold language with what there products do and don't do instead of leaving all this digging for info to third parties and users?

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

=================

I agree with this - Good Advice.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Foto, these aren't secrets, it's right there in tha manuals! It's just that people don't know how use their equipment and rarley read directions to find out.
Then there are the assumptions, that if your particular gear is like this.....,.then all gear must be the same.
KNOW, what your gear does, how it does it and how to use it.
OR, come here and ask, nothing wrong with that either!
SS

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Massive earthquakes will cause tsunamis that will inundate coastal cities. Global warming will kill off the last remaining polar bears, melting the ice caps at both poles and causing the seas to rise 6 or 8 feet, and rain forests will burn. The super volcano of Yellowstone Park will erupt. A black hole will appear and start consuming the solar system.... And Hillary Clinton will be elected president.

"The horror! The horror!" (Kurtz' final line in "Apocalypse Now" or Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".)



But seriously...

Some Nikon users think VR slows down AF performance a little and there's some evidence to support that (p.s. I shoot with Canon gear and think their IS does just the opposite... helps AF perform better).

Leaving it on also will likely consume a little more of the camera's battery power. (I see virtually no difference with my Canon IS on or off.)

Some stabilization systems go into sort of a feedback loop when there's absolutely no movement for them to correct, such as when solidly locked down on a tripod. (There's a short list of Canon lenses where this can occur.... most Canon lenses do not because they auto detect lack of movement and turn off IS themselves... But I don't know if Nikon VR works the same way).

When those lenses go into that feedback loop, the stabilization actually causes shake blur in images, rather than correcting for it.

In most cases, when that occurs you can see it happening in the viewfinder, reminding you if you forget to turn off stabilization. AFAIK, when this occurs no harm will be done to camera or lens... although you might end up with some blurred images.

Likely Nikon VR, Sony OSS, Canon IS, Sigma OS, and Tamron VC "in-lens" stabilization systems all work a little differently. They are each patented by their respective manufacturers, so must be slightly different technology and implementations. So, info about one of the systems cannot be assumed to be correct for any of the others, even though the end result is pretty much the same. So, take everything I've written above with a grain of salt.



Probably because they don't really know. Lots of products are created, sent to market and sold, and in wide use before problems are identified and resolved or unintended consequences are realized.