Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

If you haven't already figured it out, the VC should be turned off when using a tripod. If left on, you may notice the image in the viewfinder focus and then do a little shift. It will still look focused but you won't get as sharp an image as you would if the VC were turned off.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Interesting. Most lenses say that.

The new Nikon 200-500 instead says to use VR when on a tripod. But the VR is so good you don't need the tripod unless it is simply for support. It is heavy.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

My new Tamron came with very little written instructions, that is why I posted the note.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The Sigma 150-600 is the same way. The Canon EF 100-400L II has tripod sensing image stabilization so leaving IS on while on a tripod just runs the battery down quicker.

MtnMan Loc: ID

The good ones don't just turn it off. They adjust the control algorythm.

Jim Bob

We've noticed. Guess you hadn't noticed.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

That is total nonsense. Why would the Camera care if the lens was attached to a Tripod.
Is there a Magic Sensor in the lens that says "Beware Camera, don't focus, we are attached to a Tripod". :lol: :lol: :lol:

MtnMan Loc: ID

Sorry but you do not understand how image stabilization systems work. Most do not work well on a tripod. They actually cause blurring by moving the lens element.

Yes, some have magic sensors. They are called accelerometers. Advanced algorithms can detect when the camera is very still; ie. on a tripod, and adjust the algorithm accordingly. Intermediatde ones turn it off for you.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

It's not nonsense just because you don't know how the technology works. If you have a Tamron 150~600mm you can check the instructions yourself. AND yes, other manufacturer have similar instructions.

10MPlayer Loc: California

Maybe bad form here to pile on to the OP, but do you think turning it off applies to use on an monopod. I can never keep a monopod as still as a tripod so I leave it on. I've been unhappy with the results.

Egret from about 50 feet or less 600mm f22

(Download)

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

I'm the OP and no one is piling on me. I'll just stand off to the side and watch the thread unravel :-); It is my understanding that if the camera/lens is dead still the VC/IS/VR will detect it's own motion in a sort of feedback loop. This will in turn affect the focus. SO ... i'd probably turn off the stabilization when using a monopod.

washy Loc: Dorset UK

Why shoot at F22 ? to get the best out of the big Tammy shoot at f8 or f9 and possibly 550 mm not 600mm. Your image looks noisy High ISO ?

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

Here is the difference between VC on (1st Photo) and VC off (2nd Photo). Both images have undergone the same editing. To see the difference well, look at the download and use the "+" feature.

VC ON

(Download)

VC OFF

(Download)

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Actually it's not nonsense.

What happens with some lenses is that stabilization goes into sort of a feedback loop where when there is no movement, the stabilization actually creates it. This will cause blurred images (camera shake blur... it doesn't normally effect focus) and is fairly obvious in the viewfinder when it's occurring. You'll see the scene jumping around rapidly. (Not to be confused with a slower "drift" which most IS lenses tend to do, which doesn't effect image sharpness at all.)

Associating it with a tripod is actually an over-simplification. It only occurs when there is absolutely no movement, [/i]such as[/i] might occur when fully locked down on a tripod. But, there are some techniques with a tripod when there's plenty of movement to keep the stabilization busy... And, it also can occur if resting the camera on really stable surface or even if doing a really, really good job hand-holding it.

With Canon lenses if the "feedback" effect does occur, there's no real harm done to either camera or lens. Worst that might happen is a shake-blurred image. As soon as you notice it happening in the viewfinder, simply turn off the stabilization. But, again, don't confuse it with some slight "image drift" that tends to occur, too.

The IS feedback effect doesn't happen with all Canon lenses... or even with "many" of them. In fact most Canon IS lenses are "tripod detecting". They'll turn off IS in the absence of any movement. Only a few Canon lenses are known to not do this: 24-105L IS, 28-135 IS, 75-300 IS (discontinued model), 300/4L IS, and the original 100-400L IS are among them.

In most of their lens' user manuals Canon does mention turning off IS when on a tripod. However in most cases this is only a suggestion to help save battery power, not related to any sort of "feedback" issue at all.

All this is per Chuck Westfall, Canon USA's tech guru... as well as many users including myself.

The battery power saved is pretty minimal. I've been shooting with IS lenses for 15 years and almost never turn it off on any of them. I get far more shots per charge than Canon estimates by using other power conservation methods (minimize use of the LCD screen, don't use the built-in flash, set the camera with a short sleep delay).

All this pertains to Canon IS on Canon lenses... I haven't used them enough to say if Tamron VC or Sigma OS or Nikon VR will act exactly the same. Likely they are all a little different, since there are probably patents involved that prevent the manufacturers from exactly copying Canon's IS or each other.

In fact, a lot of Nikon shooters feel that their VR slows down autofocus a little and there seems to be some test data to support that notion. With Canon I feel it's just the opposite, that IS helps their lenses' autofocus perform better. I don't have any objective test data supporting this... just a lot of experience with a variety of IS lenses.



Leaving stabilization on while on a monopod is probably the correct call. Occasionally you might manage to hold everything so steady that the feedback occurs... But the odds are much, much better that there will be some movement for the stabilization correct. I never turn it off when on a tripod.

If you are unhappy, it's f22 that's your problem. Read up on "diffraction" to understand why (http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction-photography.htm). But, basically, if using a crop sensor camera I'd stay to f8 or f11... if using full frame, f11 or f16 at the smallest.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes, it appears that the VC shot is slightly more blurred, though neither image is great when viewed highly magnified.

But is that due to the VC? It also could be due to missed focus. closer portions of the tree in the VC image appear sharper. It also could be atmospheric effects. And the lens might have performed better stopped down a little from wide open. You could have bumped your ISO up a stop from 200 to 400, to be able to use f9 instead of f6.3.

The biggest problem I see here is simply that you need to get closer. You're using the D7200's 1.3X "digital zoom" cropping mode, in addition to an extremely long focal length on a DX camera. Effectively you are reducing your 24MP camera to about 13MP when you use 1.3X crop mode... and using that setting is no different from later cropping your image in post-processing, possibly with more control than doing the crop in-camera.

When shooting at such extremes, it's about the odds. Any single shot may or may not be all that great. In fact you'll likely have more "bad" shots than you would in less extreme circumstances. You have to use more careful techniques to increase your odds of getting a "good" image, the very first of which is simply to get closer to the subject so you aren't pushing the gear to it's extreme. Micro focus adjust your particular lens to your particular camera to insure focus is as accurate as possible. Hope for an absolutely clear day because you're shooting through lots of atmosphere. Avoid putting any extra layers of glass in front of your lens (i.e., filters).

Do everything possible to stabilize your rig: A good sturdy tripod and head, carbon fiber absorbs vibration better than metal. Add a weight underneath the tripod to further stabilize it. Lay a beanbag on top of the camera and lens. Use a remote release, so that you aren't touching the camera.

Pray for no wind gusts to buffet your rig.

Buy an $11,000 prime instead of an $1100 zoom.

Is that a varifocal or parfocal zoom? (I.e., does it maintain focus when zoomed?) How consistent is it's AF?

Full view at + magnification appears equivalent to a 30x50 inch or larger print on my monitor. Are you actually planning to make a print that large from this image? Are your expectations too high?

Sharpening? How much was done in-camera and what post-processing have you done?

When you're pushing the limits of your gear, it's all about the odds. It can help to take burst of shots or lots of extra individual clicks, to increase the odds that you will get one that's ideally focused and perfectly stabilized.

Making a judgment like this may or may not tell you anything useful. You're comparing a single VC image with a single non-VC image. But it's all about the odds when taking a shot like this, that's asking a lot out of your gear and your techniques. If you look at 100 shots made with VC and compare them to 100 without, you may see a different story. Maybe the non-VC are better on average... or maybe not. Maybe you'd get 25 out 100 usable shots with VC and only 10 out of 100 without it. Or maybe the opposite would be true.