at what shutter speed you turn IS off?

[Malte_P]

??

i turn it off whenever i go above 1/250s.

i once read that it has a negative effect for faster shutter speeds.. is that still the case with newer IS versions?

[Studio1930]

Getting my popcorn ready for this thread.   

[RLPhoto]

I keep IS off until I need it. Pretty straightforward.

[RLPhoto]

it´s correct that IS slows down the AF.
so if you don´t need it turn it off.

when i use a shutterspeed of 1/1000s and above i turn it off.
even with my longest lens i don´t need IS with such a fast shutterspeed.

ps: and to the clown above... not everyone here is shooting for years. so if you have nothing of value to say... just say nothing. no need to be a jerk.

You mad bro?

[SDsc0rch]

i just want to say.. i've been shooting for a while now and i didn't know IS had any effect whatsoever on AF performance

i'm glad i saw this - i'll be sure to switch it off over (mm.. probably) 1/250

[TrumpetPower!]

I leave it on unless I have a good reason to turn it off, which is rarely. Some older lenses have IS that gets upset with tripods and should be disabled when used on one. IS drains batteries faster...but with a pair of batteries in a grip that's not really much of a concern.

I have never seen any indication that it degrades anything at high shutter speeds or that manufacturers recommend turning it off for high shutter speeds. Indeed, manufacturers recommend it be used just the way I use it. It's true that it's less necessary at faster shutter speeds, but it'll still improve image quality at faster shutter speeds, even if only incrementally so.

Oh -- and you'd have to be a real manly man to get sharp images with a 400 handheld at only 1/250 without IS. I doubt I'd even try at less than 1/600 without IS and probably wouldn't feel confident at less than 1/1000. But with IS...well, I was playing around one night long after I got mine. I sat on the ground, braced my back against a wall and my elbows on my knees and took a handheld photo of the Orion Nebula that showed no motion blur. Clouded with lots of urban light pollution, yes...but the Orion Nebula! Handheld! Photograph! Without motion blur!

Cheers,

b&

[steliosk]

i turn it on when i'm moving or when the light is low and i'm not carrying a tripod with me

i turn it off when i use flash, or when my speeds are 1/1000 and above.

i love IS when i have to focus manually through live view.. works like a charm, (especially when i use a telephoto lens) of course i turn it off when my camera is mounted on a tripod.

practically when my speeds are below 1/250 i leave it on, why turn it off?

[Frage]

I think it depends on the focal length.... am I wrong? Did I miss something?

[tpatana]

That's a turn off.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I never shut it off for high shutter speeds.  If I'm on a tripod, then I'll shut it down if I'm using a slow shutter speed and my 100-400mmL. 
I consider a high shutter speed to be 1/2000 sec or greater, I seldom go down to 1/250.  With modern high mp bodies, Canon recommends using a higher shutter speed than the old 1/ effective focal lenght rule, so I try to use no less than double that.
With a 200mm lens on a 7D, the effective focal length is 320 mm, so I'd not use less than 1/640 sec.  Obviously if you shoot wide, the shutter speed can drop a lot, but I tend to use telephotos more.

[sanj]

it´s correct that IS slows down the AF.
so if you don´t need it turn it off.

when i use a shutterspeed of 1/1000s and above i turn it off.
even with my longest lens i don´t need IS with such a fast shutterspeed.

ps: and to the clown above... not everyone here is shooting for years. so if you have nothing of value to say... just say nothing. no need to be a jerk.

You mad bro?

He seems like that!

[FTb-n]

With older versions of IS, you may need to turn it off when on a tripod to avoid feedback issues.  But with more current versions, there's no need to turn it off.  Further, i fail to see a benefit in turning IS off...unless there is something to the suggestion that IS slows AF performance.

Hey Neuro, can you weigh in on the IS affects on AF?

[brad-man]

I leave it on unless I have a good reason to turn it off, which is rarely. Some older lenses have IS that gets upset with tripods and should be disabled when used on one. IS drains batteries faster...but with a pair of batteries in a grip that's not really much of a concern.

I have never seen any indication that it degrades anything at high shutter speeds or that manufacturers recommend turning it off for high shutter speeds. Indeed, manufacturers recommend it be used just the way I use it. It's true that it's less necessary at faster shutter speeds, but it'll still improve image quality at faster shutter speeds, even if only incrementally so.

Oh -- and you'd have to be a real manly man to get sharp images with a 400 handheld at only 1/250 without IS. I doubt I'd even try at less than 1/600 without IS and probably wouldn't feel confident at less than 1/1000. But with IS...well, I was playing around one night long after I got mine. I sat on the ground, braced my back against a wall and my elbows on my knees and took a handheld photo of the Orion Nebula that showed no motion blur. Clouded with lots of urban light pollution, yes...but the Orion Nebula! Handheld! Photograph! Without motion blur!

Cheers,

b&

+1  The only reason to turn it off would be for the batteries...

[jdramirez]

The only time I turn off IS is when I tripod mount.  I'll have to reconsider that if it makes a substantial difference in AF... but I haven't noticed anything.

[AudioGlenn]

If I have it on a lens, I just keep it on.  It doesn't seem to hurt my battery all that much or AF performance.

I guess I could turn it off if I'm shooting at 1/1000th but I might forget to turn it back on when I need a slower shutter speed.