Do you switch off IS in sunny days?

[Hugo Fisher]

Hi, I am just wondering if you switch off image stabilization on your lens in sunny (bright) days - for example with 70-200/ IS lenses? Or do you have it still ON?

I know, that I should switch it off when using a tripod. But what about sunny days with shutter speeds about 1/1000 and faster? Should I switch it off? I do not care about battery life, but I am wondering about life time of IS at all.

Thanks.

 

[M249]

Short answser: No

 

[Heavyweight67]

I'm a "No" as well....

My 7D and 70-200 f4 IS, is my walk around set up, from inside to outside, light to shade, just today took a quick snap indoors, AV f5.6 1/50 ISO 800 @200mm. I was on an escalator the subject was about 10-15 metres away...

This is SOOC (Raw to JPG)

Pretty surprised how sharp it is considering the circumstances, not sure this could be achieved with IS off...

 

[Menace]

IS stays on pretty much all the the time. Only exception is tripod use which doesn't happen very often.

It's unlikely you'll we'll off the IS due to constant use.

 

[1982chris911]

Hi, I am just wondering if you switch off image stabilization on your lens in sunny (bright) days - for example with 70-200/ IS lenses? Or do you have it still ON?

I know, that I should switch it off when using a tripod. But what about sunny days with shutter speeds about 1/1000 and faster? Should I switch it off? I do not care about battery life, but I am wondering about life time of IS at all.

Thanks.

The more modern IS versions are tripod sensitive and switches themselves off when less than a certain amount of shake is detected. otherwise leave it on ... or you may forget to switch it on again when you suddenly have sth. in the shade ... So for me it is never on off ... only switching modes

 

[Hugo Fisher]

Thanks guys. That is what I wanted to hear.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I leave mine on, even on a tripod unless it is one of the older ones that do not detect tripods. For long telephotos, unless you have a unusually solid tripod and head, the lens will vibrate and IS is necessary.

 

[charlesa]

Never switched off, neither on the 70-200 mm or the 400 mm, tripod or monopod, it stays on. Might improve battery life but sharp captures are more important than draining the battery in my book.

 

[jdramirez]

I don't switch it off save for tripods. I read the other day that the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Mk ii says you should leave IS on even while tripod mounted. The reason is that the lens actually compensates for the mirror actuation.

I thought that was pretty interesting.

 

[friedmud]

Don't switch mine off during the day except for tripod usage. Like others are mentioning it can even be good to leave it on on a tripod... but you need to do your own investigation with your own gear to find out.

I know that my 17-55 f/2.8 IS is _much_ less sharp with IS on while tripod mounted. I always make sure to turn it off. On the other hand... I haven't done any testing with my 70-200 f/4 IS. I always just turn off IS out of habit it's tripod mounted. Next time it's a bit windy out I'll try some with IS on and off with my 70-200 and see if there are any differences...

That said... you should also always make sure to use mirror lockup and a remote trigger (or at least a 2 second delay) when using a tripod. On today's high megapixel cameras that little bit of vibration _will_ cause you to lose sharpness....

 

[peederj]

You can actually still get motion blur on a 1/1000th exposure.

If you want to save battery you can turn IS off, you can get sharp hand-held shots all the way down to 1/60th or less if you have steady hands. Using continuous mode can help that, but that won't save you battery.

I turn it off when on tripod because they don't label it as tripod-safe or not and I'd rather not have the burden of memorizing which of my lenses are tripod safe vs. not when I'm focusing on making good compositions.

 

[shining example]

I mostly leave the IS on, or turn it on again immediately after tripod use, because I've found that I'm so used to its beneficial effects that I end up wildly overestimating my ability to shoot handheld if it's off. I produced a whole bunch of blurry shots one fine morning because I thought I could easily handhold 1/30 sec or thereabouts - which I can, with the cheapie nifty fifty. With the 70-300L, not so much...