Thanks for any help anyone can provide on what I know is a fairly obscure question. Canon USA support has been unable to provide guidance.
The Canon EF 500mm IS L II appears to have a feature in its image stabilization algorithm that detects when the lens is mounted to a tripod or otherwise very stable and thus turns itself off to prevent the subtle movements that result from IS. From what I understand this behavior is also present on other Gen II supertelephotos, and I've also seen a post describing this in the newer RF 100-500. This behavior is independent of the IS "mode switch" setting.
unfortunately the IS can be slow to kick back in when it is needed (start panning, wind gust etc), and this results in shaky footage when using the lens in video applications. The correct approach for filming with this lens (and other long lenses for wildlife) would be to turn IS off entirely, secure the lens to a robust rail system, and then put that on a 40-50 lb fluid head + tripod. That's a lot of camera support to hike into remote places with however, and right now I use a Sachtler Ace XL w/ CF legs and mid-level spreader (~8 lbs).
I'm almost certain this behavior is a feature and not a bug, I have seen it in a couple different copies of the 500 II. There are some mentions around the web of this as well, but unfortunately nothing in Canon's official documentation and so canon support refuses to acknowledge it.
Can anyone provide guidance on how they have used the canon supertelephotos to produce stabilized footage? Thanks!
The Canon EF 500mm IS L II appears to have a feature in its image stabilization algorithm that detects when the lens is mounted to a tripod or otherwise very stable and thus turns itself off to prevent the subtle movements that result from IS. From what I understand this behavior is also present on other Gen II supertelephotos, and I've also seen a post describing this in the newer RF 100-500. This behavior is independent of the IS "mode switch" setting.
unfortunately the IS can be slow to kick back in when it is needed (start panning, wind gust etc), and this results in shaky footage when using the lens in video applications. The correct approach for filming with this lens (and other long lenses for wildlife) would be to turn IS off entirely, secure the lens to a robust rail system, and then put that on a 40-50 lb fluid head + tripod. That's a lot of camera support to hike into remote places with however, and right now I use a Sachtler Ace XL w/ CF legs and mid-level spreader (~8 lbs).
I'm almost certain this behavior is a feature and not a bug, I have seen it in a couple different copies of the 500 II. There are some mentions around the web of this as well, but unfortunately nothing in Canon's official documentation and so canon support refuses to acknowledge it.
Can anyone provide guidance on how they have used the canon supertelephotos to produce stabilized footage? Thanks!
