New to IS

[IIIMik3]

So i recetnly received my new 28-135mm IS lens, and along with it, a 550ex. So my question is, in general, would it be ok to keep IS on while using flash? or is there a reason why i shouldn't be doing so? Thanks in advance.

Mike

[Jesper]

No reason to switch off IS when using flash. I always have IS on on my 28-135. The only time you should switch IS off, is when you use the lens on a tripod (see the manual).

[Nolz]

i dont have an IS lens nor the manual for it so can someone tell me why canon recommend that the IS be turned off when put on a tripod?....what about when panning on a tripod?...

please?

[ilya]

i dont have an IS lens nor the manual for it so can someone tell me why canon recommend that the IS be turned off when put on a tripod?....what about when panning on a tripod?...

please?

The manual calls for shutting off IS not because any harm would come to the lense. Its because the gyros would get confused, and may on a rare occasion cause some blur. Its also draining on your battery.

Lenses that have the IS mode switch (Type 1 / 2) such as 70-200 2.8 IS are designed to be used in the ON mode. Type 2 is used for panning.

But if you are planning on panning the camera on a tripod, even with a 28-135 IS, there's no issue with that. Don't know if it will make a difference one way or the other.

[PekkaM]

I've never tried one. How does IS actually work? Is it a really big help?

[PacAce]

But if you are planning on panning the camera on a tripod, even with a 28-135 IS, there's no issue with that. Don't know if it will make a difference one way or the other.

Just note that the 28-135 IS only has one IS mode, not two like the 70-200 and the 100-400. So, if you try to pan the 28-135 IS with the IS turned on, you're going to get a 'weird' panning effect. The IS will try to keep the image steady while you're trying to pan so what happens is that the image seems to move in a jerky manner. It's sort of like the object is moving and then it stops for a split second and then it moves again and then stops, etc. It's very annoying when you're trying to track a moving object like cars or birds. It's not too bad with slow moving objects like a person walking but it's best to turn off the IS when panning.

I've also heard that you can pan without the afore mentioned annoyance with the IS turned on if you first start the pan BEFORE pressing the shutter release button halfway (which in effect turns on the IS) but I've never tried it.

[Jesper]

I've never tried one. How does IS actually work? Is it a really big help?

See the Technology page (http://www.usa.canon.com/eflenses/technology/index.html) of the Canon EF Lenses Homepage.

Lenses with IS have a special lens element with a mechanism with gyroscopes, that counteracts the vibration of your hands. It works really well; it allows you to make photos up to about 2 stops faster than what you could get away with without IS. It's especially useful for lower light situations without flash, with shutter speeds between 1/60 and 1/8 second.

The 28-135 was one of the first lenses with IS. The newer lenses have a more advanced, 2-mode IS, which is supposed to work even better and allow 3 stops more than without IS.