digital rebel and Canon EF28-135 IS USM lens

[Sector001]

so today i thought it would be nice to buy myself an xmas present: canon's ef 28-135 IS lens for my digital rebel. to my surprise when i got the lens home, the pics were blurry when i turned on the IS feauture. i took a few pics with the IS on and the pics were blurry...but if i took flash pics, the pics are nice and clear.

however, when i switch over to the rebel's no flash mode, with the IS feature turned on, it works...the pics are nice and sharp. but if the only mode that the IS feature would work is the no flash mode, then what's the point? i can't use this image stabilizer feature with the digital rebel's other camera modes? what good is it???

is there a way for me to use this Image Stabilizer on my other camera's setting?

should i return the lens? is it defective???

[chops]

so today i thought it would be nice to buy myself an xmas present: canon's ef 28-135 IS lens for my digital rebel. to my surprise when i got the lens home, the pics were blurry when i turned on the IS feauture. i took a few pics with the IS on and the pics were blurry...but if i took flash pics, the pics are nice and clear.

however, when i switch over to the rebel's no flash mode, with the IS feature turned on, it works...the pics are nice and sharp. but if the only mode that the IS feature would work is the no flash mode, then what's the point? i can't use this image stabilizer feature with the digital rebel's other camera modes? what good is it???

is there a way for me to use this Image Stabilizer on my other camera's setting?

should i return the lens? is it defective???

I think it might be the fact that when you switch over to the "No Flash" mode, the camera first opens the aperature to get proper exposure. If that's not enough compensation, then it starts slowing the shutter speed to get the proper exposure. The camera will want to keep the highest shutter speed as possible to reduce handshake.

In "Program" mode, it may not do this, expecting you to turn on the flash when needed.

[Sector001]

so it's normal? it's not a defect? should i keep it or exchange it for a non IS lens?

is the image stabiliezer feature a gimmick?

[chops]

I think you should try the lens in normal lighting conditions to see what it is capable of doing. That, and keep an eye on your shutter speeds when in low light situations. IS or non IS doesn't matter if your shutter speed is too low for the focal length you are shooting at. At that point, there's no other way than to use a tripod. Also, IS will work in any and all camera modes, even fully manual, including focus.

[Sector001]

interesting...thanks for the replies. will try it outdoors tomorrow.

[robertwgross]

The I.S. feature of the lens only knows whether you have it turned on or off. It doesn't give a damn what exposure mode the camera is in. From your description, it sounds like user error.

---Bob Gross---

[Sector001]

i was under the impression that the I.S. feauture worked the same way as those on a video camera...??? :?:

[Jesper]

The image stabilizer function on digital video cameras works differently - it is done by digital processing in the camera.

Canon EF lenses with IS actually have special lenses inside with gyroscopes, which counteract the vibration of your hands.

IS is not a gimmick - it works really well, but it isn't a magic thing that suddenly lets you make sharp handheld photos with extremely long shutter speeds.

The usual guideline is that for sharp photos when handholding the camera, you need a shutter speed that is at least as fast as 1 divided by the focal length. So when you zoom to 100mm for example, the shutter speed should be at least 1/100 second.

IS will gain you up to 2 or 3 stops, which means you'll be able to get reasonably sharp photos at 1/25 to 1/13 second. It's also important to keep the camera as steady as possible with your hands.

What shutter speed did your camera use with those photos that came out blurry? If it's longer than 1/13 second, it's not strange that they came out blurry.

[Sector001]

the shutter speed says 2"5 with an aperture of 5.6 guess the shutter speed is pretty slow???

[FlyingPete]

the shutter speed says 2"5 with an aperture of 5.6 guess the shutter speed is pretty slow???

That would do it, that is an extremly slow shutter speed, no IS is going to help you there, only a solid tripod.

[Sector001]

so i guess it is user error...any good dvd's about basic photography tips?

[Jesper]

the shutter speed says 2"5 with an aperture of 5.6 guess the shutter speed is pretty slow???

Yes, at 2.5 seconds, you can forget about making sharp photos handheld!

Try setting the camera at a higher ISO speed, for example ISO 800 or 1600. The photos will become more noisy (i.e. you'll see more speckles etc.) but you can use shorter shutter speeds.

For good DVDs or books about photography, visit your local book store - there are so many books etc. about the basics of photography. Just browse through them and choose one you like... it doesn't even have to be about digital photography, because the basic things like exposure, aperture and shutter speed are the same with any photo camera.

[FlipsidE]

Either of these books should be great starters for learning about photography:

National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Better Picutres (http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3001648218369&pid=079225676X)

Digital Photography for Dummies: 7 in 1 Desk Reference (http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3001648218369&pid=0764518003)

So far, the National Geographic Field Guide has been my favorite.

FlipsidE