Bench test for IS mode 2 (100-400mm)?

[dÄb]

I'm getting poor results panning race cars using the Canon 100-400mm IS. Most of the shots are around 1/125 sec. I am lucky if I get 1 out of 10 sharp. I fear that the mode 2 of the IS has a problem or doesn't work at all. Mode 1 is fine and I can see that working during composure but there is no way to tell if mode 2 is working correctly. Is there a bench test or a method to check out the function of mode 2 on this lens?
Thanks
dab

[CyberDyneSystems]

Mode 2 IS won't make you better at panning,...

Have you tried your test with IS turned off completely?
If your results look similar with IS turned off,. then the problem is coming from the panning,. not the IS.

[KennyG]

Most OOF problems with panning are technique, not IS. If mode 1 is working, then mode 2 has to be, as all it does for mode 2 is switch off the horizontal stabilization.

A 1/125 shutter speed is too slow for a beginner and you should start off with 1/250 and stay there (or faster) until you get better than 80% hit rate. You must also understand that IS mode 2 is not a magic bullet, it does not automatically produce in-focus pan shots, that is still left to you.

[dÄb]

Thanks both for the suggestions. I did try with the IS off and the results were similar. I'll keep workin on it. Oh btw KennyG, I grew up in Guiseley....small world eh?
David

[KennyG]

Very close to where I am David, in Moortown, about 5 minutes away.

To get it right, up the speed to 1/250, using AI Servo (not AI Servo AF), pick the car up nice and early, follow it until it is directly opposite you, press the shutter and keep following through like a tennis swing. It is a rythm thing.

I can knock out pan shots until the cows come home, but after this many years doing it I should be able to. I use my venerable 1D MK-I for pans with either a 70-200 2.8IS or a 100-400L, keeping the 1D MK-II and 300 2.8IS for head-on shots (sometimes pans with bikes). Done right you should be able to see the dead bugs on the door mirrors.

Have fun.