Quote from some guy back in 2008 for a Nikon lens...So How true is this? Let's discuss...
http://forums.dpreview.com …rum=1030&message=29069086
The reason for not having VR in professional wide to mid lenses is very simple if you understand how VR works.
VR compensates for angular movement perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.
It therefore works very well on long lenses where the angle of view is very narrow and close to the angle of the optical axis. Theoretically the the best result is achieved in the center of the image. With long lenses the difference of the angle from the optical axis to the light rays at the edges of the image is very small and therefore negligible for the VR compensating effect. The wider the angle of view is the less VR can compensate for the angular movement. For a wide lens you would in theory need to compensate differently for the sides of the image and the center rays and in addition have different compensation for all angles in between. This can not be done with the present VR technology.
When VR is applied to wide lenses the effect is therefore good in the very middle of the fame, but the quality of the image is degraded toward the edges. This may not be that important for casual snap shooters who do not have very high demands on image quality in the first place. Therefore VR may be included in cheaper wide lenses, but not in professional grade lenses where utmost performance is expected throughout the frame.
As we can see for instance from this thread, the typical buyers who do not know too much about the limitations of technology want to have VR on all lenses. The manufacturers naturally want to give these people what they want to gain additional sales.
If the lens is not stellar in the first place VR does not degrade edge perfomance that much. For photographers with poor handholding technique the results are seldom that good even in the center anyhow, so VR does not hurt that much.
But for the demanding photographer who wants the best results with the best lenses, VR on wide lenses does not make sense. If the lens is stable it is best, even on long lenses, not to have VR on because it also introduces an other source of optical error (no tecnology is perfect).
What is said about Nikon's VR above applies to other manufacturers lenses as well. The same principles hold thru for in camera vibration reduction; it compensates best only for one angle of incoming light to the sensor.
VR compensates for angular movement perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.
It therefore works very well on long lenses where the angle of view is very narrow and close to the angle of the optical axis. Theoretically the the best result is achieved in the center of the image. With long lenses the difference of the angle from the optical axis to the light rays at the edges of the image is very small and therefore negligible for the VR compensating effect. The wider the angle of view is the less VR can compensate for the angular movement. For a wide lens you would in theory need to compensate differently for the sides of the image and the center rays and in addition have different compensation for all angles in between. This can not be done with the present VR technology.
When VR is applied to wide lenses the effect is therefore good in the very middle of the fame, but the quality of the image is degraded toward the edges. This may not be that important for casual snap shooters who do not have very high demands on image quality in the first place. Therefore VR may be included in cheaper wide lenses, but not in professional grade lenses where utmost performance is expected throughout the frame.
As we can see for instance from this thread, the typical buyers who do not know too much about the limitations of technology want to have VR on all lenses. The manufacturers naturally want to give these people what they want to gain additional sales.
If the lens is not stellar in the first place VR does not degrade edge perfomance that much. For photographers with poor handholding technique the results are seldom that good even in the center anyhow, so VR does not hurt that much.
But for the demanding photographer who wants the best results with the best lenses, VR on wide lenses does not make sense. If the lens is stable it is best, even on long lenses, not to have VR on because it also introduces an other source of optical error (no tecnology is perfect).
What is said about Nikon's VR above applies to other manufacturers lenses as well. The same principles hold thru for in camera vibration reduction; it compensates best only for one angle of incoming light to the sensor.
