Fast shutter speeds and IS improvements

Silly question by the way:

I bought the 70-300L and the IS works amazingly so i get usable shots even at 1/30s at 300mm. However, i was thinking about daytime shoting, will IS improve my shots even if used at something like 1/250s or even faste? I guess the improvement will be less visible as at shorter times less movement is possible, but will i get the last tick of sharpness out of it while using like i said something like 1/250s at 300m?

Depending on how shaky you are, you might see some improvement in very large prints up to somewhere around 1/ (2 X focal length). So around 1/640 for a 300mm lens.

Above that and I can only imagine much help for someone with a health issue that is making for extreme shake.

davidfarina wrote in post #16346575
Silly question by the way:

I bought the 70-300L and the IS works amazingly so i get usable shots even at 1/30s at 300mm. However, i was thinking about daytime shoting, will IS improve my shots even if used at something like 1/250s or even faste? I guess the improvement will be less visible as at shorter times less movement is possible, but will i get the last tick of sharpness out of it while using like i said something like 1/250s at 300m?

1/250s isn't that fast for 300mm especially if you are shooting a cropper. so yeah IS will definitely help with sharpness. with IS you can shoot razor sharp landscapes even in low light without a tripod.

Your keeper rate should be higher if you use higher shutter speeds than 1/30s. One advantage of IS is that the image in your viewfinder will be steadier.

Although the IS will be of little importance for camera shake, once you get past about 1/600th, it does still help as it steadies the viewfinder and makes it easier to keep your AF point exactly where you want it. that isn't always an isue, but sometimes a slight movement of the camera can move it off target enough to spoil the shot. When shooting birds for example, I want my AF point right on the eye at all times, with small birds it takes very little camera movement sometimes to slip off the eye and onto a twig behind the head.

The best thing is to just play with your setup and see when and how you are finding an improvement with IS and at what speeds and in what situations you feel better off without it. A lot depends on your personal shooting techniques and habits.

Personally, I rarely turn IS off, even when using fast shutter speeds. I would only do so if tracking an unpredictable target which can suddenly change direction, as that can cause the IS to fight the panning as you adjust your movement. But, that's me. Others may turn it off more than I do, some never turn it off. Experiment to see what works for you.

Allright. I was a bit questioning this things as its not recommended to let the IS on when on tripod, so fast shutter speeds + IS seems useless for more sharpness lets say at 1/2000s but a steady viefinder is definitely a plus and since newer IS should detect tripod its just a question which was flying in my head as i never really used IS efficiently.

Thanks guys!

sandpiper wrote in post #16346630
it does still help as it steadies the viewfinder and makes it easier to keep your AF point exactly where you want it. that isn't always an isue, but sometimes a slight movement of the camera can move it off target enough to spoil the shot.

I've always suspected that having a stabilised image on the AF sensor can only help with AF accuracy. But I may be totally wrong.

davidfarina wrote in post #16346663
Allright. I was a bit questioning this things as its not recommended to let the IS on when on tripod, so fast shutter speeds + IS seems useless for more sharpness lets say at 1/2000s but a steady viefinder is definitely a plus and since newer IS should detect tripod its just a question which was flying in my head as i never really used IS efficiently.

Thanks guys!

I put gaffer tape over my IS lenses' buttons so I can't accidentally turn off IS or AF. so I "always" leave IS on.

the only exception is when i'm doing long exposures -- say over five seconds. I have had some weird results in long exposures that I think occurred because of tripod vibration and IS.

ed rader wrote in post #16348009
I put gaffer tape over my IS lenses' buttons so I can't accidentally turn off IS or AF. so I "always" leave IS on.

the only exception is when i'm doing long exposures -- say over five seconds. I have had some weird results in long exposures that I think occurred because of tripod vibration and IS.

Well the buttons on the 70-300 L are very nice built id say its almost impossible to accidentaly tutn it off with that lens. So leaving it on is better thanks for responses and yeah, for tripod shots i wont use it. I mean its even unnessecaury

davidfarina wrote in post #16348297
Well the buttons on the 70-300 L are very nice built id say its almost impossible to accidentaly tutn it off with that lens. So leaving it on is better thanks for responses and yeah, for tripod shots i wont use it. I mean its even unnessecaury

I managed to do it and blew all my whistle pig shots in june. I returned to Mormon Row a few days ago and and the WPs are hibernating. turning the switch off and on doesn't work for me. it's like me using my seat belt only when I think I need it. thus I have taped mine into the on position as a default. if i'm doing long night exposures the tape comes off.

ed rader wrote in post #16348419
I managed to do it and blew all my whistle pig shots in june. I returned to Mormon Row a few days ago and and the WPs are hibernating. turning the switch off and on doesn't work for me. it's like me using my seat belt only when I think I need it. thus I have taped mine into the on position as a default. if i'm doing long night exposures the tape comes off.

Well i have a similiar problem with my 6D. The 6D can only shoot in-built HDR when turning Raw Image data off. This resulted in a few Images which are now saved as ONLY jpeg. I know the problem might be the same you want to say in a case where i forget to turn on IS...

davidfarina wrote in post #16348703
Well i have a similiar problem with my 6D. The 6D can only shoot in-built HDR when turning Raw Image data off. This resulted in a few Images which are now saved as ONLY jpeg. I know the problem might be the same you want to say in a case where i forget to turn on IS...

some guys are better at micromanaging the little things but some of us just have to K.I.S.S. .

ed rader wrote in post #16348909
some guys are better at micromanaging the little things but some of us just have to K.I.S.S. .

Hahaha yeah, or maybe train the memory