IS or no IS for Sports?

I'm curious to know what the popular consensus is when it comes to using IS for sports .

Scenario:

- Shooting a high school football game at night with a 7DM2 and a 70-200mm 2.8 L held with a monopod. Shots would mainly be players in action, not sideline player/coach candids. Shutter speed would be 1/1000 with high ISO to freeze action.

Would IS improve your chances of getting a sharper image, or make no difference at all? My assumption is that having IS would help with a bit of shake due to mirror slap and possible wobble of the lens while on the monopod. However, would the higher shutter speed negate the need for IS?

snegron wrote in post #17817301
I'm curious to know what the popular consensus is when it comes to using IS for sports .

Scenario:

- Shooting a high school football game at night with a 7DM2 and a 70-200mm 2.8 L held with a monopod. Shots would mainly be players in action, not sideline player/coach candids. Shutter speed would be 1/1000 with high ISO to freeze action.

Would IS improve your chances of getting a sharper image, or make no difference at all? My assumption is that having IS would help with a bit of shake due to mirror slap and possible wobble of the lens while on the monopod. However, would the higher shutter speed negate the need for IS?

Well at a shutter speed of 1/1000 and mounted on a monopod IS is a waste of time.

john crossley wrote in post #17817310
Well at a shutter speed of 1/1000 and mounted on a monopod IS is a waste of time.

The monopod can be useful to hold the heavy lens steady over the course of a long gamegame, regardless of any shutter speed.

I'm assuming johns comment was in regards to IS being a waste, not the monopod.

Agree that at 1/1000 generally IS not needed. You still have to have good shooting form though.

The rule of thumb is that the inverse of the focal length is sufficient to eliminate blur from you moving. So, with 200mm, you'd only need 1/200 shutter speed to take care of that issue.

I would expect that in lens Image Stabilization is incapable of correcting blue from mirror slap, because the correction is too late in the image stream to make a difference. Again this is a moot point with your scenario because mirror slap is an issue at much slower speeds - think 1/80 - 1".

Personally I always leave it turned on when using a monopod.. You may be using high enough shutter speeds to not need it but when you go to grab a different shot and have forgotten to turn it back on it can be a bit annoying..
Leaving it turned on will mean it is there for you if you do need it..

gonzogolf wrote in post #17817318
The monopod can be useful to hold the heavy lens steady over the course of a long gamegame, regardless of any shutter speed.

Yes, but a 70-200 isn't really a heavy lens is it?

john crossley wrote in post #17817344
Yes, but a 70-200 isn't really a heavy lens is it?

The 2.8 is heavy enough that holding it while tracking players the entire game you can get tired.

john crossley wrote in post #17817344
Yes, but a 70-200 isn't really a heavy lens is it?

All depends how long you hold it up to your eye for...but its definitely lighter on a monopod..

I wouldn't really ever turn IS on in a sports games. Just not needed. Typically the subject is moving too quick for the IS to even be helpful.

Cameron Hagen wrote in post #17817355
I wouldn't really ever turn IS on in a sports games. Just not needed. Typically the subject is moving too quick for the IS to even be helpful.

IS is not for subject movement.....

gonzogolf wrote in post #17817348
The 2.8 is heavy enough that holding it while tracking players the entire game you can get tired.

Are you seriously saying that you hold the camera to your eye for the entire SIXTY minutes of the game?

john crossley wrote in post #17817370
Are you seriously saying that you hold the camera to your eye for the entire SIXTY minutes of the game?

No. But I'm saying it doesn't hurt, might help, and why do you care?

don1163 wrote in post #17817364
IS is not for subject movement.....

exactly. :P

IS is generally speaking not necessary for the shutter speeds that sports photography requires to stop subject motion. With that said, the image in the OVF is more stable with it on and therefore it does not hurt. If you are a Canon shooter then the 70-200 II also happens to be the best lens in this FL whether or not you want the IS.

So the 70-200 non-IS (or drainpipe!) will do just fine but the 70-200 IS II would never hurt.