To IS...or NOT to IS....

Never a shortage of opinions around here...so fire away...

I've been using a friend's Sigma 70-200 2.8 and am quite impressed with it. Been shooting everything from indoor volleyball, night football, and even a wedding with it. A real gem from what I can tell.

So I'm getting ready to make my own purchase...and still undecided to just buy this same lens, or go with Canon's version. And IF...I shell out the extra $$ for the Canon...do I go all the way and upgrade to the IS?

Motion hasn't seem to be a problem for me with this Sigma...do you think I'm going to see a big difference if I drain my bank account and go with this IS?

And honestly...side by side...how many people do you think will be able to tell the difference between the Sigma lens and the Canon? The guy at the camera store in Dallas told me very few can.

Thoughts?

get the IS!

IS doesn't stop motion blur. It stops camera shake. If you can shoot in the conditions you want and like the results, then you don't need IS. If you constantly find yourself sufferering from camera shake blur or using too high ISO, then you should look into IS. It won't stop motion blur (which means it has limited usefulness for stoppping motion with sports), but it will help make the background look crisper.

if you have the money, GO.

if you dont have the money, non IS won't let you down.

You can always turn the IS off. I'll bet IS has a better resale rate/price. I went from 70-200/4 to 70/200 2.8 IS just becasue I was losing shots taken in situations where I could not use a monopod or tripod, losing due to camera (and me) shake.

yeah i like is too my hands are kinda shaky, i realy notice it when i go from my IS lens (28-135mm) to my non-IS (75-300mm). i know those are cheep lens' but yea i like the IS. im now thinking about getting 100-400mm f/4 IS now because i can relax more with IS and get a better pic.

IS is one of those things you'll never realize you wouldn't want to be without until you have it. It's a pretty nice system and it works.

To be honest though, IS stops YOUR motion, not your subjects. So if you shoot in bright light, use a flash or tripod a lot, IS won't change a thing.

I IS Therefore I am ...

IS is great if you have tried it. I have the non-IS version 70-200 and the only reason I don't have the IS is, dare I say it....extra weight! Weight makes me shake more so I would need the IS even more because the extra weight makes me shake even more so...get my point! They all have fantastic IQ.

Take this from personal experience....

I wish i would have gotten IS. But, i wouldnt have a 30D now. So its up to money...

If you can afford it, get it!

Heres a question for all those that own lenses with IS...

I know IS stops camera blur, it wont stop motion blur, unless Canon can find some way of freezing time itself

If you took a photo of a still object at full 300mm on a tripod with IS turned off, it would be nice & sharp, I think we can all agree that camera blur wont happen, what if you took the same shot handheld within the IS range, would it be just as sharp or can it never do away with a tripod for serious shots when clarity is paramount?

Any thoughts, I was just wondering...

Nick

Or..., you can get the original and still the best IS. A pod.

does the "in body" IS from people like Sony suppose to stop motion blur?

Nick_C wrote in post #2236346
If you took a photo of a still object at full 300mm on a tripod with IS turned off, it would be nice & sharp, I think we can all agree that camera blur wont happen, what if you took the same shot handheld within the IS range, would it be just as sharp or can it never do away with a tripod for serious shots when clarity is paramount?

IS still helps as it will counter mirror vibration (unless you use MLU) and other minor vibrations (tripod, ground, wind, etc.).

IS is a way to make your shots even sharper - not necessarily an excuse to use a slower shutter speed. But yes, it will enable you to get away with one and shoot in lower light.

The best method is to still use a tripod, IS or not.

IS for low shutter speeds or higher Magnification is almost a must for me.