Question about IS

OK, so I'm a bit of an old fogie who always thinks that 'less is more' - get the picture?

I've always thought IS is a bit of a gimmick, but being in the mood to part with some cash I picked up the (dirt cheap) 18-55 IS just to see what all the fuss is about.

Well, the pics look OK to me, however I notice from other threads about IS that people say 'you can see it working in the viewfinder'...I can honestly say that I see no difference in the viewfinder whether it's on or off, although from the images I have taken when I've deliberately tried to 'shake' it seems to be working.

Is it some cheapo, inferior IS on the 18-55 (ie is there something actually displayed in the VF on more expensive models) or is mine buggered?

I've searched around, checked the manual etc but can't find any info on what I should be seeing..........

Helrain wrote in post #4305850
OK, so I'm a bit of an old fogie who always thinks that 'less is more' - get the picture?

I've always thought IS is a bit of a gimmick, but being in the mood to part with some cash I picked up the (dirt cheap) 18-55 IS just to see what all the fuss is about.

Well, the pics look OK to me, however I notice from other threads about IS that people say 'you can see it working in the viewfinder'...I can honestly say that I see no difference in the viewfinder whether it's on or off, although from the images I have taken when I've deliberately tried to 'shake' it seems to be working.

Is it some cheapo, inferior IS on the 18-55 (ie is there something actually displayed in the VF on more expensive models) or is mine buggered?

I've searched around, checked the manual etc but can't find any info on what I should be seeing..........

Well, I must confess, I've never tried it before. Just tested it a few moments ago. Here's what I did using my 24/105 IS USM:

Focused on this text on the computer screen (which is at arm's length from my eyes):

1. With IS ON, I wiggled the camera rapidly to simulate bad hand shake. the centre focus square seemed to stay on the same letters on the screen. That's amazing.

2. With IS OFF, the centre focus square moved around the letters on the screen. A picture would have been blurry.

Conclusion - it really works, and I tried both lenses (17/55 and 24/105) with very similar results.

Actually I've had the 24/105 for over a year and knew it worked because I've taken a number of handheld shots at 1/15th second.

Typical - I'm at work now so I can't try it until I get home

Thanks for the reply.

the effect is more noticable the longer the focal length is, at the long end of a 24-105 you can definately see it working.

My only regret is that my 100 f/2.8 macro doesn't have IS. Generally I use it on a tripod, but it's also an excellent short telephoto, where IS would be welcome.

But I suppose that IS would add complexity to the workings, and might have a small negative impact on image quality (which is one of the primary attributes of macros).

EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS

Is there such a lens?

There is an EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 "USM"

USM=Ultrasonic Motor

IS=Image Stabilizer

There is a
ef-s 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM

if you don't mind, how much did you pay for that lens with the IS? (Dirt cheap, around $100 US Dollars)

Just a thought

Alex

Canon have just released an 18-55 IS so the answer is yes it does exist.

Check 3/4 way down this page.
http://www.canon.co.uk …ome/newproducts​/index.asp

Also in my 70-200L f2.8 IS and 300mm f4L IS when I focus, you can see the viewfinder sort of click into place as the IS works to steady the image.

This was first day i got my 100-400L messing around at work
both shots taken at iso200 at 1/6 sec handheld
is does make a differance

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Helrain wrote in post #4305850
OK, so I'm a bit of an old fogie who always thinks that 'less is more' - get the picture?

I've always thought IS is a bit of a gimmick, but being in the mood to part with some cash I picked up the (dirt cheap) 18-55 IS just to see what all the fuss is about.

Well, the pics look OK to me, however I notice from other threads about IS that people say 'you can see it working in the viewfinder'...I can honestly say that I see no difference in the viewfinder whether it's on or off, although from the images I have taken when I've deliberately tried to 'shake' it seems to be working.

Is it some cheapo, inferior IS on the 18-55 (ie is there something actually displayed in the VF on more expensive models) or is mine buggered?

I've searched around, checked the manual etc but can't find any info on what I should be seeing..........

Try is with a 300mm+ lens and you can very obviously see the viewfinder steady when it comes on.

IS is great is used correctly, ie it is allowed it's 0.5 sec to stabilize before firing off a shot. Also I would say it is best to use it to improve sharpness at minimal handheld speeds rather than push the bounds of handholding to the limit.

In the end a tripod is best (but also turn off the IS except for super teles), a monopod gains at least 2 stops without IS, but IS generally improves a monopod a little also.

Definitely IS is not a gimmick but prone to over emphasis of its importance and poor technique like any another aspect of a tool.

Helrain wrote in post #4305850
Is it some cheapo, inferior IS on the 18-55 ....

I believe (but may have got it wrong) that the new 18-55IS and the 55-250(?) use a new IS technology that is cheaper to build and lighter. I don't know if this signals a change that will ripple through other Canon lenses, or is a cut-down version for the toy kit lenses.

Helrain wrote in post #4305850
Well, the pics look OK to me, however I notice from other threads about IS that people say 'you can see it working in the viewfinder'...I can honestly say that I see no difference in the viewfinder whether it's on or off, although from the images I have taken when I've deliberately tried to 'shake' it seems to be working

It's much more obvious for lenses like the 70-200. With shorter lenses, it's much harder to observe. With my 17-55, I can still tell through the viewfinder, but it's much harder to see. I know it's working though, since I can continually get shots as slow as 1/5th at 17mm. It's certainly saved my butt at times.

My first encounter with IS was with the 17-85. Although not very pronounced at 17mm, when aiming at 85mm with IS on, the image appeared frozen in the viewfinder even though I moved the camera-lens slightly left-right and up-down. Initially it made me feel nausea.

The 70-200/4 IS has 4 stop IS and I can "feel" the IS improving over a period of 1-2 sec after half-pressing the shutter. Aiming and framing at 200mm is much easier with IS on when hand-holding the lens.

With the 500/4, aiming with the lens on a monopod and IS on makes everything feel normal and the image in the viewfinder appears steady, however everything feels like it is so due to the monopod. When I switch the IS off, it feels how "unsteady" this whole combination is.

Especially with long telephotos, and when shooting sports on a sunny day, IS might not be considered useful as shutter speed has to be in excess of 1/1000, however framing and aiming with IS enabled even with a monopod is so much better. The framed picture apears frozen - relatively speaking - in the viewfinder and shooting for a couple of hours causes much less strain in the eyes.

You really need an extra set of batteries though, at least with a long telephoto. IS in these lenses drain battery power.

EOS_JD wrote in post #4306513
Canon have just released an 18-55 IS so the answer is yes it does exist.

I stand corrected...........so​rry, I didn't know about the new release.

Canon quote 4 stops IS on the new 18-55. If it's anything like the IS on other lenses it's sure to work well.

Helrain wrote in post #4305850
OK, so I'm a bit of an old fogie who always thinks that 'less is more' - get the picture?

I've always thought IS is a bit of a gimmick, but being in the mood to part with some cash I picked up the (dirt cheap) 18-55 IS just to see what all the fuss is about.

Well, the pics look OK to me, however I notice from other threads about IS that people say 'you can see it working in the viewfinder'...I can honestly say that I see no difference in the viewfinder whether it's on or off, although from the images I have taken when I've deliberately tried to 'shake' it seems to be working.

Is it some cheapo, inferior IS on the 18-55 (ie is there something actually displayed in the VF on more expensive models) or is mine buggered?

I've searched around, checked the manual etc but can't find any info on what I should be seeing..........

Id love to see some shots from that lens, ideally 100% crops too

My brother is getting this lens for Christmas as he is just wanting something cheap'ish but really wants IS, well for the money there are no alternatives to this new 18-55 IS.