2 setting IS question

When the lens is set to turn off horizontal correction, does it know the orientation of the camera? In other words, if the camera were in landscape format, or portrait format, would the IS also change orientation? I haven't seen this clarified anywhere.

I would suspect that the IS unit could easily detect what axis the panning movement is occuring on simply by examining the information from the gyros, but I suppose a small detector for this sort of thing could be put in the lens.
In fact, my 20D knows when I'm shooting in portrait, so a unit that costs $500 alone should at least be able to do it.

I suspect it assumes you're shooting landscape, but 5 minutes experimentation will give you the answer. I'd be interested to hear the result of your test.

found this with a little googling:
--------
Every Canon SLR lens that has an Image Stabilizer built in has two so-called "gyro sensors" oriented at right angles to each other. With this design, the level of IS functionality is the same whether the camera is in landscape or portrait orientation. When the camera is in portrait orientation, the level of IS functionality is the same whether the hand grip of the camera is on the top or the bottom.

In all of these cases, IS lenses that have a Mode 2 setting operate as follows when Mode 2 is selected: Both gyro sensors sample the direction and amplitude of lens shake simultaneously and continuously whenever the IS system is activated. The resulting data is analyzed by a dedicated microcomputer in the lens, and that microcomputer in turn controls the behavior of the electromagnets surrounding the movable optical components of the IS lens. These electromagnets are also oriented at right angles to each other. If the lens is set to Mode 2 *and* the microcomputer determines that intentional panning is taking place, it shuts off stabilization in the panning direction regardless of camera orientation. If, on the other hand, the microcomputer does not detect intentional panning, then horizontal and vertical stabilization is executed simultaneously, just as it is in Mode 1.

Canon anticipates that in most cases, the camera and lens will be held either horizontally or vertically, in order to keep horizon lines straight in the resulting picture. In such cases, the typical behavior of the IS system is covered by the explanation above. If, on the other hand, the panning direction is diagonal with respect to the orientation of the gyro sensors, and Mode 2 is selected, there is a possibility that the level of panning detected by each gyro sensor will be sufficient to cause the microcomputer in the lens to shut off stabilization in both directions at once. Since the decision to shut off stabilization in Mode 2 is made by the microcomputer, there is no overt way for the photographer to control it.

Let me know if this helps to answer your question.

Best Regards,

Chuck Westfall
Director/Media & Customer Relationship
Camera Marketing Group/Canon U.S.A., Inc.

-------

so the short answer to your question is yes, Mode 2 works in either landscape or portrait... and diagonal can give you unexpected results....

No matter what orientation the gyros are in, up is still up and left is still left as they sense gravity. They even work in panning mode (2) if the camera is at a 45 degree angle. At least that's been my observation.

That answers my question, thanks Chuck. Now I just need to order a new toy

Being able to pan with IS in mode two in portrait orientation would be ideal for high speed giraffe races.

tim wrote in post #5856040
Being able to pan with IS in mode two in portrait orientation would be ideal for high speed giraffe races.

lol!! funniest thing I've heard all day

Carnifex wrote in post #5856087
lol!! funniest thing I've heard all day

+1^...i got a good laugh on this as well!! nice.

tim wrote in post #5856040
Being able to pan with IS in mode two in portrait orientation would be ideal for high speed giraffe races.

Lol That is too funny Good stuff

Have you ever seen a giraffe run? No? Me neither, but with the size of those legs I bet they can get a bit of speed up. According to sponsoragiraffe.com (gota love the internet) they can reach 35mph (approx 58kph). Mode 2 IS could be quite handy for this.

tim wrote in post #5856775
Have you ever seen a giraffe run? No? Me neither, but with the size of those legs I bet they can get a bit of speed up. According to sponsoragiraffe.com (gota love the internet) they can reach 35mph (approx 58kph). Mode 2 IS could be quite handy for this.

http://video.google.ca …ei=G0twSJfWN4iI​rgPV16GmDw

well... i did shoot a giraffe on Friday with an IS lens... but he wasn't running, so no panning... However... i was completely surprised how he used his tongue to GRAB the grass...

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'text/html'

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'text/html'

lol...owow...looks fantastic! awesome detail!

That is one seriously old giraffe.