Non-OS vs OS?

I recently purchased a 70-200 2.8 IS. I specifically bought it for taking gymnastics, which requires fast shutters. I have really love the lens and use the image stabilization for a lot of portraiture and candid shots. But at what point or shutter speed is the IS pretty useless? I have a 7D and typically need my shutter set around 400 to eliminate any blurriness. At that speed, would I be better off not to worry about using IS on the lens???
Any comments would be appreciated. . . .

Mike

BrowsingMike wrote in post #11210911
I...at what point or shutter speed is the IS pretty useless?

Pictures from a Canon 70-30mm IS USM lens with the image stabilization left on.

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Turn off IS when you don't need it. If your shutter speed is over 1/500 on a 70-200 your hand movement won't add blur to your photo. But I also shoot several thousand frames and try to conserve batterys as much as possible. I actually got rid of my 70-200 IS 2.8 becuase I never used it.

If you're shooting for many hours continuously, you'll definitely notice increased battery usage with the IS running all the time. Me - I rarely use it. Maybe if I'm shooting a bird.

For sports, IS really is not a requirement due to the need for high shutter speeds to freeze action- these will generally be way higher than your minimum hand hold speed (1/FL).