Image Stabilizer weirdness

Just got a Canon 70/300 Image Stabilizer lens....not an L-series. Now, I've shot hundreds of "speed" shots of race cars,

using 1/60th shutter speed and panning to blur the background. No big deal. Tried it with the IS lens and the photos were

surreal.....it looks like the IS is attempting to "solve" the background blur. Shooting at shutter speeds above about 1/160

cleared up the problem, but negated some of the sought-after blur. Shot the rest of the speed shots with the IS turned off.

I'm just glad I wasn't shooting film, 'cause I got a lot of garbage before I saw what was happening. Question is, do the "L"

series IS lenses do the same thing?<div></div>

Turn off IS to pan, or whenever you use a tripod. Its only good for tiny vibrations and can mess up photos that are taken with movement intended.

Nikon VR (Vibration Reduction) lenses have 2 VR modes, where one of them does not try to counter-act any lateral panning motion and is specially made for panning. However, for sports, is best not to use any VR/IS system and master shooting technique. It takes practice but seems that you already are doing fine.

Galen and Frank said it faster and better than I ever could

<em>The EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM provides 2-mode IS for shooting immobile subjects. Mode 1 stabilizes the image along both the horizontal and vertical axes. For shooting while panning to follow a moving subject, Mode 2 turns off correction in the panned direction and prevents the effect of dragging the subject back through the frame.</em>

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<a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/70-300is/">http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/70-300is/</a>

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I'd recommend reviewing the user manual that came with the lens (assuming there is one).

What Rob Bernhard wrote: use IS Mode 2.

 

WW

Sorry my cut and paste was screwy . . . to answer your second question, I meant to add:

 

As I understand it, Image Stabilizer Mode 2 was introduced for the first time on the EF 300mm f/4L IS USM. (March 1997), and has since been used on other IS lenses.

 

But the image stabilization function for EF lenses was first used on the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM in 1995. (obviously it did not have a MODE 2)

 

I do not believe there were any L series IS lenses released before the IS mode 2 was developed, but I stand before those with more knowledge of the history of the Canon system than I and would be interested for confirmation or correction.

 

WW

Should have said in my first msg that I WAS shooting in Mode 2, as per the book. Looks like turning it off for panning is the way to go. Still like the lens, though.

If you are used to shooting without IS and panning, then it takes a bit of getting used to even in mode 2.

Alot of practice. Its supposed to take care of the up/down shakes when panning. Panning at 1/60 is tough with any

lens. Takes perfect tracking and no up/dowm shake. If you take perfect shots without IS, turn it off. I do sometimes.

If I try to streak the backround in motocross, I turn it off. Due to the up/down travel you have to make following a dirt

bike. That said, I had a lot of trouble during the AMA Superbike Champoinship race. My shots were better turned off.

I was suprised when I got home to see so many "deletes" and noticed the rise after turning the IS off.

 

Its also not easy to find somewhere to practice this. If you stand on the highway and do this, the police will show up

and ask, "What the hell are you doing". Then I say something like, "Using my X-ray camera gear to look through

womens shirts as they pass by"

and then you know what happens next. Camera gear gets all broken up. Gear money spent on bail. Its bad. I mean

if

I were to say something like that. :-)

Hi Galen,

I am a lover of panned shots, Mode 2 takes a bit of practice, the IS takes its normal startup time but then the pan direction needs to be worked out and allowed for, a long smooth pan giving the lens plenty of time to work out all its stuff does work, if it is letting you down then you might have a fault worthy of a checkup by Canon. Not quite a sport shot but the slowest Mode 2 pan I have on my laptop. 1/8 second at 145mm on 1.3 crop 1D.<div></div>

Dave I need to disagree with you on the up down bit though, the mode 2 works out the direction of your pan, it can be in any direction, it then takes out the jerkyness in any direction but won't skip/hunt/search in the pan direction. You can, and the lens is more than capable of, doing vertical pan IS corrections. A plane or bird in a vertical dive for instance. It is that clever!

 

Take care, Scott.

There is an x and y axis to the IS mode and it is capable of vertical panning, as Scott mentioned. By absolute coincidence I just moments ago mentioned this very fact, on another thread.

 

WW