Strange "double image" effect with VR lens

<p>I just bought the Nikkor 24-120/4 VR lens today, and on my way home I was taking some pictures, and there was one which came out as the attached picture below. Something is obviously wrong here. I had a similar picture come out when I was taking pictures with another VR lens borrowed from my friend. What am I doing wrong here?</p><div></div>

<p>VR isn't 100% I'd shoot a few...</p>

<p>With VR it can happen that the moving element hits its limits of movement and is reset to its default position during the exposure. This may be what has happened to your picture.</p>

<p>To be honest I by far prefer keeping my shutter speed up (e.g. 1/1000s) rather than rely on VR. I will use VR when needed but I don't expect perfect results with it. </p>

<p>If you've got your camera set up for release priority (where the camera allows you to get the shot off before its convinced that it has focus lock), the VR system can still be in the middle of getting stabilized when the shutter is released. The result is that the VR element could be substantially on the move even while the shutter is open.<br /><br />It takes the VR system's gyros/sensors and moving parts a moment to get up to speed and settle down. A half-press on the shutter will let you hear it working, and you can see that action through the viewfinder. After a heartbeat, you should see things nice and stable. But I've certainly had my share of shots monkeyed up by not-yet-stable VR action. On balance, I'm delighted to have VR at my disposal. But it IS moving parts, and there is necessary lag time before it does its magic - so, use it with that understanding.</p>

That happened to me with the D600 using the Nikon 24-70 2.8 (non VR) while doing an In camera HDR .JPG. I don't

remember the settings but I know that it was a fast shutter since I was shooting at a sky scene on a sunny day. The

camera has been sent in for an exchange.

<p>Did you have your camera on a tripod with the VR switched on?</p>

<p>Thanks everyone so far. Monika, the camera was hand-held.</p>

<p>As Matt and other folks explained, VR and other types of image stabilization need a moment to settle in. I get the same doubling effect with an older Ricoh GX100 when I rush the shutter release - that Ricoh's sensor based stabilization needs at least a full second to settle. It's useful for slow shutter speed photos of stationary subjects but don't rush the shutter release press.</p>

<p>The possibility of not giving the VR time to settle down is a very realistic concern.</p>

<p>However, in addition, even if you give it plenty of time, you can also get the same sort of effect if you leave the VR on when the camera is mounted on a tripod and you are shooting a long-ish exposure. Without any substantial input, the VR controlled elements just wander off to la-la land (well, until they hit a stop), and depending on the design of the system, either stay there until the exposure ends, or are forced by the system to recenter (as Illka mentioned).</p>

<p>I had a thread illustrating the latter problem a few years ago, but I'm too lazy to look it up. ;-)</p>

<p>Tom M</p>