Sports and IS mode

KIPAX

KIPAX

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KIPAX Lancashire UK
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I have always been of the opinion that IS is no use for sports as sports requires a high shutter speed anyways..

But has anyone found the need for IS in sports (apart from panning)


I will be getting a 300 2.8 with IS this week (if kerso is quick enuff) and wondered if it will be any use at say ice hockey in dim lit where i currently am down to around 250/320 shutter on a 300 lens. fast moving subjects...


Sorry for the no brainer but never had IS before
 
The downside of IS is that AF will be slower so for your type of fast action sports then I think you'd be shooting yourself in the foot a little bit.

Bob
 
yeagh.. i just thought it might be a bonus.. but prob not.. i am getting the IS for indoor theater work.. just wondered if more use but not too bothered :)
 
I use IS in all the sports I shoot even on a tripod but I agree with Bob on what you will be doing as focus will settle down quicker with IS off.
 
Personally I'd leave it on and see how you go. I rarely ever switch IS off on any of my lenses.

You have two problems to overcome - camera movement and subject movement. At 1/250th or 1/300th you're really on the safe minimum for hand holding a non IS 300mm lens, so IS should give you some safety backup of at least a couple of stops.

You can't do anything about the subject movement but at least if you don't have to worry about camera movement, you should be able to grab some worthwhile shots by picking your moment.

You're forking out a lot of wonga for IS -I'd certainly give it a damned good chance to show it's worth before I switched it off.
 
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I always have IS turned off for fast moving sport.
 
jezza8 said:
What about the lenses with two modes of IS, one designed for panning. Would you still turn it off if you are taking panning shots (e.g. motorsport)?
Click to expand...

I've never had an IS lens and never even knew there was more than one type.. How intriguing....
 
Well, I use Nikon telephotos with VR, equivalent to Canon IS, and at least half the shots are taken with VR 'On' for motorsport.

It is essential for panning at the lower shutter speeds, where you want to get the background speed-blurred, but without camera shake. It is also used for long shots of stationary objects, under lower light conditions.

For the rest it gets turned 'Off', as it does add a little time to prepare for a shot, with a small but finite time to settle for VR.

The latest Nikon VR lenses detect panning automatically and the horizontal motion is not VR controlled under those conditions, so acting a bit quicker. There is also a switch mode where this feature can be disabled, for example where you are taking pictures from a moving vehicle.

Nikon claim that VR adds a margin of four stops. I would put it at typically three, but enough for an edge in sports.

Edward
 
Hi Kipax

unless it is very bright and I am getting 1/1500 or faster then IS is on for me. It does make a difference and the difference is very noticeable when you get down to the lower shutter speeds when the floods are on. You will still get subject extremity and ball blur due to the low speed but you will also get a significant increase in the number of keepers.

I have not noticed any significant difference in focus speed but you do have to wait for the IS to kick in before pressing the shutter button. In practice I tend to dab the shutter button quite a bit as the action is coming my way which keeps the IS up to speed.

The only real downside I have noticed with IS is the increased drain on the battery but again this could be due to the way I use it.

John
 
cheers jp ... I didnt buy the lens wiht IS for my usual sports but wondered if it had a bonus use for me... as you know we suffere like 250 shutter trying to shoot football.. will try it out on monday night at a fa youth cup game.. is it 1 or 2 setting?

I do same.. I dont track and shoot.. the cameras good enough to focus and shoot so i also tend to dab away.

Battery on the mkIII is fantastic thouhg..
 
IS setting I use is 1 for soccer (all on). I probably should use 2 on occasions but I'm not quick enough to change it on the fly. I also usually have a piece of tape over the buttons to avoid accidentally moving them when I do go hand held.

FA Vase game for me tomorrow :)

John
 
setting 1 then :)

Junior footy in morning, Football league in aft, Local league sun morn, Womens cup QF sun afternoon and ice hockey sun evening.. 5 games this weekend :)
 
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