Do I need a lens with IS? Help please :S

AndyWest

AndyWest

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Andy
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After returning back from my holiday I was a bit disappointed with most of my images taken with my newish Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non VC. My 550d has a 18mega pixel sensor and when zoomed in to 100% in lightroom even at f5.6 (the sweet spot!) the images were not crystal sharp. Ok most were taken at f11 and upwards and the ones that i was most disappointed with were taken using a tripod.

So I have been running a few tests and I took 2 shots on a tripod both at 35mm and at f5.6 1sec ISO 400. One with mirror lock up and the other std. The one with mirror lock up was far far better that the other one. So when I'm out and about taking shots hand held would I be better with a lens that has IS? Will this get me close to sharp? Even high shutter speed shots are not as sharp as i would have thought this lens was capable of.

Should I stop being a woose and stop pixel peeping or trade up?

Her are the examples: No PP except bottom one.

Std shot on tripod:
TamTestORIG_800pixpix.jpg


100% crop on Tripod Std shot:
TamTeststd_800pixpix.jpg


100% crop on tripod mirror up:
TamTestMLUP_800pixpix.jpg


100% crop from a pic on a sunny day @ 17mm f4.5 ISO 100 1/250sec
TamTestSunny_800pixpix.jpg
 
Why are you shooting at a 1 second shutter speed? This is a very odd test to determine if you need to be using IS or not. You shouldn't be getting any camera shake at a 1/250 speed, unless you have very shakey hands indeed..

If you are shooting at sub <1 second speeds then even on a tripod you would usually need to use some kind of remote or put a delay on the shutter.
 
If you are used to a compact rather than coming from film etc then you often forget the rudiments when you are busy taking pictures.

You need to keep the speed at QUICKER than the fraction of the lens size as a minimum so

50mm you need 1/50 second

250mm you need 1/250 second

So if you are taking a picture and the speed is showing 1/80th on a 200mm then you will be VERY lucky not to get blur. This is where you must adjust the ISO in order to get the shutter speed down. This is something that beginners ALWAYS miss.
 
guybrush said:
Why are you shooting at a 1 second shutter speed? This is a very odd test to determine if you need to be using IS or not. You shouldn't be getting any camera shake at a 1/250 speed, unless you have very shakey hands indeed..

If you are shooting at sub <1 second speeds then even on a tripod you would usually need to use some kind of remote or put a delay on the shutter.
Click to expand...

The test was done tonight in my dim office on a Redsnapper tripod. The shutter speed isn't the issue ( I don't think :D) it's the fact that the only way I seem to get sharp images is on a tripod with mirror up!:thinking:

The shot at 1/250esc looks OK to me, does it look OK to you?

But as said...perhaps i should stop pixel peeping!! :nono::D
 
cowasaki said:
If you are used to a compact rather than coming from film etc then you often forget the rudiments when you are busy taking pictures.

You need to keep the speed at QUICKER than the fraction of the lens size as a minimum so

50mm you need 1/50 second

250mm you need 1/250 second

So if you are taking a picture and the speed is showing 1/80th on a 200mm then you will be VERY lucky not to get blur. This is where you must adjust the ISO in order to get the shutter speed down. This is something that beginners ALWAYS miss.
Click to expand...

And you have to add the crop factor into the 'quicker than focal length' equation also. I understand that for handheld and i admit to being a little shakey.

But I use AV setting so being on a tripod shouldn't make much difference as the camera sorts the shutter speed but i guess it does.
 
The shutter speed isn't the issue
Click to expand...

It really is chap. Some cameras suffer more with mirror slap on a tripod than handheld and mirror up should be the first thing you turn on (AND YES CANON, WE FOLKS THAT BUY YOUR CAMERAS STILL HAVE TO "TURN ON" A MIRROR UP SETTING DESPITE YEARS OF ASKING FOR WHAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS) when putting it on a tripod.

The shot at 250th looks perfect. :thumbs:
 
dazzajl said:
It really is chap. Some cameras suffer more with mirror slap on a tripod than handheld and mirror up should be the first thing you turn on (AND YES CANON, WE FOLKS THAT BUY YOUR CAMERAS STILL HAVE TO "TURN ON" A MIRROR UP SETTING DESPITE YEARS OF ASKING FOR WHAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS) when putting it on a tripod.

The shot at 250th looks perfect. :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think bearing in mind everything, the Tammy is a pretty good lens and it will stay in my kit bag.

Thanks all!

Note to self...Mirror up when on tripod!!!! Also put mirror up in quick menu!! :D
 
the Tammy is a pretty good lens and it will stay in my kit bag
Click to expand...

I remember looking at that one when shopping with my mum for that range. She went for the siggy version but I liked the brilliant minimum focus distance you got with the tamron. Sort of a mini macro thrown in with an already good lens. :thumbs:
 
I had a Siggy 17-70 once and you could almost touch the subject with the glass and still take a decent pic! Amazing!!
 
These pictures look quite fine to me Andy, I think you may be pixel peeping to the point of going OTT. Don't forget as well that your sensor having a lot of megapickels will show up any lens defect well.

DazzaJL - regarding mirror slap, you should see how much of a 'ka-thunk' my 1Ds produces - on the gorillapod the other day it was actually shaking every time the mirror went :lol:
 
trencheel303 said:
These pictures look quite fine to me Andy, I think you may be pixel peeping to the point of going OTT.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree, I am being OTT :D

Still going to buy a 24-105L though :D
 
AndyWest said:
The shutter speed isn't the issue
Click to expand...

If shutter speed isn't the issue, then IS isn't going to help. That's exactly what IS is for, to help maintain steadiness in the lens while handholding at longer shutter speeds.
 
Sorry but I don't get this at all?

You have to turn the IS off, when on a tripod.
 
IS helps getting sharp images when hand holding, mirror lockup helps when on tripod. I think of mirror lockup as the 'tripod IS'.
 
The 100% portrait shot looks looks great in my opinion, very sharp for such a crop. I think you would be better off saying "I shall not pixel peep" 10 times every night before you go to bed. If cropping and pixel peeping is really important to you a full frame camera would suit you best...... if you have the cash, mmmmmm a 5D mk II someday you will be mine!!
 
cowasaki said:
If you are used to a compact rather than coming from film etc then you often forget the rudiments when you are busy taking pictures.

You need to keep the speed at QUICKER than the fraction of the lens size as a minimum so

50mm you need 1/50 second

250mm you need 1/250 second

So if you are taking a picture and the speed is showing 1/80th on a 200mm then you will be VERY lucky not to get blur. This is where you must adjust the ISO in order to get the shutter speed down. This is something that beginners ALWAYS miss.
Click to expand...

Yes, I always used to follow that advice.

Imagine my surprise when I changed quickly from a 70-200 IS to a 400mm to get some shots, forgetting, of course, to increase the shutter speed.

1/200 at f14 and ISO 200

3T5G1769wee8.jpg
 
trencheel303 said:
IS helps getting sharp images when hand holding, mirror lockup helps when on tripod. I think of mirror lockup as the 'tripod IS'.
Click to expand...

Yes I know, but the OP was talking about a tripod, so fail to see where IS would help there?
 
Donki said:
The 100% portrait shot looks looks great in my opinion, very sharp for such a crop. I think you would be better off saying "I shall not pixel peep" 10 times every night before you go to bed.
Click to expand...

:D
 
AndyWest said:
Still going to buy a 24-105L though :D
Click to expand...

Then a bag full of L primes to replace it when you realise that the 100% crops are not 100% pin sharp across the frame. Not sure where you go when you realise the same is true of the primes.
 
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