Vibration Control

Donk1166

Donk1166

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Simple question.. would I notice if I didn't have it?

I ask because I'm shopping for a new lens, I fancy something like an 18-200 or 250 that kind of thing. The problem is the price, anything with VC is way out of my budget.
There are plenty of Tamron or Sigma options for less than £200.

Can you still take decent photos without VC? Does it only affect shots at slower shutter speeds?
 
Yes you can still take decent photos but you will have to keep your shutter speeds up, which in turn usually means upping your ISO too. Rule of thumb says shooting at 200mm on a aps-c camera you want to be shooting at 1/300 or 1/320. You may well be able to shoot slower.
 
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The usefulnss of stabilisation depends on what you're shooting and in what light. If you want to shoot things at the long end of the lens, then stabilisation makes it much easier to hand hold. If you're shooting a lot in low light, then stabilisation is a good substitute for a tripod, up to a point (maybe 1/8, depends on how steady you are, the focal length you're using, etc)

It is of course possible to take low shutter speed photos without it with good technique and practice, a steady hand or maybe a tripod if the circumstances allow, but stabilisation can make it easier, albeit to a point.
 
It is very usefull for static subjects at slow shutter speeds. Not very usefull for pan shots. Not realy needed at shutter speeds faster than the focul lenthe your are using. ie 1/500 or faster with 300mm lens. Haveing said that I find I use it more and more the older I get
 
Another option is just to buy a 55-200mm VR or IS to accompany your kit lens. They are a great budget option.
 
The extra expense isn't just for the VR. Lenses using it usually have some nice glass packed in, ED or Nano crystal coated elements, depending on the lens.

It is very handy to have on a zoom if you take a lot of still life images. Good for hand-held landscapes for example.

I've got perfectly sharp images using my 105 vr at 1/15th, whereas without it I'll want at least 1/100
 
This is all great advice, it's helping me with this bloody hard decision of which lens to get next.. still tricky though!!
 
Budget is about £200 - £250ish (could increase that if I can sell my 18-55 for £50) & I use a Nikon D5100
 
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