# Benefits of IS in fast shutter speeds



## plam_1980 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi there,

I have a 5D Mark III and occasionally I shoot sport events (indoor as well as outdoor) with it. I shoot fast-action sports, so usually use high shutter speed to be able to freeze the action. So I was wondering if I have to buy new lens, is IS something that I will benefit from, or at shutter speeds which are higher than the focal lenght there is no significant advantage of IS?

Thanks


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## tomscott (Sep 10, 2014)

IS will not benefit fast action. It may actually blur your images by trying to stabilise it, so turn it off. IS is useful for camera shake, if your shooting fast action at high SP then its no benefit, but is useful when panning or when the light gets low. IS is useful for stabilising the viewfinder tho, so you can track subjects easier at large focal lengths.

IS does nothing with moving subjects its primarily objective is to reduce camera shake. Mode 2 on some lenses aids panning.


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## plam_1980 (Sep 10, 2014)

tomscott said:


> IS will not benefit fast action. It may actually blur your images by trying to stabilise it, so turn it off. IS is useful for camera shake, if your shooting fast action at high SP then its no benefit, but is useful when panning or when the light gets low. IS is useful for stabilising the viewfinder tho, so you can track subjects easier at large focal lengths.
> 
> IS does nothing with moving subjects its primarily objective is to reduce camera shake. Mode 2 on some lenses aids panning.



Thanks for the reply. I know its objective is to reduce camera shake, my question is if I shoot hand-held, does camera shake have significant effect on the photos in high shutter speed, so that IS will be of use, or the high shutter speed itself eliminates enough the hand shake

Cheers,


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## Maximilian (Sep 10, 2014)

I think tomscotts answer already includes almost everything. 

Two points, I want to add:
1. If you have the choice IS/non IS lens e.g. 70-200/f4 L with/without be aware that the IS version might have a different optical design, not just an IS attached to the same pieces of glass. So the quality of the optics might be different. Which one is better depends.
2. If you have a lens with IS it's up to you to switch it off if not needed. But you have it with you in case you need stabilization because of the circumstances (e.g. low light, slow motion, portrait of an athlete or spectator during a break, etc.)

Conclusion: If I had the money and the choice IS/non IS lens of the same type, I would only take the non IS, if the optical quality is recognizably better or the IS lens is much more bulky and havier.


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## rs (Sep 10, 2014)

As well as all the great advice given above, please remember the rule of shooting a shutter speed of 1/focal length is just a general guide - there are many variables that affect the outcome. For instance: 

What is the pixel density of your body, and how big do you want to reproduce the image? (A 6mp image printed at 6x4 is much less demanding of sharpness than a future ~40mp body used to produce huge wall art)
How steady are you hands?
How steady is the platform you're shooting from? (I quite often shoot sports from small motorboats, and IS is a make or break feature for that)
Is there ever going to be any wind that could catch the lens/lens hood?

In other words, situations could exist where even 1/2000th won't give you the results you want for a 200mm lens without IS - ignoring the fact that you might not be able to frame, let alone get the AF point to lock onto the subject. 

If you can guarantee you'll only ever use the lens in lab controlled conditions, you'll be fine without IS.


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## AcutancePhotography (Sep 10, 2014)

tomscott said:


> IS will not benefit fast action. It may actually blur your images by trying to stabilise it, so turn it off.



This is interesting. Could you please go a bit further in detail? This sounds like something important to understand.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 10, 2014)

AcutancePhotography said:


> tomscott said:
> 
> 
> > IS will not benefit fast action. It may actually blur your images by trying to stabilise it, so turn it off.
> ...



I did a 'quick and dirty' test of this some time back, and saw no difference with IS on vs. off for tripod shooting or above 1/FL. Results are in a series of posts starting here (scroll down for results from the 600 II testing faster than 1/FL). 

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=16494.msg304866#msg304866


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## plam_1980 (Sep 10, 2014)

Thanks everyone for the answers, that is what I needed to know

Best


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## sanj (Sep 10, 2014)

What if one day you were shooting lower shutter speeds and needed IS? I recommend you get a lens with IS. One never knows when one may need it. Meanwhile, when you do not need it, just turn it off.


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## climber (Sep 10, 2014)

And what about IS while shooting in 200 mm range handheld with shutter speeds 1/2000 and faster?


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## rs (Sep 10, 2014)

climber said:


> And what about IS while shooting in 200 mm range handheld with shutter speeds 1/2000 and faster?


In some scenarios, it's a must - as highlighted in my above post. Although in typical handheld scenarios at that length and shutter speed, it's only there to stabilise the viewfinder a touch, making composing and getting the AF points on the subject slightly easier. However, if you really prefer not to use it at such speeds, just turn it off.


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## horshack (Sep 10, 2014)

Chuck Westfall of Canon has stated in the past that IS helps for action photography by stabilizing the image that the AF sensors see.


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## Ruined (Sep 10, 2014)

Where IS really helps in action photography is long focal lengths. While IS may not be of use at 70mm, when you are at 200mm-600mm IS can come in handy as the shutter speed starts to come close to the focal length. While you might not use 1/180 for outdoors in the bright light, when it starts to get dark or if indoors you may want to use something like that and IS will be of great help when that situation occurs. Still fast enough to freeze moderately fast motion, but slow enough that you can get camera shake at long focal lengths.

If you are just doing outdoor sports at ~1/600 or faster, though, IS will be of minimal use.


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## Stephen Melvin (Sep 10, 2014)

One thing to note is that the IS versions of the two lenses (f/2.8 and f/4) are much newer than the non-IS versions, and are significantly sharper than their non-IS brothers.


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## BLFPhoto (Sep 10, 2014)

I shoot A LOT of sports action at shutter speeds well over 1/1000. I have not seen a significant issue image quality with IS on or off. The images are coming out of my camera the same way. 

The reason I often turn my IS off on my 300mm f/2.8 or 70-200mm f/2.8 is because it saves a significant amount of battery time on my 1DMkIV. With my newest battery in the camera, a recently purchased LP-E4n version, I can get about 2k shots on a charge with IS turned on. I can shoot 3-3.5k shots with IS turned off. That is significant, and often the difference between getting a whole event on one battery. I have backup batteries, but if I'm shooting in the mid-2ks for number of images, it's sure nice not to have to worry about monitoring the battery and finding breaks in the action to change it out. 

I will say that the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Mk II with the newest version of IS seems to be better on battery life than my 300mm f/2.8 which is the Mk 1 version with an earlier generation of IS. 

It may be counterintuitive, but I keep IS on for my wider angle lenses (24-105, 17-55 when I had that), when I'm shooting flash/strobe action shots, even with HSS or Hypersync. I'm often panning with the subject in the frame, waiting on the right moment to click, and it seems to be a small help in managing that small bit of camera motion.


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## Harv (Sep 10, 2014)

I'm in my 4th season of shooting motocross racing, shooting 18-20 races at 5 different tracks over the course of each season. On average, I shoot approximately 2,000 - 3,000 images per race.

I shoot almost exclusively with my 70-200 f/2.8L IS II on a 1D mark IV or 5D Mark III. I shoot primarily at high shutter speeds to freeze the image as best I can to capture the bikes coming off jumps, doing whips and scrubs and churning up rooster tails in the tight corners. Normally, these shutter speeds are anywhere between 1/2000 and 1/3200, depending on prevailing conditions, but can be as low as 1/640 and as high as 1/4000. I _NEVER_ turn off the IS and have _NEVER_ seen any negative effects.

I occasionally drop to a very low shutter speed to do panning shots when I want the subject in sharp focus and the background blurred to give the feel of speed. When I do, I set the IS to Mode 2.

In summary, the vast majority of my images turn out critically sharp and I see no reason to ever turn off the IS.


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## ecka (Sep 10, 2014)

The IS with fast SS helps getting better framing when using really long lenses. Nothing more.


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## Etienne (Sep 10, 2014)

ecka said:


> The IS with fast SS helps getting better framing when using really long lenses. Nothing more.



+1 I find the jittery frame without IS very disturbing and distracting in telephoto lenses. The IS helps a lot to see what is happening, especially if you are trying to capture a precise moment or any subtleties. The IS stabilizes the viewfinder.


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## climber (Sep 10, 2014)

Etienne said:


> ecka said:
> 
> 
> > The IS with fast SS helps getting better framing when using really long lenses. Nothing more.
> ...



To which focal lengths does that refer?


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## ecka (Sep 10, 2014)

climber said:


> Etienne said:
> 
> 
> > ecka said:
> ...



Let's say 300mm+ on FF and 200mm+ on crop


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## Etienne (Sep 10, 2014)

climber said:


> Etienne said:
> 
> 
> > ecka said:
> ...



More important on longer lenses, but I find IS helps even at 100 mm. The view floats instead of jumping around.


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## FTb-n (Sep 10, 2014)

This has been a hotly debated topic. I shoot lot's of figure skating with the 70-200 f2.8L II at shutter speeds from 1/500 - 1/1000. I've tried shooting with IS on and with it off on both a 7D and a 5D3 and cannot say that I've seen a difference either way.

Canon has claimed (or one of it's reps claimed) that IS improves the focus tracking in AI Servo. But, I've also seen interviews with top pro Canon sports shooters who claim the opposite is true. I'm guessing that this may differ with the lens and/or body.

I still tend to leave it on so it's on when I really need it. As stated previously in this thread, many times the IS helps me get a better look at my subject by stabilizing the view within the viewfinder so I feel more confident capturing the right moment.

I won't say that leaving IS on all the time will never hurt. The nice thing about this site is learning from those with different experiences and there are photographers who can see a difference. It may be unique to their body/lens combo or how they shoot. But, for me with the 70-200 II on a 7D or 5D3, I see no harm in leaving IS on.


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## Sporgon (Sep 10, 2014)

This is a strange one because it's effect with faster shutter speeds seem to be random, a little like camera shake itself.
All I can say is that with myself the anecdotal evidence suggests that when hand held my sharpest images that I have achieved with an IS lens is with the IS off. But I can never prove this through testing.


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## dcm (Sep 10, 2014)

Etienne said:


> ...
> 
> More important on longer lenses, but I find IS helps even at 100 mm. The view floats instead of jumping around.



I might extend that to shorter focal lengths when near MFD.


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