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    Question re stabilisation etc

    Hopefully a simple question;Earlier today I tried out a 70-300mm lens belonging to a friend,but it didn't have IS,therefore does the tried and trusted method of matching the shutter speed to either equal or exceed the focal length to prevent camera shake still hold true these days with non-stabilised lenses on a DSLR?Or is stabilisation essential on all but the shortest lenses?

    #2
    Re: Question re stabilisation etc

    The tried and trusted method you make reference too still stands good with a modern DSLR camera


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    Peter

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      #3
      Re: Question re stabilisation etc

      Thanks Peter,that's good to know.

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        #4
        Re: Question re stabilisation etc

        Oh,if you check my riverside thread again in Landscapes,I've straightened both images,including the one of the river scene you referred to..

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          #5
          Re: Question re stabilisation etc

          Stabilisation is far from essential, many prime lenses don't have it.
          It's a subject that has been much debated, but I have been convinced by the argument that when using an APS-C camera, you should use the full frame equivalent e.g for a 50 mm lens, you should use a shutter speed of at least 1/80. Other people have made the opposite argument but I've never been convinced.
          However, people vary and good technique is important. I could never hold any telephoto steady until I forced myself to consider my stance every time, "like you are firing a rifle" seems to sum it up well. Otherwise I naturally tend to stand with my feet together, pretty useless for a steady stance.
          EOS 6D, 6D Mk II, 80D, 70D, 100D, 200D, M50, M100. Canon 10-18, 18 - 55, 55 - 250 IS STM lenses, Canon 16 - 35 mm F4L, 35 mm EF-S macro, 50 mm F1.8 STM, 60 mm EF-S macro, MPE-65 macro, 85 mm F1.8, 200 mm F2.8 L II, M 15 - 45 mm, M 22mm F2, M 32mm F1.4. Sigma 24 - 35 F2 Art, 135 mm F1.8 Art, 17 - 50 F2.8 DC, 105 mm OS macro, 100 - 400 C, 150 - 600 C.

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            #6
            Re: Question re stabilisation etc

            Thanks Richard,having fired quite a few weapons-not military but at a gun club in the mid 1990s-your analogy regarding the stance is one I can relate to,it always works fine for me,especially with a longer lens.

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              #7
              Re: Question re stabilisation etc

              Originally posted by The Nighthawk View Post
              Thanks Richard,having fired quite a few weapons-not military but at a gun club in the mid 1990s-your analogy regarding the stance is one I can relate to,it always works fine for me,especially with a longer lens.
              I find that coupling the stance with the traditional trigger release technique helps too, inhale, hold breifly, exhale slowly and release withing 5 seconds or restart the cycle...
              Nigel

              You may know me from Another Place....

              The new ElSid Photogallery...

              Equipment: Far too much to list - including lots of Nikon...

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                #8
                Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                That's good advice thanks Nigel

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                  #9
                  Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                  It’s interesting to see what Canon do with lenses like this. Put the camera in Programme mode with a lens like the 70-300mm and what what it does as you zoom. IIRC from my wife’s 18-200mm it goes for the 1/focal length rule.

                  With my Sigma I tend to use 1/400 as a minimum and allow the image stabilisation to help avoid shake - shooting small birds means that’s almost the minimum you can get away with - but if the light is good I’ll push up to 1/640 as a standard for static targets. For BIF it’s 1/1600 upwards at which point camera shake stops being a consideration.

                  If you can face it, because I know he’s not everyone’s cuppa, Tony Northrop has done some good tutorial stuff and one is on IS and shutter speeds. His view is that a couple of changes have meant the 1/FL rule is obsolete - massive pixel counts in sensors and image stabilisation. The former pushes to higher shutter speeds to avoid shake, the latter to lower as it’s not necessary. Best thing to do is to experiment with what you can get away with, bearing in mind the focal length rule is only one part of the consideration - the subject matter can also heavily influence your choices.
                  EOS 7D mk II, Sigma 150-660C, Canon 17-85 EF-S, Tamron 10-24 and a wife who shares my obsession.

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                    #10
                    Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                    Thanks Andy,that's very helpful.The lens I was using was a Tamron

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                      #11
                      Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                      A Tamron 70 - 300 lens without IS must be a pretty old model, most modern zoom lenses are much better than the old ones.

                      When cameras are subject to stringent independent tests, IS rarely reaches the level stated by the manufacturer, usually 3 stops is the maximum for complete reliability for those that claim to give 4 stops of stabilisation.

                      Most of the subjects I photograph are often not perfectly still and so I tend to use a shutter speed to stop motion, and I don't mean "action shots" For example this week has been very breezy, even leaves flapping about in the wind need a reasonably fast shutter speed to freeze them. IS is therefore often irrelevant as the required shutter speed is already high enough to counter any shake.
                      EOS 6D, 6D Mk II, 80D, 70D, 100D, 200D, M50, M100. Canon 10-18, 18 - 55, 55 - 250 IS STM lenses, Canon 16 - 35 mm F4L, 35 mm EF-S macro, 50 mm F1.8 STM, 60 mm EF-S macro, MPE-65 macro, 85 mm F1.8, 200 mm F2.8 L II, M 15 - 45 mm, M 22mm F2, M 32mm F1.4. Sigma 24 - 35 F2 Art, 135 mm F1.8 Art, 17 - 50 F2.8 DC, 105 mm OS macro, 100 - 400 C, 150 - 600 C.

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                        #12
                        Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                        Thanks Richard,more great info.My current lenses serve me well,I did notice that the Tamron was hunting for focus a few times,which wouldn't normally suit me.

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                          #13
                          Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                          I.s is a tool you still need to take ALL factors into account I.e my new rig gives me 5 way I.s four in camera one in lens ,but on my recent visit to bempton in good light I still needed a higher shutter speed than I thought on a lot of occasions ,shots which looked sharp on camera were soft ish on computer ,looking through exif data it was mainly the ultra reach shots equ to 800mm full frame that had suffered ,lesson learned you still need a tripod and gimble with long reach lenses .these days there are lots of other factors to take into consideration focus speed ,focus points ,etc etc

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                            #14
                            Re: Question re stabilisation etc

                            Thanks fox,I can't envisage a time when I'll be using really long reach lenses unless I hire one for a special occasion,but your advice will come in handy if I do.

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