70-200 F2.8 non IS zoom

[fasteddiehawaii]

aloha!  Isn't it true that as long as I stay a little above 1/focal length on the shutter speed I really don't need the IS feature anyway?  Also, even at the nhra races we are panning the cars at the starting line during burnouts and also down the track; and the camera is on a monopod so we are not carrying the weight all day at the track.  In this situation do I really need/want the IS feature and can save a few bucks getting the non IS lens?  thanks.

[cicopo]

Your thinking is correct & that's a great lens. If your panning skills are good you should even be able to go lower than 1/FL for better background / wheel tire blur. That said having the IS version can be useful in other situations.

[fasteddiehawaii]

Mahalo (thank you) for your quick reply and confirmation.  I am not full time photographer and rarely have need for handheld low light situations and being older now almost everything in on a monopod.  I have learned to work with it so that it is quick to flip the camera; quick to zoom and focus while shooting;  and have no shake issues unless it is from the subject which I try to correct with shutter speed.  thanks again.

[Bill-Emmett]

I don't think you really IS. You may even be able to get away with just a EF 70-200 f4L USM. I'm sure your track events will either be outdoors in bright sun, or evening with lots of artificial lights. If in the evening just set your white balance to either tungsten, or halogen to remove hue. If your not going to use the lens again, just rent it. Look at KEH.com for a good price on a used lens.

[amfoto1]

Yeah, that's correct.... if you keep the shutter speed up nicely above the 1/focal length (x1.6 if using a crop camera), you can offset the need for IS. Also, higher ISO capable cameras make stabilization less necessary.

However, having used a few different IS lenses for about a dozen years, I love IS! Especially on focal lengths... say 100mm and up. It is very nice to have and can make possible some shots you simply won't get otherwise, or will really struggle to get.

For panning, the 70-200s and other lenses offer a "Mode 2" IS, that corrects for movement only on one axis (the vertical axis... and yes, it detects what orientation you are using with the camera and applies this accordingly). Mode 1 or the normal IS setting corrects for movement on two axis (axes?)... vertical or horizontal.

IS is useful on monopods and tripods, too, particularly when panning. Another benefit of the in-lens stabilization that Canon uses is that it also helps stabilize the image in the viewfinder, which can be helpful with any sort of action shooting (some other camera systems use a sensor-based form of stabilization, which has no effect on the viewfinder image).  

The 70-200s with IS self-detect if there is no movement and turn IS off, to conserve battery power and to keep IS from going into a sort of feedback loop where it's actually causing movement. The "big white" Canon tele primes also have this feature. But some other lenses don't and you need to turn off IS manually when they're solidly locked down on a tripod. Among those are the 300/4 IS, 100-400 IS, 24-105 IS, 28-135 IS... for example.

I find IS so valuable, it was one of the deciding factors when I switched to Canon over a decade ago (while still shooting ISO 50 and 100 film). Now I'd hate to be without it.

Among the four Canon 70-200s in particular, the two IS versions (one f4, the other f2.8) are considerably newer and optically superior to the "lesser" non-IS variants, too.

I use the 70-200/2.8 IS "Mark I" and 70-200/4 IS personally (probably will upgrade to the f2.8 IS Mark II some day), but all the Canon 70-200s are professional grade, real workhorse lenses.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

[fasteddiehawaii]

MAHALO  NUI LOA TO ALL (thank you very much)  for you input and guidance-much appreciated.  I think I will save the $1000 and get the non IS model.  take care.

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

There was a time when no lens had IS. We managed to make do!

But today I don't think I would buy one without it, if it were available. Providing it met my other requirements and one of them would be initial cost.