Does RF 100-500 shut down IS when it's mounted on a tripod?

[RomanPaulov]

Hi everybody!

I switched recently from Canon EF 70-300 IS USM II to RF 100-500 L and noticed that when mounted on a tripod my 100-500 unit (looks like) shuts down IS. Just want to know... is it something wrong with my unit or is it just a normal behavior?

I film videos in zoos. My camera stays on a tripod with a ball head.

Usually I pan my camera (R6) tracking an animal (holding it by a grip), when an animal stops I just point my camera on it (my hand is on the camera, holding it lightly because the ball head isn't locked). When an animal starts moving I start panning.

I noticed that when I keep my camera still (with my hand on the grip), I start seeing all these tiny vibrations caused by my hand. Which wasn't the case with EF 70-300.

I tested both lenses at home.

I put them on a tripod. I hit record button, waited for 15 seconds, and then knock the camera lightly with my finger (reeeeally lightly). With 100-500 (on 300mm) I saw these vibrations on a screen. With 70-300 (on 300mm) a image was super steady.

I did another test. I hit record button, pan the camera from right to left, quickly locked the ball head and lightly knock the camera with my finger (reeeeally lightly). Both lenses gave a steady image.

So it looks like 100-500 somehow detects that it's on a tripod and turns IS off after 10 seconds. It makes sense for power saving I suppose, but it makes really hard to film videos with this lens mounted on a ball head 

Here's a video to illustrate the problem https://youtu.be/kpjiKrppdyg

Does anyone seeing this or it's something wrong with my unit?

[RomanPaulov]

I'll try it!

I tested it another way though. I just pressed any button and this action leads to a small earthquake in my video on 500mm 🙂

I tried to do the same with my 70-300 IS USM II and video was pretty stable.

Also I tried to complete the same test with 100-500 a bit differently. Before pressing a button I moved the lens chaotically sideways and then locked a head and pressed a button — stable image. 10 sec later pressed a button again — earthquake.

[Waddizzle]

Careful.  You’re beginning to cross into comparing apples to oranges on multiple fronts.  

One, only L series lenses would seem to disable IS with certain DSLR camera bodies.  And, it would only happen with “Great White” primes and 1D series camera bodies.  The feature was not available with non-L series lenses.

Two, when you are using a R Series body you cannot directly compare behavior with EF lenses to behavior with RF lenses.  The IS in the two series of lenses seem to have very different design goals and strategy.  EF lenses do not know anything about a camera body having IBIS, while RF lenses seem to be prepared for that scenario.

Lenses do not have much in the way of internal smarts, except for the “Great White” primes.  The behavior to disable the IS when using a tripod is built into the camera body firmware, not the lens.  If the behavior originated in the lens, then any camera body would exhibit the behavior, which is not the case.

[RomanPaulov]

Hmm... Sounds logical.

One thing which bother me. If a R6 body detects a tripod and disables all IS systems (lens, body, digital stab.) why an icon on a screes says «IS is ON»?

It says OFF only if I switch IS off on a lens. If I designed UI I'd make a special icon for this scenario (smth like IS is turned ON but it was automatically turned OFF). They could make it grey or smth. But it's white and is says ON when IS is definitely OFF.

[Waddizzle]

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@RomanPaulov wrote:

Hmm... Sounds logical.

One thing which bother me. If a R6 body detects a tripod and disables all IS systems (lens, body, digital stab.) why an icon on a screes says «IS is ON»?

It says OFF only if I switch IS off on a lens. If I designed UI I'd make a special icon for this scenario (smth like IS is turned ON but it was automatically turned OFF). They could make it grey or smth. But it's white and is says ON when IS is definitely OFF.

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That behavior is what is in one of the notes I posted.  When a lens with IS is detected, then the internal menu setting is disabled or removed from the menus.  The lens switch overrides the menu settings.

What shooting mode are you using?  When and where do you see the “IS” is on icon?  Shooting video?

[RomanPaulov]

I've been outside of cell coverage for some time...

I've made a video to illustrate the problem https://youtu.be/kpjiKrppdyg

By „IS“ icon I mean a small icon (a small hand with plus sign) on a screen in the upper left corner.

[Waddizzle]

The IS Mode switch on the lens is probably intertwined in this, too. 

[RomanPaulov]

Probably... 

I noticed that in 1 and 2 mode it acts the same.

In mode 3 I can keep IS running by half-pressing shutter release button. But it's a nightmare cause it's impossible to focusing and panning at the same time 🙂

[Tronhard]

Please forgive my late contribution, as I said early on, I have both the R5 and R6, and the RF100-500.  There are four versions of the EF70-300 spanning about 12 years and they vary in their behaviour on a tripod.  I have shot a bit with both bodies using the RF100-500 and my experience is that, when used together, the RF 100-500 and body will sense that the camera is on a tripod and turn off all IS.  That is becoming more of a feature of modern systems. 

My Fuji X-T4, which has IBIS, used with the Tamron 18-300 which is designed for that unit, has OIS: so much like the Canon combo and both will sense the presence of a tripod and turn off - the Tamron doesn't even have a switch option!

[RomanPaulov]

Thank you for a such valuable information!

I'm thinking to move to R5 or R5C and I was curious if R5 has the same behavior with 100-500.

I contacted Canon SPC to confirm that it's a feature and not a bug.

I have no reasonable explanation why engineers created this tripod-detection mechanism when IS on-off switch exists. It makes so hard to film videos using this lens. Maybe I miss something...

[Tronhard]

THere is one thing you could try that I have not, because I am a stills photographer.  That is to set the lens OS to mode 2- that is to allow movement horizontally but not vertically.  Assumedly you want to be able to stay on the same plane and move around on that, but if you bump the mounted unit, you want IS to compensate the vertical movement.