Would you buy a lens without IS?

[inkjunkie]

Really considering buying a 5d Mark IV or a 6D Mark II. I recently purchased a T7i, with the EFS 18-135mm lens. It is a fantastic camera. I also purchased the 70-200 f/2.8 lense.....absolutley incredible photos. Please don't ask why I am considering this, the answer is very long winded...but to sum it up I am bi-polar and in "the mood to spend"....

Anyways, been spending some time looking at "shorter" EF mount lenses. Have been thinking about

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/lenses/ef/standard-zoom/ef-24-70m...

The thing that bothers me is no IS. I have been using my EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 with the IS turned off. In looking at the RAW images in LIghtroom they look pretty sharp to me but......

So what say you fine folks? Would you purchase a lens without IS?

Those of you with Full Frame bodies...what lens is your "go to" as far as landscape, walk around general use? One of the things I will be doing is taking photos at the local dragstrip next season. One of the things I like to do is show up early and take shots of people unloading their cars, driving thru the pits to warm up them up etc. I am thinking that the 70-200 may be a bit "long" for this as I am often only a few feet from the cars/people.

Appreciate any and all input...

[photopro]

i would only buy if its a short focal length and fast like the 50 1.4 i have.  Any Canon zoom in the L series all have IS i think.  i have read numerous opinions as to whether IS helps in high speed situations, example basketball.  In theory IS should help if infinitessamonesly (terrible spelling!) .  finite focusing speed, etc.  probably not enough to measure.  Thta being said i never take my lenses off IS even when on a tripod.  The battery life in the 6D and i imagine in all Canons latest cameras lasts a long time.  I havent gotten a chance to use mode 2 for panning on my 70-200 f4 yet.

And there are some L mid focal length zooms that do not have IS but are excellent lenses.  so yes i would unless an IS version is available, and i only buy L lenses (except 100mm macro)

[Waddizzle]

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@photopro wrote:

i would only buy if its a short focal length and fast like the 50 1.4 i have.  Any Canon zoom in the L series all have IS i think.  i have read numerous opinions as to whether IS helps in high speed situations, example basketball.  In theory IS should help if infinitessamonesly (terrible spelling!) .  finite focusing speed, etc.  probably not enough to measure.  Thta being said i never take my lenses off IS even when on a tripod.  The battery life in the 6D and i imagine in all Canons latest cameras lasts a long time.  I havent gotten a chance to use mode 2 for panning on my 70-200 f4 yet.

And there are some L mid focal length zooms that do not have IS but are excellent lenses.  so yes i would unless an IS version is available, and i only buy L lenses (except 100mm macro)

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At very high shutter speeds, and AI Servo focus tracking, you just might be better off disabling IS.  Ditto for a tripod.  The Image Stabilization makes certain assumptions about the state of the camera's movement.  It assumes that the camera is always wobbling, which is not the case on a tripod.  I disable it for extended exposures at night.

As for batter life, I use a battery grip on a 6D, and I frequently disable IS.  I also disable the preview after every shot.  I can easily take over 2000 shots in a single day, and still have plenty of battery power for nearly a 1000 more the next day.  

[inkjunkie]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@photopro wrote:

i would only buy if its a short focal length and fast like the 50 1.4 i have.  Any Canon zoom in the L series all have IS i think.  i have read numerous opinions as to whether IS helps in high speed situations, example basketball.  In theory IS should help if infinitessamonesly (terrible spelling!) .  finite focusing speed, etc.  probably not enough to measure.  Thta being said i never take my lenses off IS even when on a tripod.  The battery life in the 6D and i imagine in all Canons latest cameras lasts a long time.  I havent gotten a chance to use mode 2 for panning on my 70-200 f4 yet.

And there are some L mid focal length zooms that do not have IS but are excellent lenses.  so yes i would unless an IS version is available, and i only buy L lenses (except 100mm macro)

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At very high shutter speeds, and AI Servo focus tracking, you just might be better off disabling IS.  Ditto for a tripod.  The Image Stabilization makes certain assumptions about the state of the camera's movement.  It assumes that the camera is always wobbling, which is not the case on a tripod.  I disable it for extended exposures at night.

As for batter life, I use a battery grip on a 6D, and I frequently disable IS.  I also disable the preview after every shot.  I can easily take over 2000 shots in a single day, and still have plenty of battery power for nearly a 1000 more the next day.  

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The one thing that disappointed me when I first purchased the T7i was the battery life. Granted, I was shooting a mix of media, mostly photgraphs but I was shooting video as well. The thing just ate thru the batteries.

Since I started this thread I have been shooting with the IS turned off, just to see if my hands are steady enough. I understand that in high light situations with a the aperture set to f/2.8 that the shutter speed will probably be quick enough that camera shake may not be noticable. But we had a very over cast, rainy & foggy day today. I went to town to pick up several blocks of cheese for my OTHER hobby, smoking cheese. I took several shots of whatever was around..literally. The images were very sharp.

I appreicate all of your thoughts and input. I am on the fence on which lense to buy, the 24-70 Sigma f/2.8 or the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L...

[ebiggs1]

"... the 24-70 Sigma f/2.8 or the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L..."

If you have the coins, there is no choice between these two.  It is a decision between do you want the best or not.

[Waddizzle]

“The images were very sharp.”

With a fast shutter speed, assuming you got proper focus, they should be.  Unless you are looking for motion blur, then the faster the better.

As a general rule, you want a minimum shutter speed equal to 1/FL, where FL is equal to your focal length.  With an APS-C image sensor, you need to multiply FL times 1.6.  I just go with doubling the FL, to keep it simple.

Furthermore, that is a minimum shutter speed.  I typically try to use at least twice that with a long lens.  So, do not be afraid to push your ISO to the limit that you judge as unacceptable.  As long as I am not doing a closeup, high ISO noise is far less noticeable.