image stabilization 500mm f4 IS II

[madencbm]

How do I tell if IS is working on my 500mm f4 IS II.  I cannot hear any sound from the lens when IS is turned on.  I have tried using live view while hand holding to see if image stabilizes shaking but nothing happens.

Thanks in advance.

[diverhank]

IS is only activated briefly just before the picture is taken - in another word when the shutter is half-depressed.  You should hear the whine even though for the 500 II, it would be pretty quiet for Mode 1 and 2.  I doubt if you will see a picture shift because it will be very subtle - the lens had this feature improved so you won't see it as much.

Not sure you will even hear Mode 3 which is supposed to activate only when the exposure is made (shutter fully depressed).

[madencbm]

Thanks.  I finally put my ear right up to the lens and could just barely hear IS sound.

[kvbarkley]

Actually with a 500 mm lens it is very obvious when IS is working, just focus on something, note the amount of shake in the image and then press the shutter half way, it should snap in and obviously stop shaking.

[RobertTheFat]

---

@kvbarkley wrote:

Actually with a 500 mm lens it is very obvious when IS is working, just focus on something, note the amount of shake in the image and then press the shutter half way, it should snap in and obviously stop shaking.

---

Which illustrates the advantage, in a DSLR at least, of in-lens over in-camera IS. With the latter, the correction would be applied at the sensir and would not affect the image presented in the viewfinder.

[ebiggs1]

"How do I tell if IS is working on my 500mm f4 IS II."

This is a lens I don't own and have only rented.  But each one was extremely quite and it is difficult to hear the IS. I never noticed any movement in the view finder either.  This is a wonderful lens.

[madencbm]

I can hear IS but there is definitely no 'snap in and stop shaking' effect.  There seems to be two camps with one saying I should see shaking stop and the other says it may not be noticable at all.  Maybe this was true for the 500mm version I and not lomger true for version II?  I need to clear this up so I can be sure IS is working. 

[kvbarkley]

As stated above: Make sure you are in Mode 1. Mode 3 only works when you take the picture.

[Waddizzle]

---

@madencbm wrote:

I can hear IS but there is definitely no 'snap in and stop shaking' effect.  There seems to be two camps with one saying I should see shaking stop and the other says it may not be noticable at all.  Maybe this was true for the 500mm version I and not lomger true for version II?  I need to clear this up so I can be sure IS is working. 

---

Try turning it off for a spell, and take some handheld pictures.  Then turn it back on, take some more similar pictures.  Compare. 

[diverhank]

---

@madencbm wrote:

I can hear IS but there is definitely no 'snap in and stop shaking' effect.  There seems to be two camps with one saying I should see shaking stop and the other says it may not be noticable at all.  Maybe this was true for the 500mm version I and not lomger true for version II?  I need to clear this up so I can be sure IS is working. 

---

You can never see shake and stop on Canon L lenses IS...if you can see it, something is wrong.  The most you will hear is the motor whining very gently.  I have a Tamron 150-600mm and the VC (their version of IS) when activated you will see big jump as kvbarkley described but I never see that in any of my Canon L lenses that have IS.  The Tamron VC is not in the same league as the Canon IS especially for moving objects. I turn off VC on that lens 99% of the time.

I know you want to find out if the IS on your lens is working or not...we all do for our lenses :).  Since the 500mm f/4L II is totally handholdable, I'd try taking pictures of something at low speed like 1/100 or 1/200 (or some lower speed depending on how good you are with not shaking)  with and without IS and compare the images.  You should see a big difference between the two.