I have had the pleasant opportunity to shoot for the last few days with a friend who shoots semi-professionally with Canon equipment. My friend has the new 500f4/L IS lens, and I noticed she does not use the IS function very much. My primary lens is the 300f4/L IS lens, and I almost never use the lens without the IS functin turned on. when I asked her, she said the image floats in the frame and bothers her, so she does not use it much. I used it today, and to my surprise, the image did float slightly in the frame, as if it were slippery.(this is the only way I can think to descdribe the appearance of the 'float') The image would slide around slightly without any noticable consistant direction. I would like to purchase one of these lenses, and am VERY concerned about this problem. Has anyone experienced this or heard of this problem?

-- Rob Pailes (robpailes@santiva-images.com), December 06, 1999

Answers

Are you using the IS while on a tripod?

-- Scott (bliorg@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.

yes, the IS was being used on a tripod. The new IS lenses are meant to be used on a tripod with the IS function turned on, unlike the earlier versions, which if on a tripod the IS function is not to be turned on.

-- Rob Pailes (rpailes@peganet.com), December 07, 1999.

I thought that was the way they were supposed to work. My 28-135 seems to do this with IS turned on. (hand held of course) How else will the image be stabilized? Doesn't the 300 f:4 IS do this, or is the effect just less with the shorter lens

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), December 08, 1999.

Jim, when I use my 300f4 IS with the IS turned on, handheld, the image locks in place and totally stabilizes. There is no movement at all once the stabilizer kicks in. I guess I just expected this to be the case with all the IS lenses. I would think that if the image moves AT ALL in the viewfinder, then this would also be recorded on film, since what we see in the viewfinder is just a mirrored (sp) image of what will be recorded on the film when the shutter is released.

-- Rob Pailes (rpailes@peganet.com), December 08, 1999.

The reason I asked about tripod use was that there was always conflicting infromation about new IS use on tripods. Canon's product info mentioned use with a monopod, but not tripod. elsewhere on the same site, they state, "Even more impressive, the IS is now fully functional even when using a solid tripod, correcting the effects of mirror slap and shake in the critical 1/30th - 1/2 second range." So, there was always question about how effective IS would be with tripod use. Maybe contact Canon and see if there's a problem with your sample, or if this is what it's s'posed to be doing?

-- Scott (bliorg@yahoo.com), December 08, 1999.

I found an article in one of the EOS magazines issue 14ish, although this did refer to the 75-300 consumer lens, that states something like "do not us IS on a tripod as this will confuse the IS system and make it oscillate.

From the UK, not sure of your country, if you call Canon on 0990143723 they are very helpful.

-- wayne walker (waynewalker@xoommail.com), December 08, 1999.

I found the article now, as follows:-

EOS Magazine, Issue 11 page 346

"WHEN NOT TO USE IS

Image Stabilization should not be used when the camera is mounted on a tripod. As well as being unnecessary, it can confuse the system and cause it to shake continuously."

-- wayne walker (waynewalker@xoommail.com), December 08, 1999.

As pointed out above (but clearly needs repeating) the new IS telephotos (300/2.8, 400/2.8, 500/4 and 600/4) are designed so that IS can be used when the lens is mounted on a tripod. The older 75-300 IS was not.

Since I have not yet used one of the new IS telephotos, I can't comment on the "floating image" problem.

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), December 08, 1999.

Arthur Morris is logging up the miles with these newest IS lenses, so you might try e-mailing or calling him for his input.

-- kurt heintzelman (heintzelman.1@osu.edu), December 09, 1999.

Have not used one myself yet (waiting for a 300mm f2.8)....BUT....... I would assume that the amount of IS correction (and consequent 'image float') will be proportional to the amount of user-induced shake. As a 500mm will magnify a shaky hand far more than a 300mm, does it not follow that the images from the former will exhibit a more 'active' image as the IS function tries harder to compensate?

-- (John.MacPherson@btinternet.com), December 11, 1999.

I have been using the 500f4/L IS for three months and I never switch off the IS. The performance has been fantastic--shooting with the doubler off an undersized tripod (Bogen 3221) and car window mount (Rue Groofwin Pod). I hold my face tight to the eyecup, right hand on the camera grip and left hand above the tripod mount. The one time I tried to go "hands off" with a cable release, however, I did experience "floating" and it freaked me out. But I had forgotten about it until now. I'll check further to find out what's going on. I suspect that the IS system needs to detect some kind of movement in order to work properly.

-- Peter LaTourrette (peter@birdphotography.com), December 12, 1999.