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Do I want to have VR feature ON the whole time?
- Thread starter Gloor
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I'd personally keep it on all the time.
The only time you'd really want to turn it off is when using the camera on a tripod.
The only time you'd really want to turn it off is when using the camera on a tripod.
I have VR (VC) on my 28-300 Tamron that I use as a general purpose lens. I leave it on all the time, even with my tripod. I'm the type that would turn it off and forget to turn it back on again. There's no viewfinder warning for that.
Dale
Dale
Keep in mind that having it on drains your battery faster. Shoot at relatively fast shutter speeds, and you won't need it. As focal length increases, the recommended minimum shutter speed increases (the rule of thumb is to take the reciprocal of the focal length, for example 1/50 s for 50mm). So, if you're shooting wide (say, 18mm), you're less likely to need it, but if you're shooting long (say, 300mm), you'll need it more often.
It shouldn't hurt to have it on, as newer IS/VR/etc lenses will compensate automatically for the minimal shake resulting from a tripod mount. However, being able to know when it is needed and when it isn't promotes being mindful of your camera settings in general, which never hurts.
It shouldn't hurt to have it on, as newer IS/VR/etc lenses will compensate automatically for the minimal shake resulting from a tripod mount. However, being able to know when it is needed and when it isn't promotes being mindful of your camera settings in general, which never hurts.
I always do that!
You don't notice the lack of SR icon in the viewfinder? It did take me a while to get used to waiting for the icon to show up before pushing the trigger.
One more than you think
Interesting, I always assumed the "on" switch means, well, on (I tend to ignore all those little warning lights
). So I dusted off the manual...it warns it won't work within 2 seconds of starting up the camera, then buried a bit below it states to wait for the icon when you half press (less obviously - it doesn't actually warn you it won't work ). Which led me onto a google search..."Performance capabilities such as auto-focus speed, shutter lag time and continuous shooting rate are unaffected by the SR system because its operation is instantaneous, occurring within the normal exposure interval." - from the Pentax SR pdf.
Thanks for pointing this out
Thankfully most shots where I needed to keep the camera still involved me half pressing anyway for that short moment (to reduce physical shake) anyway.I am going to test this though, the way it is worded isn't entirely convincing (for me )
, it reminds me where they say not to use NIMHs in your AA Pentax dSLR when they work fine.I also didn't know 2 second timer disables SR automatically - useful.
Oh the benefits of reading the manual
Interesting, I always assumed the "on" switch means, well, on (I tend to ignore all those little warning lights
"Performance capabilities such as auto-focus speed, shutter lag time and continuous shooting rate are unaffected by the SR system because its operation is instantaneous, occurring within the normal exposure interval." - from the Pentax SR pdf.
Thanks for pointing this out
I am going to test this though, the way it is worded isn't entirely convincing (for me )
I also didn't know 2 second timer disables SR automatically - useful.
Oh the benefits of reading the manual
I always took the icon to mean that it "caught on" with the SR (like it needs a sec or two after it turned on to stabilize). I do a lot of low light hand holdable photography so I tend to wait for the icon to show up. Which is not a problem, I just half-press the shutter to get the meter working (using mostly manual focusing) and at that time the SR also kicks in. By the time I've composed the SR is usually on ...
Another thing that the 2 second timer does is flip the mirror down. Because of that I always use 2 sec timer on a tripod. 2 sec timer seems kind of made for tripod use.
Yeah, flipping through the manual after you've been using the camera for a few months is almost more useful than when you first got the camera