Is image stabilization worth it on a 70-200mm f/2.8 for basketball and volleyball?
Asked 4/26/2015
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I shoot basketball and volleyball on a Canon 7D, usually around 1/320 second or faster, sometimes in poor gym lighting. I currently use a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 without image stabilization and generally do not have many problems. Would switching to a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS give a meaningful advantage for indoor sports, or is stabilization not very useful at these shutter speeds?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
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Depending on which of the two or three non-stabilized versions of the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 you have, I would be surprised if you gained much of anything at all by going to the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS. It is a 2001 design that is a very good lens for its time but is showing its age when compared to more recent offerings. You don't really gain anything from IS when shooting at or above 1/200 second if you are practicing good camera handling technique.
On the other hand, if you are considering the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II released in 2010, you will gain quite a bit in terms of optical performance with that lens compared to the non-stabilized Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 offerings. When released in 2010 it was considered the best zoom lens in the world (The more recent EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II now seems to get a nod as the "best" zoom lens). Unlike most zooms that have stronger and weaker focal length ranges, it performs well at all focal length and aperture combinations from 70mm to 200mm and from wide open at f/2.8 all the way to minimum aperture. In many cases it gets very close and sometimes equals the performance of many of Canon's prime lenses when shot at the same focal lengths and apertures.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
11y ago
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For basketball and volleyball at around 1/320s or faster, image stabilization usually offers little benefit. IS helps reduce camera shake, but it does not freeze subject motion, which is the bigger issue in indoor sports. At these shutter speeds, good handholding technique is typically enough.
The main reason to consider the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS would not be stabilization itself, but lens quality—especially if you mean the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. That version is a newer optical design and is generally regarded as sharper than older non-IS alternatives and many Sigma non-IS versions. The older Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (original version) is less compelling by comparison.
So: if your question is strictly about IS for indoor sports, probably no. If you are considering the newer Canon IS II version for its overall optical performance as well, then there can be a meaningful upgrade beyond stabilization.
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