Should image stabilization be turned off for long exposures on a tripod?
Asked 1/29/2011
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I shoot very long night exposures (often 10+ minutes) on a Canon SX210 IS using a tripod. I've read that optical/mechanical image stabilization should be turned off for tripod-mounted shots, but I'm not sure why. If the camera is already steady, can leaving IS on cause blur or unwanted movement, or do some cameras detect tripod use automatically?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
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On older IS lenses, the recommendation was to turn it off. On newer IS lenses, the IS can detect it's on a tripod and resolve the shake problem that can happen when the IS gyros feed back on themselves, but it takes some time for this recognition to happen, so I still prefer to just turn it off. But according to Canon, it's not strictly necessary any more. But probably a good idea...
(reference: http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/image_stabilization_lenses.do)
Originally by user705. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user705
15y ago
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Usually, yes—turn image stabilization off when the camera is firmly on a tripod for long exposures.
Why: IS is designed to correct hand shake. When there’s no real movement, some systems can “hunt” or react to tiny internal signals, which may introduce blur rather than reduce it. Older systems were more prone to this. Some newer Canon IS systems can detect tripod use and reduce or disable stabilization automatically, so it may not be strictly necessary on all cameras.
For a small camera like the Canon SX210 IS, IS is unlikely to help on a solid tripod unless the tripod itself is on a vibrating surface. Leaving it on may provide no benefit and could potentially add vibration or false corrections.
Best practice: if the camera is stable, switch IS off for tripod long exposures. If you want to be sure with your specific camera, test the same scene with IS on and off, then compare the images at 100% on a computer.
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