FS7: A seemingly silly question about turning IS on/off

[moldcad]

With my 2 Canon EF lenses on Speed Booster, it's easy: I can use the IS switch on the lens, and forget about the camera menu setting. However, with the kit 28-135mm lens, it's not that obvious: the lens does have the OIS switch as well, but I'm not sure whether it works both ways on its own, or in unisono with the menu setting...

Checking whether the IS is on on the kit lens by listening to the noise inside the lens is difficult too, as the noise - though present when IS is on - is sooo much less pronounced than on the Canons. So, my questions is:

- with the kit lens, when I need to be 100% sure OIS is turned on (or off) - do I also need to set it in the camera menu, or is using the lens switch enough just like on the Canon EFs?

Piotr

PS. This is important, becasue if the physical switch is enough I''d have one User Button free for turning scopes, or High/Low key...

 

[mattjeh]

Is it not possible to do a quick by eye test? Zoom in and turn off and on, it's usually easy to see when it's active or not.

 

[moldcad]

It's possible, yet knowing for sure that the switch on lens does it all would be much more convenient...

 

[Alan Dater]

I'm not sure that the OIS on my 28-135 is ever on. I can never see any reduction in shake/movement with it switched on both on the lens and internally with the menu. Anybody else see any reduction in shake?
alan

 

[moldcad]

Anybody else see any reduction in shake?

I can see some shake reduction at full tele, but hardly - and it's inconvenient to double-check each time I take the camera off the tripod... Hence the original question! Doug would know, but he will never answer my question again, hahaha...

Piotr

 

[morgan_moore]

The easy way to see IS status is to do a sharp pan of the camera, the delayed start with stabilisation on should be obvious.

S

 

[moldcad]

Yeah... Suppose I forgot to do it, grabbed the camera from the tripod and put it on my shoulder to start shooting some close-ups at tele... I'd like to have my IS at the reach of my hand, where the switch is on the lens.

Nobody knows?!!

 

[jasonbrooks]

First off - I admit I've never even touched the 28-135.

Seems to me that if there's no way of knowing empirically that the IS is either on or off (i.e. by switching it and seeing if it's active or not), then what does it matter wether it's IS in fact on or off?!? Surely it must be noticeably more stable at 135 when ON, no? If not, then that's pretty pointless IS in my book.

Sounds silly perhaps, but it makes sense ... No?

No offence meant to anyone!

jason

 

[Bern Caughey]

My 28-135mm's OSS switch doesn't work so I need to dig into the camera's menus to turn OSS ON/OFF.

Believe it's an issue with some FS7(s), but not all.

 

[broughtonfilm]

Isn't there an IS conformation icon on the display?

 

[moldcad]

First off - I admit I've never even touched the 28-135.

Seems to me that if there's no way of knowing empirically that the IS is either on or off (i.e. by switching it and seeing if it's active or not), then what does it matter wether it's IS in fact on or off?!? Surely it must be noticeably more stable at 135 when ON, no? If not, then that's pretty pointless IS in my book.

Sounds silly perhaps, but it makes sense ... No?

No offence meant to anyone!

jason

Jason - your remark sounds reasonable, and of course no offense taken - but let me repeat:

1. IS on the 28-135 DOES work, but is very subtle indeed
2. I stated the reason for my "silly" little question: when in a sudden need to take the camera from the tripod (where the IS was OFF) and use it hand-held to follow some action while using tele - I have no time for digging into menu, shake the camera to check for lag in the EVF, etc. I would like to be 100% certain that by switching it on the lens, I will indeed turn the IS on.

Isn't there an IS conformation icon on the display?

Yes there is - but it's very inconsistent and thus cannot be trusted (sometimes it shows IS off while it's on actually, or vice versa).

Any one else, please?

Piotr

 

[JPNola]

If the IS on my Sony 28-135mm or my Canon 24-70mm is operable, I've never noticed it.

Now, the IS on my Sony 18-105mm? That I notice. It is pretty damn remarkable. A full telephoto shot looks damn near like a tripod shot on that lens when I am at my steady-best. Really bummed that the rumor of a Cine version of the Sony 18-105mm appears to be false. That little guy has so many good attributes to go with its many flaws.

 

[moldcad]

If the IS on my Sony 28-135mm or my Canon 24-70mm is operable, I've never noticed it.

My experience is totally different. My two Canons on Speed Booster (the 16-35mm wide zoom and the 24-70mm standard zoom) both have excellent and easily noticeable image stabilization. As to my kit 28-135mm kit lens, its IS is indeed very subtle - but definitely also noticeable with long focal lengths. I'd hate to have it off when I need to operate my FS7 with the kit lens shoulder-mounted, as my rather shaky hands (after neck spine surgeries) would definitely render any such shot (specifically at telephoto) unusable. And since the in-camera IS setting (which only exists in the menu in case a lens without a physical IS on/off switch on the barrel) is redundant with a lens featuring such an own switch, I find it very confusing in the case of the kit 28-135mm lens as I'm never 100% positive whether the IS is on or off actually, until I zoom all the way in and check, observing its behavior in the EVF - which often takes too long and causes those precious moments to be gone before I can start shooting being 100% certain I'm having the IS operational... And this exactly has been the reason for setting up this very thread with a question nobody has answered positively so far

Piotr

And the last statement

 

[Mark Watson]

The switch on my kit 28-135mm doesn't do anything. The icon shows whether it's on or off, and is accurate on my camera. Easy to test. Just jiggle the camera and see if it's stabilizing or not.

 

[moldcad]

The switch on my kit 28-135mm doesn't do anything. The icon shows whether it's on or off, and is accurate on my camera. Easy to test. Just jiggle the camera and see if it's stabilizing or not.

Are you 100% positive that - when you turn IS on in the camera menu - it's always on regardless on the physical switch position on the 28-135mm kit lens itself? I' not; just turn the switch to the "OFF" position; as long as you don't switch camera off, it will probably do nothing (of that I'm not 100% sure either - but let's assume it), but after camera powering cycle your image stabilization will be off even though you didn't switch it off in the camera menu...

Piotr

 

[Alan Dater]

Having never seen any stabilization from my 28-135 I cleaned the contacts on the lens and the camera. Suddenly I now have IS, but it is kind of wonky. Do a slow pan and stop the pan, the image seems to float past the end point and then slowly move in the other direction and come to rest where I stopped the pan. Is this normal? The switch on the lens does not turn IS off, only the menu. Not sure how useful IS i going to be?
Alan

 

[Mark Watson]

Are you 100% positive that - when you turn IS on in the camera menu - it's always on regardless on the physical switch position on the 28-135mm kit lens itself? I' not; just turn the switch to the "OFF" position; as long as you don't switch camera off, it will probably do nothing (of that I'm not 100% sure either - but let's assume it), but after camera powering cycle your image stabilization will be off even though you didn't switch it off in the camera menu...

Piotr

Turning the camera off and on has no effect on IS; whatever it was when I turn off the camera, it's the same when I turn it back on. The slide switch on the lens does nothing on my camera, which I got last August and haven't put any FW updates in. You can assign the stabilize on/off function to a button. I assigned it to the S&Q button and so just press S&Q to turn it on/off, no menu diving required. As I said before, the IS icon says "ON" or "STD" and is accurate according to my highly sophisticated jiggle test, with the lens at max telephoto. Very easy to see this for yourself if you have the camera and lens. Much faster to test than to type this reply. Try it and you'll see.

Mark

 

[sonyslave]

Same problem on 18-110 on FS7

Same problem on 18-110 on FS7

It's possible, yet knowing for sure that the switch on lens does it all would be much more convenient...

Seems that the Sony SELP 18-110 has the same issue. The physical switch on the lens barrel does NOTHING!! I'm running FS7 firmware 3.1 (FS7 mI "original flavor")

Turning on "SteadyShot" via the menu will engage image stabilization. Regardless of the menu setting the physical switch seems to have NO effect ever.

I will attempt to load the latest firmware tonight and report findings...

 

[cyvideo]

Isn't there an IS conformation icon on the display?

I don't have the 28-135 but I have the 18-110 and discussing this issue with other ops this is what I find and I'm pretty sure it applies to the 28-135.

Yes there is a VF icon if you have the SteadyShot display icon turned on in the VF menu. If it's on it will be a hand symbol 1/3rd the way down on the left VF margin that can indicate OFF or STD. If you have the Camera menu SteadyShot sub menu displayed in the viewfinder you will find by activating the SteadyShot function using an Assign button, assuming its assigned to a button, that the menu item will go from OFF to SteadySh and back again. The SteadyShot function can be turned OFF or ON and will function OFF or ON REGARDLESS of the SteadyShot switch position on the lens. Odd but that's the way it works. Well that's the case on my FS7. If it's not then my brain must be switching to some kind of smoother movement. At my age it's getting harder to tell!

EDIT: I believe the switch does function on some of the APSC E-Mount cameras that don't have the same menu functions as the FS7.

Chris Young

 

[cyvideo]

Is this normal? The switch on the lens does not turn IS off, only the menu. Not sure how useful IS i going to be?
Alan

Yes the slight pan drift past your stop point is indicative that the SteadyShot is indeed on and working. Not that the degree of IS is great on either the 128-135 or the 18-110. I've rarely used it and make sure it's 100% OFF if working off sticks. That end of pan drift is a shocker when on the sticks!

Chris Young