C100: Best built in lens stabilizers?

Darren Levine

Darren Levine

Veteran
So in shopping around for lenses, stabilization is on my list. The problem is that some are obviously better than others, as far as i have figured, the two main factors are: # of stops of "power", and float vs snap.

Digging around i have yet to find any single place that identifies which lenses have stabilizers which are ideal for video, and which are not.

Does such a resource exist? if not, if anyone has lense they have tried extensively with stabilization and want to give it a yay or nay, please do!
 
Canon EFS 17-55 has excellent IS. Not sealed like an L lens - I sometimes remove the front element to get dust out (one drawback). But shoots a great image and as I said great IS.

Shot this on it to see how far you could push it on a C300.

Edit to add: Im using this lens out on the coal seam sites here in Australia as well as other drilling sites on high end corp gigs.

 
I second this lens suggestion. Took the 17-55 to Nepal and I never took it off. The IS is just too useful for handheld on a rig-free setup.

Noel Evans said:
Canon EFS 17-55 has excellent IS. Not sealed like an L lens - I sometimes remove the front element to get dust out (one drawback). But shoots a great image and as I said great IS.

Shot this on it to see how far you could push it on a C300.

Edit to add: Im using this lens out on the coal seam sites here in Australia as well as other drilling sites on high end corp gigs.

Click to expand...
 
Nice camera work and grading!

I've also found the IS on 24-105 very smooth and well working regarding stabilizing. I've been looking at the Canon 17-55mm but I've been hesitating because of the manual focus? I mean you don't have to turn many mm in order to move a lot of focus, no? Is it ok?
 
Wow just got a look at Noel's work. It looks great!

The throw on the 17-55mm is small and worse the focus ring feels a bit loose. However, you can get use to it. Also, for run and gun, I find I like being able to track focus barely moving the focus ring. On my more brilliant days, I can focus pull without shaking the camera.

I've heard the 100mm 2.8L has quite the stabilizer, but I haven't tried it out yet.
 
I'm no IS expert but my new 70-200mm f/4 IS L is amazing. Setting 1 for handheld (yes you can hand hold at 200mm) and setting 2 for tripod (horizontal stabilization only). I've yet to turn it off.
 
chsiung said:
I've heard the 100mm 2.8L has quite the stabilizer, but I haven't tried it out yet.
Click to expand...

If you mean the Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro with its Hybrid Image Stabilisation, then yes, it's superb for a walkabout mild telephoto shots. Beautiful images.

I often choose it over my (lovely) Canon 70-200mm F4 IS as that one is a bit more conspicuous and has a noisy IS - although its very effective and I can usually get decent video shots even at 200mm hand-held.

My Canon 17-55mm F2.8 IS EF-S also has terrifically effective IS (and on that lens it is very quiet, as quite as the Tele Macro). Pity the build quality is not L, the glass certainly is.
 
the new 35mm f2 and 24-70mm F4 L have amazing hybridization stabilization. While the 24 and 28mm F2.8 IS lenses do not have hybrid stabilization their four stop IS is much better than with my other Canon's rated at four stops. Clearly, Canon is moving to lenses more optimized for video. I imagine that the 18-135mm STM is similarly positioned with the new IS technology.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top