Slower the shutter speed, more the chances of a blurred image. When there is no camera shake at fast shutter speeds, light from the subject reaches the focal plane at the desired spot through the lens. But due to camera shake at slow shutter speeds, this light falls on a different point of the focal plane, causing the visual blur.
Nikon's optical VR system used in NIKKOR lenses adjust the lens to ensure the light falls on the desired spot on the focal plane so that the image is free from camera shake. To do this, a complex mechanism involving a VR lens element, sensors, microcomputers and driving motors are used.
So when does Nikon's fascinating VR technology help us? Not just in low light situations and with slow shutter speeds. This happens due to the so called 'thumb rule' that the minimum shutter speed to be used with a lens is the reciprocal of the focal length. VR is a great help here. The latest VR technology can compensate for upto four stops. Incredible isn't it?
However, increasing ISO always comes at the cost of image quality. See note at very bottom of article. This, of course, creates a slight issue. If we're using AF-ON to focus, our fingers usually aren't pushing the shutter release partially down, too.
That right hand is starting to do a pretty complicated dance: AF-ON up and down for focus, shutter release partially down for VR, right thumb dialing in shutter or aperture or exposure adjustments, maybe right middle finger dialing in aperture adjustments, shutter release fully down with the index finger for the shot. This, by the way, is one of the reasons why I prefer Nikon's ergonomics to Canon's: at least when I'm doing all that hand juggling, my hand and finger positions aren't really moving, especially my shutter release finger.
With Canon the tendency is to move the index finger between the top control wheel and shutter release. You can react with the shutter release faster if you're not moving that finger. There are a few more caveats. If you've got a built-in flash on your camera basically everything but the D1, D2, D3, D4 D5 series, and the D and D , while the flash is recharging the VR system is inactive.
That's because VR takes power to perform and the assumption is that you want the flash recharged as fast as possible. Thus, the camera turns off the power to the VR system while it's charging up the camera's flash capacitor. If you're shooting flash near full power and doing a lot of consecutive flashes, the flash recharge time can start taking a few seconds. How do you know if power is restored to the VR system? Well, you can't, exactly, but the flash indicator in the viewfinder is a fairly reliable indicator: if it's not present with the flash up and active, VR is probably Off.
I've been holding off on the tripod issue to the end of this article, partly because it's not as clear cut as Nikon seems to think it is. Part of the problem is that Nikon hasn't clearly labeled and described their various VR system iterations.
Technically, the VR II system on some of the modern lenses should detect when the camera is on a stable platform and not try to jump in and correct anything. But not all modern lenses have what most of us regard as the full VR II. The recently introduced mm, for example, comes long after the intro of VR II, but it does not appear to have tripod recognition.
Thus, we have another rule before we get to the real rule:. Rule 8 For Real: If your camera is on a tripod, even if you're using something like a Wimberley head where it is almost always a bit loose, just try turning VR off. So why do I disagree with Nikon? Even with a loose head on a tripod, motion should be fairly easy to control, and you should have removed one possible motion almost completely ditto with monopods. The problem I have, and which many other pros have noticed, is that the VR tripod detection system sometimes produces "false negatives.
Most of the time it does just that Nikon says that the current system is smart enough to detect as many as three different types of motion—handholding, platform vibration, and support system movement—because the "vibrations" caused by each of these are recognizably different in wave form. Every now and then, though, VR thinks it needs to correct when it doesn't or perhaps is still correcting for a previously detected motion that will no longer be present in the next sampling.
When that happens, the VR element s are moving when they shouldn't be. Usually not a lot, but enough to make for less than optimal results. Result: loss of edge acuity, possibly busier bokeh. Remember, when you're on a tripod, all shots should be good without VR otherwise you have the wrong tripod and head, see this article , or you're using poor technique. I'm not a gambler: I prefer the known to the unknown, so I don't like having random shots slightly spoiled by VR.
Which brings up a whole different topic: what does a spoiled-by-VR shot look like? Well, "spoiled" is too harsh a term. Sub-optimal is probably a better one. An optimal shot has very clean and well defined edge acuity. Assuming a "perfect lens," edges should be recorded basically as good as the anti-aliasing filter if the camera has one , sensor, and Bayer demosaic allow.
It's sort of like camera movement, only much more subtle. It's sort of like diffraction, only sometimes with a direction component to it. I tend to say that the detail "looks soft and busy" when VR isn't fully doing its job or is on when it shouldn't be. And when you apply sharpening to those soft and busy edges, that busy-ness gets busier.
The gyro mechanism in most stabilization systems is designed to keep everything pointed one direction, but the rotation of the planet means that they shouldn't, and our big blue ball is rotating at 7.
I'd go further and say that in some situations there are other factors that cause issues when the camera is on a tripod, and those are centered on the surface the tripod is on and it's proclivity to reflect vibrations. Sand is a real problem, but even things you might think that are solid are vibrating from all the human activity on the planet, too. But those vibrations aren't always in the scope of the VR's ability to handle.
Yes, there's some nitpicking going on here. VR not correcting right is a bit like tripod mount slop fixed with a Really Right Stuff Long Lens Support or ringing vibrations in the tripod legs fixed by using the right legs for your equipment : you don't see it until it's gone, and even then usually only if you're pixel peeping. They expect to be able to catch every bit of detail and blow it up into a large print.
As always on this site, you need to understand that I always write about the search for optimal data. If you're shooting with a mm on a D and putting x images on the Web from that, well, whether the VR missed doing its job by a little bit probably isn't so important.
Turn VR off and turn the camera off before removing the lens from the camera. So always turn the camera off before removing a lens. If there are more questions on VR I'll address them in the Discussion at the bottom of this page or additional articles.
Until then, here's your motto: VR stays off unless I specifically need it. It appears most people just want to be told "use it for X, don't use it for Y. Taking shortcuts with decisions ultimately leads to less-than-optimal results. For casual shooting, shortcuts perhaps work just fine for most people, and I've suggested a bunch in this article.
But for serious shooting where quality matters, a good photographer is always evaluating, always testing. In many ways, digital is great for that, as we have an immediate feedback loop and can test a setting assumption almost immediately, plus we have the ultimate loupe in our large computer monitors.
Thus, one other point I'll make is that I can't tell you every possible time you need to use VR and every possible time you shouldn't. What I do know is that when VR has been on when it shouldn't be, my images suffer a bit. And yes, when I shoot without VR on when it should be, my images suffer, too. However, generally I know when I'm imparting substantive motion to the camera during shooting.
Thus, VR is off unless I know that I'm imparting motion, and then I only turn it on if I can guess—and verify with a field test—that it will remove that motion.
One thing I've noticed is that those of us who shot with long lenses back in the film days prior to VR aren't quite so fast to turn it on as someone picking up a camera today. Part of that is the marketing message "up to four stops better!
We either had to correct the underlying problem or not shoot. Thus, we tend to know when we're on the margin where VR might be helpful. I'd argue that leaving VR on and turning it off only when you see a degradation which may be too late if you're seeing it when you get home and looking at images on your monitor isn't easily learned.
Leaving VR off and turning it on only when you see a degradation is much more easily learned. Name required. Email required. Please note: comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Written by : Ian. User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury.
You agree that we have no liability for any damages. Summary: 1. Not all anti-shake technologies are the same. The in-camera anti-shake technology used by some manufacturers relies on a process that actually shifts the image sensor, and its performance benefit is generally agreed to be limited to about one-and-one-half to two stops.
For Nikon photographers, an additional two stops of VR performance capability can easily be the difference between a blurry picture and a beautiful sharp one. But the benefits of Nikon VR aren't limited to shutter speeds. Consider shooting on an overcast day at a medium ISO where greater depth-of-field might be desirable. And having up to four stops to work with also offers the possibility of shooting at lower ISO settings, thus maximizing image quality.
Click here for more on Nikon's VR technology. By clicking Sign Up, you are opting to receive educational and promotional emails from Nikon Inc. You can update your preferences or unsubscribe any time.
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