Originally Posted by count_schemula
Do you mean 18-55?
Do you mean 18-55?
17-55, 18-55, what's the difference? Only 1 millimeter, right? Well, ok, 1 millimeter and a thousand dollars.
But in this case, it actually does make a difference - the cheap EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens has an IS system with automatic panning detection (an automatic mode 2 IS), whereas the excellent EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, despite it's substantially better optical and build quality(and >$1K price tag), does not feature a panning mode in its IS system.
Yes, lol, I did mean the cheapy EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens.
What is this automatic panning detection? Is it something I have to set up, or is it just how IS works on this lens?
More or less what is it doing?
Yeah, I think I will have to shoot traffic and see what results I get.
So, basically, I'm just looking to kind of pan the camera with the car?
Let me first say that I'm jealous that you will be atPetit Le Mans while I'm stuck watching it on TV. On topic I've used my 70-200 f/4 non is at the Rolex 24 & homestead and I've been able to get some pretty decent panning shots though my keeper rate tends to be a little on the low side. I shot them all handheld since there are fences all around Daytona, I just went up in the stands and braced myself against the railing, started at a pretty fast shutter and kept clicking it down till I got to the point where they were blurry. Very trail and error but worth the effort in my opinion.
The latter. It's automatic on that lens.
Some lenses have a basic IS system which attempts to counteract any movement. With the worst of these, they'll attempt to over-compensate for movement that isn't natural for hand-holding, such as when mounted on a tripod. For these lenses it's suggested to disable IS when using a tripod, as the over-compensation can introduce blurriness.
The next grade of lenses with IS can detect that they're on a tripod and disable IS automatically. There is always the switch if you don't trust it, or if it's not working for you. When not on a tripod they attempt to counteract any movement just as the first kind does.
The third grade of lenses have 3 way switch, with off, mode 1, and mode 2. Mode 1 is like the above. Mode 2 dampens motion vertically, but allows for horizontal motion for panning. Set the switch to the appropriate mode.
The fourth grade is automatic mode 2. The lens determines you're moving in a panning motion or not, and automatically enables mode 2 when appropriate.
The latest IS mode is Hybrid IS, or HIS, which Canon has put on their latest 100mm f/2.8 L macro lens. This attempt to compensate not just for floaty sideways movements, but rotation as well.
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Just to clarify, on lenses in your 'third grade' with an IS mode switch, when it's set to mode 2 it dampens motion in the direction orthogonal to the panning direction, regardless of what direction you are panning. So, it damps vertical shake if you're panning horizontally to follow a car or bird, damps horizontal shake if you're panning vertically to follow a rocket or a rising elevator on the exterior of a building, and also damps vertical shake if you are holding the camera in portrait orientation for framing reasons and panning horizontally (so the camera is 'vertical').
Here's what Canon has to say about their IS systems.
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