Is the SR really effective? Or I have bad luck...?

suncrimson · 07-26-2011, 08:30 PM

Just bought my K-5 and it's really amazing Camera.
But i found the SR in (my) K-5 is not very effective.

Every time i half press the shutter i can see the small hand in the view finder and i even can hear some noise from the inside (same as K7) and when I use LV mode i can feel the sensor is “floating”...

I did some test with 1/20, 1/10 and 1/5 shutter speed, I got several blur picture with SR ON ( i was able to get sharp result from K7 with same setting)

After many test shots i found there is no different between SR on and off.

Does it normal? Or maybe i got a bad copy?

Any help will be highly appreciated.

v5planet · 07-26-2011, 08:50 PM

I had written up a long reply but then realized you already own a K-7 and have achieved superior results with similar settings.

Even still, those shutter speeds seem extremely long for all but the widest angle lenses to achieve any sort of reasonable stabilization of the image. Are you using similar focal lengths on your K-5 as you did on your K-7 to achieve sharp results at those slow shutter speeds?

Rupert · 07-26-2011, 10:08 PM

If you make honest side by side comparisons, all things being equal, then there is only one conclusion. But......all things being equal must be strictly followed. It is not uncommon for me to find shots close together with SR to be dissimilar in results...or even with my Sigma 17-70 OS lens.

One thing I have noticed with the K5 is that the speed you can get with the higher ISO greatly reduces the need for SR in many instances.

Like here........I got plenty of speed, thanks to ISO 8,000
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Do some testing , maybe the SR is faulty....maybe not? If so,it would be very unusual.
Best Regards!

suncrimson · 07-26-2011, 10:43 PM

Originally posted by v5planet

I had written up a long reply but then realized you already own a K-7 and have achieved superior results with similar settings.

Even still, those shutter speeds seem extremely long for all but the widest angle lenses to achieve any sort of reasonable stabilization of the image. Are you using similar focal lengths on your K-5 as you did on your K-7 to achieve sharp results at those slow shutter speeds?

Hi Thanks for the reply!

Actually I owned a K-7 2 years ago and sold it due to the IQ, I found the SR in the K-7 was very capable when I used 43/1.9 with it, 1/10 was never a problem for me..but now i cannot find the same experience on K-5 (with 43). I really can't feel the difference between SR on and off like i said.

**StigVidar** · 07-26-2011, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by suncrimson

Hi Thanks for the reply!

Actually I owned a K-7 2 years ago and sold it due to the IQ, I found the SR in the K-7 was very capable when I used 43/1.9 with it, 1/10 was never a problem for me..but now i cannot find the same experience on K-5 (with 43). I really can't feel the difference between SR on and off like i said.

Try with video or liveview turned on. It should be easy to see if SR works on the LCD. If you can't see any differences, make sure you don't have turned on features which disables SR. (2 sec delay, flash...)

v5planet · 07-26-2011, 10:54 PM

Originally posted by suncrimson

Hi Thanks for the reply!

Actually I owned a K-7 2 years ago and sold it due to the IQ, I found the SR in the K-7 was very capable when I used 43/1.9 with it, 1/10 was never a problem for me..but now i cannot find the same experience on K-5 (with 43). I really can't feel the difference between SR on and off like i said.

To be honest, I've not seen good SR results at 1/10 with my 43+K-7 and typically won't shoot anything slower than 1/30 with it (even that can be dodgy). Are you sure you're not just remembering a few lucky frames from the K-7 that caught the SR well? Hard to really judge the effectiveness of your K-5's SR without having them directly next to each other to compare. I just know in my experience with the K-7 that that stabilization tech only occasionally helps with shutter speeds longer than 1/30.

suncrimson · 07-26-2011, 10:54 PM

Originally posted by Rupert

If you make honest side by side comparisons, all things being equal, then there is only one conclusion. But......all things being equal must be strictly followed. It is not uncommon for me to find shots close together with SR to be dissimilar in results...or even with my Sigma 17-70 OS lens.

One thing I have noticed with the K5 is that the speed you can get with the higher ISO greatly reduces the need for SR in many instances.

Like here........I got plenty of speed, thanks to ISO 8,000

Do some testing , maybe the SR is faulty....maybe not? If so,it would be very unusual.
Best Regards!

Hey, that photo is Awesome! : )

Have no chance to do the side by side comparison since I let my K7 go 1year ago...I just feel strange when I use the SR again because it used to very impressive when I had the K7. Now I feel it does not work at all in my k5...

Anyway, I m not using SR very often and I never lie on it, especially (as you mentioned) we have so good high ISO IQ from K-5, speed will never be a problem (it used to be a problem with K-7

Thanks for your reply! and again that ISO800 photo is really impressive!

Gimbal · 07-27-2011, 12:03 AM

I have the same "problem", with my 35mm the SR doesn't seem to do much good. My limit seems to be around 1/20 with that lens, and it doesn't matter if SR is on or off. Perhaps a very slight advantage with SR on. (And I do know how to use the SR properly and it does work in live view.) Maybe I'm to steady or something...

kanzlr · 07-27-2011, 12:08 AM

SR was a disappointment for me too.
actually, I can shoot slower shutter speeds with the Leica M8 than with the K-5...surprising.
maybe it works better with longer lenses, but really, I do not come lower than 1/focal length if I want consistently good results.

I had a Minolta Dynax 5D back in their day. It too had in-body stabilisation. I remember well that it worked as advertised.

gtxtom · 07-27-2011, 03:06 AM

I know I've been able to do 1/8" hand held as I was doing that the other night.

**Rondec** · 07-27-2011, 06:18 AM

I think SR in the K5 is equivalent to the SR in the K7, neither better or worse. I don't find that it helps with really slow shutter speeds as much, because subject movement tends to become problematic, certainly with shutter speeds of 1/10 second.

SR is something that I find gives a couple of stops improvement over normal shooting conditions. Shakier people will struggle more. I think the fact that the K5 has 16 megapixels makes it a little harder to hand hold than the 14 megapixels on the K7.

Rupert · 07-27-2011, 08:54 AM

I love SR, it does make a difference and occasionally a huge difference, but there are many variables that involve how efficient it may be.
Here at 1/20 hand-held 500mm, SR did wonders, but the light and a little luck, along with steadyhands also played a factor.....SR will not perform true miracles, it will make a good situation better.....but will not compensate for a bad situation. Anyhow, that is my findings.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

In my short 5-6 years as a DSLR shooter, or as a camera user in general....what I have learned to be most important in many situations, most in fact, is speed. If you can get speed, you can eliminate two of the biggest problems.......movement and movement.
Fortunately, the K5 allows speed that was previously not possible...gotta love that!
Best Regards!

Designosophy · 07-27-2011, 10:28 AM

For me, the shake reduction has made a difference with the K-x, K-7 and K-5, even at slow speeds. I have essential tremors and need to use very high shutter speeds without SR. The difference is very noticeable.

Croc · 07-28-2011, 01:48 AM

SR on k10d i can't remember? then on k20d was fantastic, k7 i can't comment because i just didn't use it enough due to bussy year, now with k5 SR does work but i doesn't make me go "WOW" like the k20d did still it is better then nothing

stanic · 07-28-2011, 02:07 AM

I really like SR coz I am able to get sharp pictures with 18-55 kit lens, with shutter speeds from 1/30 s to 1/3 s without problems...but it also depends a lot on technique - breathing, way you hold the camera etc...
of course it is not going to work very well at 300 mm and 1/80 s

07-26-2011, 08:30 PM	#1
suncrimson Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Beijing Photos: Albums Posts: 52	Is the SR really effective? Or I have bad luck...? Just bought my K-5 and it's really amazing Camera. But i found the SR in (my) K-5 is not very effective. Every time i half press the shutter i can see the small hand in the view finder and i even can hear some noise from the inside (same as K7) and when I use LV mode i can feel the sensor is “floating”... I did some test with 1/20, 1/10 and 1/5 shutter speed, I got several blur picture with SR ON ( i was able to get sharp result from K7 with same setting) After many test shots i found there is no different between SR on and off. Does it normal? Or maybe i got a bad copy? Any help will be highly appreciated.

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07-26-2011, 08:50 PM	#2
v5planet Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Photos: Albums Posts: 1,915	I had written up a long reply but then realized you already own a K-7 and have achieved superior results with similar settings. Even still, those shutter speeds seem extremely long for all but the widest angle lenses to achieve any sort of reasonable stabilization of the image. Are you using similar focal lengths on your K-5 as you did on your K-7 to achieve sharp results at those slow shutter speeds?

07-26-2011, 10:08 PM	#3
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	If you make honest side by side comparisons, all things being equal, then there is only one conclusion. But......all things being equal must be strictly followed. It is not uncommon for me to find shots close together with SR to be dissimilar in results...or even with my Sigma 17-70 OS lens. One thing I have noticed with the K5 is that the speed you can get with the higher ISO greatly reduces the need for SR in many instances. Like here........I got plenty of speed, thanks to ISO 8,000 [IMG] [/IMG] Do some testing , maybe the SR is faulty....maybe not? If so,it would be very unusual. Best Regards!

07-26-2011, 10:43 PM	#4
suncrimson Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Beijing Photos: Albums Posts: 52 Original Poster	Originally posted by v5planet I had written up a long reply but then realized you already own a K-7 and have achieved superior results with similar settings. Even still, those shutter speeds seem extremely long for all but the widest angle lenses to achieve any sort of reasonable stabilization of the image. Are you using similar focal lengths on your K-5 as you did on your K-7 to achieve sharp results at those slow shutter speeds? Hi Thanks for the reply! Actually I owned a K-7 2 years ago and sold it due to the IQ, I found the SR in the K-7 was very capable when I used 43/1.9 with it, 1/10 was never a problem for me..but now i cannot find the same experience on K-5 (with 43). I really can't feel the difference between SR on and off like i said.

07-26-2011, 10:52 PM	#5
StigVidar Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 705	Originally posted by suncrimson Hi Thanks for the reply! Actually I owned a K-7 2 years ago and sold it due to the IQ, I found the SR in the K-7 was very capable when I used 43/1.9 with it, 1/10 was never a problem for me..but now i cannot find the same experience on K-5 (with 43). I really can't feel the difference between SR on and off like i said. Try with video or liveview turned on. It should be easy to see if SR works on the LCD. If you can't see any differences, make sure you don't have turned on features which disables SR. (2 sec delay, flash...)

07-26-2011, 10:54 PM	#6
v5planet Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Photos: Albums Posts: 1,915	Originally posted by suncrimson Hi Thanks for the reply! Actually I owned a K-7 2 years ago and sold it due to the IQ, I found the SR in the K-7 was very capable when I used 43/1.9 with it, 1/10 was never a problem for me..but now i cannot find the same experience on K-5 (with 43). I really can't feel the difference between SR on and off like i said. To be honest, I've not seen good SR results at 1/10 with my 43+K-7 and typically won't shoot anything slower than 1/30 with it (even that can be dodgy). Are you sure you're not just remembering a few lucky frames from the K-7 that caught the SR well? Hard to really judge the effectiveness of your K-5's SR without having them directly next to each other to compare. I just know in my experience with the K-7 that that stabilization tech only occasionally helps with shutter speeds longer than 1/30.

07-26-2011, 10:54 PM	#7
suncrimson Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Beijing Photos: Albums Posts: 52 Original Poster	Originally posted by Rupert If you make honest side by side comparisons, all things being equal, then there is only one conclusion. But......all things being equal must be strictly followed. It is not uncommon for me to find shots close together with SR to be dissimilar in results...or even with my Sigma 17-70 OS lens. One thing I have noticed with the K5 is that the speed you can get with the higher ISO greatly reduces the need for SR in many instances. Like here........I got plenty of speed, thanks to ISO 8,000 Do some testing , maybe the SR is faulty....maybe not? If so,it would be very unusual. Best Regards! Hey, that photo is Awesome! : ) Have no chance to do the side by side comparison since I let my K7 go 1year ago...I just feel strange when I use the SR again because it used to very impressive when I had the K7. Now I feel it does not work at all in my k5... Anyway, I m not using SR very often and I never lie on it, especially (as you mentioned) we have so good high ISO IQ from K-5, speed will never be a problem (it used to be a problem with K-7 Thanks for your reply! and again that ISO800 photo is really impressive!

07-27-2011, 12:03 AM	#8
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	I have the same "problem", with my 35mm the SR doesn't seem to do much good. My limit seems to be around 1/20 with that lens, and it doesn't matter if SR is on or off. Perhaps a very slight advantage with SR on. (And I do know how to use the SR properly and it does work in live view.) Maybe I'm to steady or something...

07-27-2011, 12:08 AM	#9
kanzlr Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Vienna Posts: 92	SR was a disappointment for me too. actually, I can shoot slower shutter speeds with the Leica M8 than with the K-5...surprising. maybe it works better with longer lenses, but really, I do not come lower than 1/focal length if I want consistently good results. I had a Minolta Dynax 5D back in their day. It too had in-body stabilisation. I remember well that it worked as advertised.

07-27-2011, 03:06 AM	#10
gtxtom Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Philly Posts: 395	I know I've been able to do 1/8" hand held as I was doing that the other night.

07-27-2011, 06:18 AM	#11
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,663	I think SR in the K5 is equivalent to the SR in the K7, neither better or worse. I don't find that it helps with really slow shutter speeds as much, because subject movement tends to become problematic, certainly with shutter speeds of 1/10 second. SR is something that I find gives a couple of stops improvement over normal shooting conditions. Shakier people will struggle more. I think the fact that the K5 has 16 megapixels makes it a little harder to hand hold than the 14 megapixels on the K7.

07-27-2011, 08:54 AM	#12
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	I love SR, it does make a difference and occasionally a huge difference, but there are many variables that involve how efficient it may be. Here at 1/20 hand-held 500mm, SR did wonders, but the light and a little luck, along with steadyhands also played a factor.....SR will not perform true miracles, it will make a good situation better.....but will not compensate for a bad situation. Anyhow, that is my findings. [IMG] [/IMG] In my short 5-6 years as a DSLR shooter, or as a camera user in general....what I have learned to be most important in many situations, most in fact, is speed. If you can get speed, you can eliminate two of the biggest problems.......movement and movement. Fortunately, the K5 allows speed that was previously not possible...gotta love that! Best Regards!

07-27-2011, 10:28 AM	#13
Designosophy Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Northeast Philadelphia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,137	For me, the shake reduction has made a difference with the K-x, K-7 and K-5, even at slow speeds. I have essential tremors and need to use very high shutter speeds without SR. The difference is very noticeable.

07-28-2011, 01:48 AM	#14
Croc Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Moon Posts: 87	SR on k10d i can't remember? then on k20d was fantastic, k7 i can't comment because i just didn't use it enough due to bussy year, now with k5 SR does work but i doesn't make me go "WOW" like the k20d did still it is better then nothing

07-28-2011, 02:07 AM	#15
stanic Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Zakopane Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 389	I really like SR coz I am able to get sharp pictures with 18-55 kit lens, with shutter speeds from 1/30 s to 1/3 s without problems...but it also depends a lot on technique - breathing, way you hold the camera etc... of course it is not going to work very well at 300 mm and 1/80 s