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**bpv_UW** · 12-27-2011, 04:38 PM

Do you turn it off? Leave it on? I know with some older cameras from other brands that there was talk of sharpness being compromised when SR (or VR, or IS, etc) was turned on when the camera was mounted on a tripod. Anyone know if this is the case for newer Pentax bodies (particularly the K5)?

Thanks,
Brandon

DogLover · 12-27-2011, 04:45 PM

Yep, turn it off. Even your manual says that.

Philoslothical · 12-27-2011, 04:55 PM

Aye, keep it turned off when using a tripod, but this highlights the importance of getting a good, sturdy tripod to use. Even using a remote with a flimsy tripod can produce crappy results from the vibration caused by the mirror slap.

**Ash** · 12-27-2011, 05:09 PM

On the K-5, if you set the camera to the 2sec exposure delay mode, the SR will automatically be switched off until you take it off the 2sec delay setting,

demp10 · 12-27-2011, 05:31 PM

Off on tripods and on on monopods. 2sec delay mode will do the trick and also will give the equivelant of mirror lock up (at least for a 1 1/2 seconds) that further stabilizes the system.

Gimbal · 12-28-2011, 12:15 AM

Although IMO it doesn't matter unless you are using very long lenses on a weak tripod, then you should probably turn it off.

ChrisA · 12-28-2011, 03:50 AM

I never turn it off. Despite the warnings in the manual, and various suggestions as to what might make the camera insert shake when there's none, I've never seen a shred of evidence relating to any Pentax camera that it's a real effect.

Lots of anecdotes, lots of claims, but nothing repeatable, or that isn't explained simply by the SR not being stabilised when the release is pressed.

Even if it's a real effect, the risk of missing a shot through forgetting to turn it back on, is far greater than the risk of missing one because you're on a tripod and suddenly the camera puts more shake in than you already have by pressing the release with your finger.

Snydly · 12-28-2011, 08:32 AM

I've been wondering the same thing myself. Not knowing the real function of SR to an engineering level, how do I know what is more beneficial?

Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason?

I've shot a lot of photos with my k7 and k-x and the keeper rate due to blur is not that great. This year I took thousands of photos at my sons football games and had a very low percentage of non-blurry photos until the last two games when I turned SR off. The keeper rate went way up. I didn't change my style of shooting. I wasn't panning.

Something else surprised me, and I hesitate to say this here as I have no real way of proving it, but the noise level seemed lower with SR off. Same ISO, aperture and shutter speeds as before.

RioRico · 12-28-2011, 09:04 AM

Originally posted by Snydly

Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason?

That.

ChrisA · 12-28-2011, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by Snydly

Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason?

Originally posted by RioRico

That.

Does it actually specify this reason in any Pentax camera manual, or in any other Pentax publication that can easily be cited?

I know this is the reason that has been passed down from one generation of anecdote to the next, but I've never seen it in an actual Pentax document.

ChrisA · 12-28-2011, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by Snydly

I've shot a lot of photos with my k7 and k-x and the keeper rate due to blur is not that great. This year I took thousands of photos at my sons football games and had a very low percentage of non-blurry photos until the last two games when I turned SR off. The keeper rate went way up. I didn't change my style of shooting. I wasn't panning.

Unstabilised SR is often worse than no SR at all.

For the thousands of shots of your son's football games taken with SR on, how confident are you that SR was stabilised, or 'ready', as indicated by the 'hand' icon in the VF?

Gimbal · 12-28-2011, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by ChrisA

Unstabilised SR is often worse than no SR at all.

I'm not so sure about that, actually IMO that is a myth.
As far as I know there is no half-stabilized condition, it's either ready, or it's not.

Remember that the actual movement of the sensor plate is not begun until the mirror starts to move, if the SR is ready it will try to counteract the shake, if it's not ready it will hold still as if it was shut off.

johnmflores · 12-28-2011, 12:41 PM

I've always wondered if SR + lightweight cheap tripod = stabilized photos. I'm going to have to test that out.

demp10 · 12-28-2011, 02:45 PM

Originally posted by Snydly

Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason?

The SR algorithms expects motion generate by holding the camera in your hands and compensates for up/down, left/right and rotation, all typical of a handheld scenario.

A camera on a lightweight tripod will vibrate but the motion is quite different than handheld. Sources for the motion will include ground vibrations, wind, focusing the lens, unstable balance of the camera/lens combination, etc. The sensor will try to compensate but the results will be probably worse.

On a monopod is a different story. The up/down motion is eliminated but the left/right and rotation are still there as normal so SR should be effective. A special case may be for long telephotos with tripod collars where the camera is hanging. That may qualify for regular motions for the SR system but I am not sure. It would be a good experiment to do one day.

ChrisA · 12-28-2011, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by Gimbal

I'm not so sure about that, actually IMO that is a myth.
As far as I know there is no half-stabilized condition, it's either ready, or it's not.

Remember that the actual movement of the sensor plate is not begun until the mirror starts to move, if the SR is ready it will try to counteract the shake, if it's not ready it will hold still as if it was shut off.

Well I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility that I'm propagating the same sort of myth that I decry in others

But I did read an interesting, and apparently careful report by someone on another forum (several years ago now) who claimed to have tested the SR-off, no-hand-icon and hand-icon situations, and found clear evidence that the no-hand-icon (ie not ready) condition gave considerably more shake than off or ready.

I didn't try to repeat that one, maybe I will sometime.

12-27-2011, 04:38 PM	#1
bpv_UW Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 765	Shake reduction on tripod Do you turn it off? Leave it on? I know with some older cameras from other brands that there was talk of sharpness being compromised when SR (or VR, or IS, etc) was turned on when the camera was mounted on a tripod. Anyone know if this is the case for newer Pentax bodies (particularly the K5)? Thanks, Brandon

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12-27-2011, 04:45 PM	#2
DogLover Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054	Yep, turn it off. Even your manual says that.

12-27-2011, 04:55 PM	#3
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Aye, keep it turned off when using a tripod, but this highlights the importance of getting a good, sturdy tripod to use. Even using a remote with a flimsy tripod can produce crappy results from the vibration caused by the mirror slap.

12-27-2011, 05:09 PM	#4
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	On the K-5, if you set the camera to the 2sec exposure delay mode, the SR will automatically be switched off until you take it off the 2sec delay setting,

12-27-2011, 05:31 PM	#5
demp10 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Atlanta Photos: Albums Posts: 602	Off on tripods and on on monopods. 2sec delay mode will do the trick and also will give the equivelant of mirror lock up (at least for a 1 1/2 seconds) that further stabilizes the system.

12-28-2011, 12:15 AM	#6
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Although IMO it doesn't matter unless you are using very long lenses on a weak tripod, then you should probably turn it off.

12-28-2011, 03:50 AM	#7
ChrisA Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London Posts: 393	I never turn it off. Despite the warnings in the manual, and various suggestions as to what might make the camera insert shake when there's none, I've never seen a shred of evidence relating to any Pentax camera that it's a real effect. Lots of anecdotes, lots of claims, but nothing repeatable, or that isn't explained simply by the SR not being stabilised when the release is pressed. Even if it's a real effect, the risk of missing a shot through forgetting to turn it back on, is far greater than the risk of missing one because you're on a tripod and suddenly the camera puts more shake in than you already have by pressing the release with your finger.

12-28-2011, 08:32 AM	#8
Snydly Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Florida Photos: Albums Posts: 242	I've been wondering the same thing myself. Not knowing the real function of SR to an engineering level, how do I know what is more beneficial? Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason? I've shot a lot of photos with my k7 and k-x and the keeper rate due to blur is not that great. This year I took thousands of photos at my sons football games and had a very low percentage of non-blurry photos until the last two games when I turned SR off. The keeper rate went way up. I didn't change my style of shooting. I wasn't panning. Something else surprised me, and I hesitate to say this here as I have no real way of proving it, but the noise level seemed lower with SR off. Same ISO, aperture and shutter speeds as before.

12-28-2011, 09:04 AM	#9
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by Snydly Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason? That.

12-28-2011, 10:50 AM	#10
ChrisA Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London Posts: 393	Originally posted by Snydly Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason? Originally posted by RioRico That. Does it actually specify this reason in any Pentax camera manual, or in any other Pentax publication that can easily be cited? I know this is the reason that has been passed down from one generation of anecdote to the next, but I've never seen it in an actual Pentax document.

12-28-2011, 10:57 AM	#11
ChrisA Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London Posts: 393	Originally posted by Snydly I've shot a lot of photos with my k7 and k-x and the keeper rate due to blur is not that great. This year I took thousands of photos at my sons football games and had a very low percentage of non-blurry photos until the last two games when I turned SR off. The keeper rate went way up. I didn't change my style of shooting. I wasn't panning. Unstabilised SR is often worse than no SR at all. For the thousands of shots of your son's football games taken with SR on, how confident are you that SR was stabilised, or 'ready', as indicated by the 'hand' icon in the VF?

12-28-2011, 12:25 PM	#12
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by ChrisA Unstabilised SR is often worse than no SR at all. I'm not so sure about that, actually IMO that is a myth. As far as I know there is no half-stabilized condition, it's either ready, or it's not. Remember that the actual movement of the sensor plate is not begun until the mirror starts to move, if the SR is ready it will try to counteract the shake, if it's not ready it will hold still as if it was shut off.

12-28-2011, 12:41 PM	#13
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	I've always wondered if SR + lightweight cheap tripod = stabilized photos. I'm going to have to test that out.

12-28-2011, 02:45 PM	#14
demp10 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Atlanta Photos: Albums Posts: 602	Originally posted by Snydly Does Pentax tell us in the manual to turn off SR while on a tripod because the tripod is 'better' than SR or because SR will create blur if there is none to counteract, or some other reason? The SR algorithms expects motion generate by holding the camera in your hands and compensates for up/down, left/right and rotation, all typical of a handheld scenario. A camera on a lightweight tripod will vibrate but the motion is quite different than handheld. Sources for the motion will include ground vibrations, wind, focusing the lens, unstable balance of the camera/lens combination, etc. The sensor will try to compensate but the results will be probably worse. On a monopod is a different story. The up/down motion is eliminated but the left/right and rotation are still there as normal so SR should be effective. A special case may be for long telephotos with tripod collars where the camera is hanging. That may qualify for regular motions for the SR system but I am not sure. It would be a good experiment to do one day.

12-28-2011, 04:43 PM	#15
ChrisA Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London Posts: 393	Originally posted by Gimbal I'm not so sure about that, actually IMO that is a myth. As far as I know there is no half-stabilized condition, it's either ready, or it's not. Remember that the actual movement of the sensor plate is not begun until the mirror starts to move, if the SR is ready it will try to counteract the shake, if it's not ready it will hold still as if it was shut off. Well I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility that I'm propagating the same sort of myth that I decry in others But I did read an interesting, and apparently careful report by someone on another forum (several years ago now) who claimed to have tested the SR-off, no-hand-icon and hand-icon situations, and found clear evidence that the no-hand-icon (ie not ready) condition gave considerably more shake than off or ready. I didn't try to repeat that one, maybe I will sometime.

Shake reduction on tripod

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