[jpzk]

A while back, when I first acquired my K3, I had quite a learning curve to follow (and that's not surprising coming from me) from my K5.
After a while, or a few hundred pictures, I decided to try and turn the SR OFF.
I realized that my images were turning out quite "good", actually better than with it ON.
Of course, I very seldom shoot at less than 1/800s, almost 100% of those images for birding.

Anyone here using the SR ON when birding with high shutter speeds?
Or perhaps some would use it ON when shooting stationary subjects (birds) ?

And while I'm at it, is there a button configuration for the SR? (instead of having to go to the "INFO" and switch it ON or OFF from there?

Thanks!

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Last edited by jpzk; 09-20-2016 at 08:06 PM.

[MarkJerling]

Better with SR off than on? Drat! Now I'm going to have to test that for myself!

[tduell]

I shoot birds a lot and always use SR, but I'm using a D-FA 150-450 handheld, at 450 and often with a 1.4x TC, and often at 1/500 or less due to light, so I don't think SR off is an option in these circumstances.

Cheers,
Terry

[aaacb]

is there a button configuration for the SR

you can reassign the raw/fx button

[stevebrot]

There are a few folk on this site who swear they get better photos with SR turned off. I believe you have mentioned this before. For decades, I shot without SR, so perhaps it is no big deal.


Steve

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

The better question is what lens are you using when you do this? If it's a long lens, then perhaps the SR is less than forgiving in that instance. Since I do most of my shooting at night, the SR is hardly ever on, and I've never tried SR off during my daytime shooting as most of that is handheld.

[biz-engineer]

SR isn't meant to be used when shutter speed is fast enough. SR is meant to be use for a range of poor shutter speeds between 1/20s and 1/200s, yet a fast enough duration for SR to keep the sensor relatively static within this time frame, SR is particularly relevant in Tv or TAv modes and Auto ISO. Sharpness decreases at high ISO as well. For instance, for the K3, I consider using SR handheld and if I must push the ISO beyond 800, than I use SR to maintain to drop shutter speed one pr two stops and keep ISO around 800. SR is a real benefit, especially with long lenses with TC that don't let so much light in, and require sufficient shutter speed. For example, if you look at Canon IS and non IS supertele, the non IS version are a lot cheaper... but not having IS is equivalent to having a slower lens. I often use SR with 400mm lens, at shutter speed 1/180. And I almost never need to use SR with normal and wide focal length because I'm not ISO constrained.

---------- Post added 21-09-16 at 06:58 ----------

you can reassign the raw/fx button

Good choice. I've configured it this way.

[Zafar Iqbal]

I do not shoot birds but I will say that whenever the shutter speed is fast enough, SR shouldn't be used. K-3 II makes this very clear.

However, at slower speeds (obviously for other kind of shooting as I don't shoot birds), using SR often have a big impact. It's one of the things about K-3 II that keeps amazing me.

[BarryE]

And no SR use with a tripod. I assumed this was something to do with how SR mechanics actually worked, but now I think there's always a slight degradation in quality when using SR, but that it is very helpful in some cases. It's like many cameras with advanced features - they need to be learnt to get the best from them ...still doing it ...

[ffking]

I definitely have it turned off in my user modes on the K-3 - 'landscape' where I use a tripod anyway, 'action' where I use fast shutter speeds anyway and 'macro' where I do feel there is a fractional blurring that I don't want. I leave SR on for casual walkabout photography where the idea is more important than perfection on the IQ front.

[Na Horuk]

After a while, or a few hundred pictures, I decided to try and turn the SR OFF. I realized that my images were turning out quite "good", actually better than with it ON.

I turn it off when shooting with fast shutter speeds.
Also, you have to give it some time for it to activate (though, some cameras have settings for this). You have to half-press the shutter button, then wait for the little SR icon to light up in the viewfinder. This is a common problem for many new users - they don't give SR the time to activate, so they end up with poor photos.

[Skodadriver]

I found that SR is not the magic answer to shake when asking (in the forum) if I should dial in a longer focal length when using an old MF Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro.
The rationale behind my asking the question was the amount the lens extended when using it in macro becoming longer that some 135mm lenses I have.
The suggestion that made most sense was to try it out!
In a quick test, using shutter speeds of 1/100th sec or less, I found that no SR or dialling in 70 or 75mm on start up seemed to be better than using SR with 50mm dialled in. Best at 75mm.


So I am not saying I have any sort of definitive answer to using SR or not, just that it might be worth trying to use the camera with and without SR at medium speeds, with SR at slow speeds and follow the earlier posters advice to NOT use it at speeds much faster than the focal length might require to avoid shake, e.g. 1/250th sec with a 50mm lens then see what transpires.

[jpzk]

I shoot birds a lot and always use SR, but I'm using a D-FA 150-450 handheld, at 450 and often with a 1.4x TC, and often at 1/500 or less due to light, so I don't think SR off is an option in these circumstances.

Cheers,
Terry

Yeah I can see that SR would be needed under those circumstances but as I mentioned in the first post: I rarely shoot slower than 1/800s for birding, even with stationary subjects.

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:01 AM ----------

you can reassign the raw/fx button

Tanks for that !
It'll make life easier!

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:02 AM ----------

The better question is what lens are you using when you do this? If it's a long lens, then perhaps the SR is less than forgiving in that instance. Since I do most of my shooting at night, the SR is hardly ever on, and I've never tried SR off during my daytime shooting as most of that is handheld.

DA*300/4 without TC.

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:12 AM ----------

SR isn't meant to be used when shutter speed is fast enough. SR is meant to be use for a range of poor shutter speeds between 1/20s and 1/200s, yet a fast enough duration for SR to keep the sensor relatively static within this time frame, SR is particularly relevant in Tv or TAv modes and Auto ISO. Sharpness decreases at high ISO as well. For instance, for the K3, I consider using SR handheld and if I must push the ISO beyond 800, than I use SR to maintain to drop shutter speed one pr two stops and keep ISO around 800. SR is a real benefit, especially with long lenses with TC that don't let so much light in, and require sufficient shutter speed. For example, if you look at Canon IS and non IS supertele, the non IS version are a lot cheaper... but not having IS is equivalent to having a slower lens. I often use SR with 400mm lens, at shutter speed 1/180. And I almost never need to use SR with normal and wide focal length because I'm not ISO constrained.

---------- Post added 21-09-16 at 06:58 ----------


Good choice. I've configured it this way.

I shoot TAv all the time when birding and, as mentioned above, with shutter speeds of 1/800 and faster, usually up to 1/1250s.
Of course, I get into "interesting" light conditions where the ISO floats way up into the ISO1600 or more.
I had forgotten to mention that in my first post.
Also, I try to keep the aperture between f5.6-f8.0.
I don't use the HD 1.4X TC anymore because it is badly behaving with either my K5 and/or my K3.

The story is much different when I use the K5 with "wider" (and shorter) lenses such as with the DA15mmLtd and the DA*16-50 for landscapes: then I do use the SR ON (when not on a tripod).

So, in a nutshell: no SR when birding with the K3 + DA*300/4 in TAv.
I suppose it would be a great idea to reassign this SR to the RAW/fx button just in case I need a quick access to it.

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:12 AM ----------

I do not shoot birds but I will say that whenever the shutter speed is fast enough, SR shouldn't be used. K-3 II makes this very clear.

However, at slower speeds (obviously for other kind of shooting as I don't shoot birds), using SR often have a big impact. It's one of the things about K-3 II that keeps amazing me.

Agreed.

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:13 AM ----------

And no SR use with a tripod

Of course !

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:15 AM ----------

I definitely have it turned off in my user modes on the K-3 - 'landscape' where I use a tripod anyway, 'action' where I use fast shutter speeds anyway and 'macro' where I do feel there is a fractional blurring that I don't want. I leave SR on for casual walkabout photography where the idea is more important than perfection on the IQ front.

That's what I thought and decided to turn it OFF for my type of shooting.

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:19 AM ----------

I turn it off when shooting with fast shutter speeds.
Also, you have to give it some time for it to activate (though, some cameras have settings for this). You have to half-press the shutter button, then wait for the little SR icon to light up in the viewfinder. This is a common problem for many new users - they don't give SR the time to activate, so they end up with poor photos.

I am totally aware of this, believe me.
And this decision to turn the SR OFF came when in the first few days after I acquire the K3: shooting some BIF's with it ON and couldn't get the SR to activate fast enough during a succession of shots.
Turns out that the shutter speed was sufficient and the SR was not needed? ... at least that is what I understand from this discussion here.

---------- Post added 09-21-16 at 10:22 AM ----------

I found that SR is not the magic answer to shake when asking (in the forum) if I should dial in a longer focal length when using an old MF Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro.
The rationale behind my asking the question was the amount the lens extended when using it in macro becoming longer that some 135mm lenses I have.
The suggestion that made most sense was to try it out!
In a quick test, using shutter speeds of 1/100th sec or less, I found that no SR or dialling in 70 or 75mm on start up seemed to be better than using SR with 50mm dialled in. Best at 75mm.


So I am not saying I have any sort of definitive answer to using SR or not, just that it might be worth trying to use the camera with and without SR at medium speeds, with SR at slow speeds and follow the earlier posters advice to NOT use it at speeds much faster than the focal length might require to avoid shake, e.g. 1/250th sec with a 50mm lens then see what transpires.

Make sense but I don't shoot ever at shutter speeds less than the focal length with this combo: DA*300/4 and K3 (K5) when birding.

[pasorro]

I have 3 user modes for birding 1 hand held bird in flight , 2 hand held static bird , 3 static bird tripod. 1-3 are SR Off , 2 on .
Different af modes also , 1 auto 9 , 2 is sel 27 , 3 spot. Diferent start valúes 1 auto iso max 800 , 1/1000 5.6. 2 is auto iso max 640 ...
With some practice is easy change from user 1 to user 2....
sorry bad english

[Qwntm]

My rule of thumb is off unless I know I need it. It's a feature I choose when to use when I need it.