Originally posted by mmjoshi Judging by the replies it seems best to use SR only when absolutely necessary.
Not so. SR can buy you 2-3 stops, particularly if you learn to use it well. Mine is always turned on except when mounted to the tripod. I have shot at 1/8s handheld with an 85mm lens. I would suggest that you do a comparison test of your own. You will be happy with the results. Here is a good example of a shot that could not have been done without SR:
1/15s, hand held, not braced against anything, and breathing hard from running down the path to get the shot...'nuff said? No, it is not as crisp as a tripod shot of the same subject, but the light was fading and the tripod was out of the question.
The comments above regarding battery drain and damage from vibration are bogus when applied to in-body SR. The SR, after all is only engaged for a very short time period when actually taking a photo. If battery consumption is a concern, turning off the rear LCD and not using the flash are your best defenses. As for vibration...that is just plain silly. I would be more concerned about my dental fillings shaking loose on a Harley or the screws backing out than damage to the SR system. Reasonable precautions against vibration should be adequate and would apply to any camera, not just those with SR.
Steve