From the article Pics not copied
VR Comparisons - Handheld Shots
Here we have some handheld shots at 200mm of a car in the shade. The images were processed through Photoshop's Camera Raw Converter from Nikon NEF to JPEG-High with a 300% USM applied before conversion to JPEG. The crop of the car's door handle is at 100% magnification from the D100's output.
Because of my ability or luck at being able to handhold the lens at relatively slow speeds, I used the very slow f22 shots to clearly show the advantage that VR provides.
At f22 the shutter speed was 1/8 of a second. Of the three images shot at f22, the VR Normal shot is the best of the three and although it is still soft in absolute terms, it could certainly be usable if push came to shove. The shot at f2.8 with a fast 1/500 shutter speed with VR off is for comparison purposes for a sharp image.
We can also see that using the VR Active mode is actually detrimental to the image quality when used for normal static shooting situations.
Also, keep in mind that with the D100 camera being used, the smaller CCD results in a cropping factor that turns the 200mm to a 300mm equivalent for the long range of the lens. While not a true 300mm magnification, it has all the problems of vibration and shake of a 300mm lens.
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VR and Tripod Use
While Nikon's implementation of VR betters Canon's IS in incorporating panning detection without the need to flick a switch, it is worse than Canon's in not being compatible when a lens is tripod mounted. Nikon recommends turning off VR when the lens is mounted on a tripod and I agree for the most part. When I took the first sample shots below, it was quite bright out and comparing the shots with VR off, on and active at f8 @ 1/320, saw no difference at all, but not at f22 where the shutter speed fell to 1/40. The second set of shots were indoors and were at f5.6 @ 1/10, but they still confirm the results of the outdoor shots. In both sets of shots a Gitzo 1345 tripod and Arca Swiss B1 head were used.
Why isn't VR compatible with tripod use? My guess (educated or not) is that the VR element is like a gyroscope that is always active in trying to repel vibrations when you have VR on. If you tend to shake in one direction, the VR element will shift the opposite direction to counteract the shake and provide a sharp image. However, on a tripod with VR on, the VR element is still active and in this current generation from Nikon, it is not yet "intelligent" enough to recognize when it is on a stable platform and when it is not, thus blurred images with VR on. So VR continues to attempt to counteract vibration and shake even when not necessary.
Strangely though, the Active mode of VR presented an image that was a little less clear than with VR off, whereas the VR normal mode is very blurred. So, yes, do follow Nikon's recommendation to turn off VR when using the lens on a tripod.
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VR on a Weak Tripod
VR is not advised for use when the lens is mounted on a tripod; however, not all tripods are created equal. I dug out my fathers ancient tripod that no self-respecting serious photographer would ever want to use due to it being short with thin diameter legs and being very wobbly. So wobbly that I had to wait several seconds between exposures during the testing whereas I only had wait a second or two for the lens mounted on the Gitzo 1345 to settle down. And yes, I even used the centre column of the wobbly tripod, a practice anathema to those that care about sharpness.
This was to confirm the notion that VR does not work well on a good, solid tripod because of the stability provided versus VR working well with weak tripods or monopods because of the inherent instability.
As with the shots taken on the Gitzo 1345 tripod, the shots taken on the weak tripod at fast shutter speeds showed no differences between VR off, on, or active.
At slower shutter speeds, VR On was still detrimental to the image with a slight blur being revealed, but certainly not as bad as with the Gitzo shot. I found the Active mode though, provided a subtly better image than with VR off. I suspect that with slower shutter speeds, the flimsy tripod will definitely benefit from VR being on Active mode than off and only within the danger zone of speeds of 1/60 to 1/2 of a second for cameras without benefit of mirror lockup.
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When VR is on one can hear the little click of the VR motor engaging and the viewfinder image shifts slightly. There is no waviness causing seasickness, as Ive heard of for older VR/IS lenses. It is simply amazing to see the trembling of the viewfinder caused by ones own hands shaking being counteracted by the VR mechanism and it is even more amazing to see the sharp images appear on the computer screen and comparing it to non-VR shots at the same slow shutter speeds.
However, as other experienced users of IS/VR have noted, one should really not use VR as a crutch for bad technique. Your percentage of sharp images at slow shutter speeds will certainly improve, but in order to obtain the best advantage that VR has to offer, good technique is still required.
In some of the test shots I did, I surprised myself at how well I was able to handhold the lens with 2x TC attached (400mm @ 1/60), with the results matching the quality offered with VR on, but that was only when I made a conscious effort to be steady. At other times when I was particularly sloppy in technique, not even with VR on would the shot be usable.
Normal VR mode is suitable for the majority of photographic opportunities with this lens with Active VR really only required during very shaky situations. Using Active VR in normal situations can result in blurred images due to the aggressive implementation of VR by the lens in this mode.
Shooting styles will have to change slightly when using VR, as one cannot simply rattle off a series of motor driven shots the moment you want. You need to wait for VR to engage first in order to utilize it and that requires a brief delay. In quiet moments you can hear it and know when to start shooting, but in noisy environments, best to give a half-second pause before releasing the shutter.
There were references made on one of the Nikon lists that VR was not functional with the AF-On feature of current Nikon cameras. Without knowing more details and specifics, I made an automatic presumption I could no longer use the AF-On button to focus the lens and would have to use the shutter release to do so in order to enjoy the use of VR at the same time.
This was an incorrect presumption on my part and I take the curses uttered at Nikon back. VR is indeed only engaged by the shutter release button; however, this does not preclude one from continuing to use the AF-On button to focus. While you can choose to have VR and focusing both on the shutter release button, using the shutter release for focusing has become so alien to me that during the brief period of time I had the AF-On disengaged, I found that I instinctively had my right thumb reaching for the button instead of focusing via the shutter release.
I prefer not to have the AF via the shutter release because focus is not locked while I continue to have the meter active. As I compose and meter the scene, the subject focus shifts as I move the focus away from it. With the AF-On feature, I can lock focus first, release the thumb on the AF-On and compose the scene or meter other parts as desired.
It really is quite simple and effective to have focus on the AF-On and meter-lock and VR on the shutter release. I could also use AF/AE button to lock focus, but this was awkward for me to keep the index finger engaged at the same time, as I was engaging and dis-engaging the AE/AF lock button when I wanted the focus locked.
You can't see in-body working as it's behind the mirror - one of the main drawbacks of Sony etc.
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