Ripolini wrote: StanOPhoto wrote:
How often do you actually use it though? I've been shooting professionally for more than 15 years and IBIS has never been a decision factor for me. For critical sharpness, I'm always 2x my focal length so camera shake is a non-issue. Stopping motion requires more shutter speed. Anything less has intentional camera movement, or a tripod.
I utilize IBIS only for personal travel during twilight and even then, I made due without it for 12 years and still came home with keepers worthy of commercial sales and large printing.
With this kind of reasoning, VR is useless too...
I shot for decades with Velvia 50 and Provia 100 without IBIS or VR, bringing home shots that I sold anyway. So I shouldn't use more than ISO 100.
And there are photographers who didn't even have AF in the past... yet they took excellent photos. So what?
You say you're a professional photographer and that a tripod is better for certain photos. Sure. For serious macro and landscape work, I always use a tripod. But then you say that IBIS isn't really necessary in an entry-level camera? So you're saying that anyone who buys an entry-level camera should always travel with a tripod instead of using IBIS? Not all amateurs want to carry a tripod with them; and if you're a professional photographer, you know that there are situations where you can't use a tripod unless you have specific permission.
StanOPhoto wrote:Talking about IBIS in an entry-level camera is silly, especially when Nikon left it out to cost of entry down. The Z50ii offers so much bang for your buck. I just wish Nikon would release a D500 replacement that is larger and can use a vertical grip.
Z50II is NOT the cheapest DX MILC. It's the most expensive one, actually (more expensive than Z30, Z50 and Zfc). And IBIS doesn't cost so much.
I should clarify: the Z50ii is the cheapest Expeed 7 camera. If it came with IBIS was priced at $1,250+, people would easily turn away from it. I think it's priced very aggressively and Nikon offers VR in lenses that will need it most.
On the flip side, yes I do think entry-level photographers would be better served carrying a tripod rather than relying on IBIS. They'd become more methodical in composition and grow as a photographer quicker.
And yes, I do think VR is mostly a marketing ploy to upsell consumers, and not really needed in most lenses. Telephotos? Sure - it stabilizes the viewfinder for composition, but in real-use has little effect on the final image for the shutter speeds typically used. Wide angles, standard zooms, and fast or slow primes? Not as necessary.
I agree Nikon should have just included IBIS in the Z50 II, but I can see why they didn't from a business perspective.
Jan 02, 2026 at 02:59 PM
Previous versions of StanOPhoto's message #16959512 « Opinions on Nikon Z50II? »
