Re: Image Stabilization on Canon Cameras and Lenses
Why not try a session or two with IS turned off? It's the only way you'll see for yourself if it makes a difference.
Personally, I'm old school with respect to IS use. If I'm shooting action (mostly sports in my case), I turn off IS. IMO as good as IS systems are today, they're still mechanical systems that react to movement and therefore with action, they will be slightly in 'catch up' mode. That said, I do not have a ton of firsthand experience with current RF super tele primes. I had access to the 600/4 for a weekend motorsports event and used it mostly with IS off. But when handheld in the pits, I used IS mode 1. My impression was it needed half to a full second for the IS to settle down for best effectiveness. I have used the 100-300 more extensively but with sports/action have always turned off IS. For event work, I mostly used IS mode 1 and thought it was faster to settle than the 600, to the point where I never noticed it. I recently acquired the 70-200 Z and I feel it's very similar in this respect to the 100-300. I have over 10 years experience with the EF 200-400 and just used it yesterday and today for event (non-sports) coverage with the R5II in e-shutter. It needed 1+ seconds for IS to settle in mode 1, which I have long observed with this lens. In fact, back in the DSLR days, I noticed that its IS would drift over the course of longer sequences, likely in reaction to vibration from the mirror. To some degree also with mirrorless in EFCS. If I shoot sports and have inadvertently left IS turned on, I notice it pretty quickly with this lens because the IS system fights erratic movement (at least in mode 1).
Bottom line IMO is that IS is a variable and you should try your usual shooting technique with it turned off to potentially eliminate or confirm that it is the relevant variable that has negatively impacted your results.
May 21, 2026 at 10:25 PM
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