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Some thoughts on the Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer Untrasonic lens

A question about the image stabilizer...

Just wondering about the use of AutoFocus and the Canon 28-135 image stabilizer system... if you are in AF mode, should you expect to see the camera shake indicator in the view finder come on less frequently if you have the IS turned on? In other words, does/should my 1993-era EOS Elan "know" that the IS is going to allow it to take a picture in lower-light conditions? Or when in AF mode with IS turned on, should I just ignore the camera shake indicator in the view-finder?

Thanks.

Erik Oberg
Wed, 7 Dec 2005 10:59:51 -0800

Erik,

There is no "camera shake" indicator in the EOS viewfinder. Are you talking about the solid circle that shows up steady or blinking in the lower right hand corner? That circle is actually the "focus achieved" indicator.

When you press the shutter button half way down, the circle is on and steady when the subject is in focus. In manual focus mode, no circle means that the subject is not in focus. In auto focus mode, the circle blinks if the camera cannot achieve focus on the subject.

Chieh Cheng
Wed, 7 Dec 2005 11:21:31 -0800

Hi Chieh,

Thank you very much for your quick response. My EOS Elan does indeed have the "focus achieved" indicator in the lower right hand corner of the viewfinder, but in the lower left hand corner it has another indicator that looks like a little camera with small lines around it. I have an old user's guide which refers to this as the camera shake indicator which is supposed to flash when there is a danger of camera shake. I see it all the time when focusing in low-light conditions without my flash. What I've noticed, however, is that when I have my IS switched on with this new lens, I see the camera shake indicator just as much as I do as when I have the IS switched off. I would have expected to see the camera shake indicator light up less frequently, particularly in conditions that are only borderline low-light.

Any thoughts?
Thanks. Erik

Erik Oberg
Thu, 8 Dec 2005 05:46:45 -0800

Wow . . . I never seen a camera shake indicator on EOS before . . . anyway, I don't believe the camera shake indicator take IS into account.

From the "Using the Canon EOS Elan/EOS 100 - an unofficial manual":

"If the camera determines that there isn�t enough light to handhold the camera without blur then a wobbly camera icon appears in the viewfinder. This icon blinks if the current shutter speed is less than the reciprocal of the current focal length."

With the IS lens, you'll just have to ignore the camera shake indicator and be able to shoot two to three stop slower (depending on how well you hand-hold your camera).

If you think about it, the camera shake indicator is subjective. Some people can hold their camera steadier than others. Some people is so unsteady that even the camera shake indicator is no help.

Chieh Cheng
Thu, 8 Dec 2005 11:13:50 -0800

Chieh,
You, mentioned a faster large-aperture lens. Do you have a recomendation? Would you buy that lens instead of the Canon IS 35-135 zoom lens. I currently use a Canon Rebel XT Digital.
Thanks,
Greg--

Greg Manning
Thu, 01 Jun 2006 22:57:03 -0700

Greg, when I need faster, larger aperture than the 28-135 IS lens, I use my set of three fast lenses: Canon EF 28mm f/2.8, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, and Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. These three lenses are fast, quite inexpensive, and works well in low-light conditions. However, they are not as convenient as one 28-135 IS lens.

If you want a fast, yet convenient zoom lens, you might consider looking at the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM lens. I don't have this lens, but it's worth considering if you need a fast and convenient lens.

You might also look into the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens. It's relatively new in the EF-lens line-up. And it's one whole stop faster than the 28-135 IS lens. I don't own this lens, but it's tempting . . .

Chieh Cheng
Fri, 02 Jun 2006 01:20:17 -0700

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