When to use IS mode with S90?

[skynscuba]

I just got a Canon S90, which is my first camera with image stabilization. Pretty impressive reduction of blur at 1/15th second,zoomed to max optical, hand held.

I understand that it uses some power, and battery life is already a bit of an issue. So, when should I use IS for underwater, if ever? Shoot Only mode? Benefits or issues?

 

[Nemrod]

Put it in shoot only mode and continue your life.

N

 

[Puffer Fish]

What Nemrod said.

 

[skynscuba]

Does IS in shoot mode do anything negative, like take longer to focus, or is it all to the good?

 

[Puffer Fish]

Does IS in shoot mode do anything negative, like take longer to focus, or is it all to the good?

Have not seen any effect. I have mine set that way.

One thing I have noticed about the S90 is that it seems much faster at taking pictures than my G10. I used to only get small nervous fish pictures by prefocusing the camera, but this last week, I found I could just shoot away...was not expecting that:

That guy is about 1 inch long (there is part of a cardinal fish in the background), and very quick.

 

[Nemrod]

I also find the S90 faster on the shoot than "other" P&S cameras I have played with and about as fast as the Oly ELP-1. I have been playing with just shooting in manual focus with my wide angle optics which need very little focus anyways. With the Oly in manual focus it is faster than the S90 in manual focus, but wahhhhhh. The S90 is in practical use pretty darn fast. You still have to anticipate shots where there is a lot of action etc, double wahhhhh.

I see no downside to using IS in shoot only mode other than the screen will be jumpy and battery life will be ever so slightly improved. The more "BS" functions and modes you turn off the better the S90 will shoot, the faster it will respond and the longer the battery will go.

N

 

[Puffer Fish]

I shoot in shutter priority (1/500), and if using that on land in normal focus, it can take around 2 seconds to capture an image. But set the unit to macro, zoom out, and the focus range is so small, it gets really fast.