I’ve heard many a time, that one should deactivate Vibration Reduction (VR) when using the camera on a tripod. But does this claim have any merit? Do Nikon 1 lenses, like the Nikon 10-30mm, become less sharp when used on a tripod with VR enabled?
To test this claim I’ve taken 4 photos, two at the wide end of 10mm and two at the telephoto end of 30mm with VR enabled and disabled respectively. Dear reader, please don’t be put off by the lame subject matter, this for “scientific” purposes only. The 1st and 3rd photo are with VR on. All four images are available in full resolution (10MP) on Flicker. Just click on them to view them large on Flickr.
In the wide angle shots I’ve focused on the building on the left, in the telephoto shots I’ve focused on the building in the middle.
To my eyes, whether VR is turned on or off has no effect on the image sharpness. I would be happy to hear from users who have attempted the same test with the Nikon 10-30mm or other Nikon 1 lenses which have VR. Please leave a comment! 🙂
VR on
VR off
VR on
VR off
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[…] I've heard many a time, that one should deactivate Vibration Reduction (VR) when using the camera on a tripod. But does this claim have any merit? Do Nikon 1 lenses, like the Nikkor 10-30mm, become less sharp when used … […]