Downsides to Shake Reduction

I don't doubt for a moment that the tests everyone has done have given them the results they report. What I would say is that the instructions are quite explicit "turn SR off when on a tripod" so maybe they knew that would give the best results. If they had only said why we wouldn't have a debate!

I can think of other possible factors, some simple, and also that some of us would think they didn't matter.

At least on the K20D when SR is off the sensor is clamped into position. In theory this would ensure maximum resolution for macro work.

Turning SR off would save power, however insignificant.

Turning SR off would save unecessary wear on the SR mechanism.

I'm sure there are plenty of other possible reasons. It isn't difficult to switch SR off when on a tripod, so that's what I do providing I remember to. As I use the 2 second self timer quite often, it's remembered for me most of the time!

When I did my original tests, not having a wired remote, I had to use my finger on the button to release the shutter, and, not surprisingly, there was a small amount of shake clearly visible on all the shots without SR. That shake was of course absent with any of the delayed modes.

The same small amount of shake was also present with SR on - from which I concluded that the amount of shake was too small for the SR system to either notice it, or be able to correct it. But it was certainly no worse with SR on, in fact I couldn't tell the difference in the amount of shake with SR on or off.

I never got round to getting a wired remote, so I was never able to complete the test, as it were.

So thanks for this - very interesting that (assuming you were using the wired remote release for all of your tests), SR does *not* seem to be switched off automatically with the wired remote, unlike all the delayed modes and the IR remote release.

Indeed. I would soooo like to give the guy that wrote that part of the manual a good slap for that omission.
There've been quite a few cases of the SR switch breaking off, though, haven't there? For that reason alone, I'm more than happy to leave it in the On position permanently.

Having no wired remote, one of the delayed or IR modes is a must for me if I want to completely eliminate shake, so it's always automatically off when I'm doing anything on the tripod.

Ironically, forgetting to switch SR back on, after testing it with it off, has lost me several hand-held shots due to uncorrected shake

I don't know, I haven't heard of any. However, a theoretic risk.

I always felt the AF/MF switch was a bit vulnerable, but the design of that has not been changed so I suppose it's proved to be OK.

The design has changed since the K20D as the K-7 doesn't have a mechanical SR switch at all. I bet that was simply to simplify the camera, though.

Unless of course the issue is that it is damaging the camera rather than reducing image quality.

I have generally left the SR switched off as most of my handheld shots are taken at fast enough shutterspeeds. So that SR would have no effect, Anything where there is a risk of shake i would almost certainly be using a Tripod! so for me SR is a last resort! Reassuring to have but not generally used!

Regards - Pete.

For someone like me SR is a God send.

At times I do have shaky hands - and this showed quite markedly on my Kodak P&S - so moving to DSLR my camera really had to have SR .

For me SR just WORKS