Have you ever wondered if using Nikon’s Vibration Reduction was hurting your battery life – and by how much? This is of special concern for the Nikon Z series cameras since, when you have VR turned on, it runs anytime the viewfinder or rear LCD is active, so it’s critical to know!
I did some timed tests for this four-minute video to determine how much of a draw VR is on your battery – and the results will surprise most viewers! In addition, I also address whether having VR on all the time puts you in danger of wearing the system out prematurely.
A must-see for every Nikon shooter – and I’m confident the guidance applies to most other brands. 🙂
PS – If you enjoyed this post, I think you’ll REALLY like my e-books and video workshops! Thousands of pages and hours of videos filled with tips, tricks, and techniques – all my best content! Check ’em out – click here (hey, it’s free to look).
Curiosity prompted you to do some great testing, discovering the surprising battery drain of VR. In my thesis paper , I also consider the possible premature wear of the system due to continuous use of VR. Therefore, I agree that the video should be watched by all Nikon lovers, as the video is very informative.
VR requires powerful processors to handle complex 3D graphics and real-time motion. This requires a lot of computing power and increases the device’s power consumption, which affects battery life.
Please keep me updated. I was able to glean a lot of useful data from this source. A fantastic article, for which I am really grateful and optimistic that you will produce many more.
I usually find your movies to be very informative, and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from watching them. Thank you so much, Steve.
Thanks Steve, I have a Z9, usually pared with a 500 PF, I have noticed that when walking around with the combo slung over my shoulder, I can hear various whirrings emanating from the camera, I can only assume this is the VR/IBIS being active, despite the fact that my camera is set up so that the viewfinder is only active when I am looking through it (the LCD screen is not active either). Your Z9 set up guide states “ anytime your viewfinder (or LCD) is active, VR will run if it’s turned on”. So, as neither my viewfinder… Read more »
thanks, Steve always find your videos very helpful , have learned a lot form these thanks a lot
I agree, not an issue to leave VR on.
I never really thought about this, thanks for performing the tests and for the very useful info.
Happy to help 🙂