In Ron Reznick review on the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 AFS/VR-G the fowling statement was presented in his review. VR is activated by half-pressing the shutter button. Normal VR will detect panning motion and only correct for movement in the direction perpendicular to the panning motion. Active VR will detect and correct for motion in any direction, such as on a moving car or boat, and should not be used for panning. VR should be used in conjunction with a tripod only if the head is free, as it will actually yield poorer results otherwise as the VR lens group will induce some motion on it’s own. The last line on when to use the VR ( with a tripod) is it right it should only be used if the head is free ( camera mount)??? What is the right way to use the VR? And is there any place to go and read the instructions on the 70 to 200 vr and newer reviews. Thank you very much for the help.
That statement is correct, if you have the lens (or camera) mounted to a tripod or monopod, you should not use the VR unless the head is unlocked. This means that the head is loose enough for you to move the camera around as in framing the shot. I've used the 70-200VR on a monopod with VR on, and under some conditions, it does help. VR has a stabilization time of 1/1000 sec. according to info from Nikon. I have interpreted this to be it's stabilization period, which means that with shutter speeds shorter than 1/1000 sec, you might catch the VR in a transitional mode, resulting in lack of sharpness from the VR being out of phase. My own observations confirm this, shots taken routinely faster than 1/1000 sec have random unsharp shots, as compared to zero unsharp shots at fast shutter speeds with VR off. It's a useful tool, and it's really designed to be used at slower shutter speeds, where it will give about a 3 stop gain. Many of the forums have reviews, I like Thom Hogan's reviews at bythom.com
