Image Stabilization
There are two kinds of image stabilization for digital SLRS. One is in-camera stabilization, such as Sony A350, the other is image stabilization built in lenses, such as Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM.
Canon SLR lenses with image stabilization have an IS suffix after their name, Nikon uses the VR “Vibration Reduction” suffix on their image stabilized Nikkor lenses.
Built in-the-lens corrections provide not only blur-corrected images of ca 3 – 4 stops’ worth of camera-shake compensation, but also have clearer view finder images, quicker AF, and higher precision metering. It is generally believed that image stabilization built in lenses has an edge over in camera image stabilization
Image stabilization works by steadying the image projected back into the camera by the use of a “floating” optical element to compensate for high frequency vibration (hand shake for example).
As a rule of thumb, the slowest hand-holdable shutter speed is the reciprocal of lens focal length (e.g., 1/200 sec for a 200mm lens), but faster than 1/30s at least. Image stabilization can help you take handheld shots at least two stops slower, sometimes even 4-5 stops slower, than without image stabilization. For example, if you would require a shutter speed of 1/500s to shoot a particular scene, you should be able to shoot at only 1/125s (4 times slower) with image stabilization.
Many people believe Canon IS and Nikon VR are the same thing. they are not. Popphoto tested that Nikon outperformed Canon at wider focal lengths (100- and 200mm) by about one shutter speed. At longer focal lengths, however, the Nikon performance remained the same, Canon outperformed Nikon, and at 300mm and 400mm, Canon’s IS delivered four- and almost five-speed improvements (over the reciprocal of the focal length) compared to Nikon’s constant three. However, I could not find the original article on popphoto after they changed the link.
Image stabilization is especially important in the following situations:
- Telephoto shooting: because of the long focal lengths involved, even slight camera movement can result in blurry images.
- Evening/Night scenery, indoor environment: To get enough light for nighttime shots, you must set your camera to a slow shutter speed.
- Panning: As you move your camera horizontally to follow the motion of a speeding car, or running child, even the slightest vertical bouncing can rob your image of clarity.
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