The Science of Image Stabilization Technology

[Chris Dodkin]

[video=vimeo;25219345]http://vimeo.com/25219345[/video]

Preston Scott has provided a really nice insight as to how (Canon) IS works on modern lenses - in this case the 18-55mm.

One of the great advantages of an SLR camera is the ability to attach long focal length lenses and capture high magnification images of faraway objects. One of greatest challenges, then, is holding said lenses steady during image capture. You may think you have a steady hand, but as you have read here, you are probably wrong. Luckily, lens manufacturers have solved the hand holding problem by incorporating image stabilization features into the lenses. Tradition has it that one should be able to capture a sharp image by hand holding the camera and setting the shutter speed to 1/focal length. Chances are, you can do much better than that. The reason is that little button on the side of your lens that says IS (or VR for Nikonians). Image stabilization routinely enables sharp hand held photos at shutter speeds that are 3-4 stops slower than the 1/focal length rule would imply. There is no doubt about the benefits of image stabilization but how does this magical technology work?

http://www.cameratechnica.com/2011/06/16/the-science-of-image-stabilization-technology/

 

[Hamish Gill]

And a fantastic corresponding video!