Camera Labs

Hi, I am happy to be a new member of the CameraLabs forum. My immediate concern is about IS, and how it is measured, if at all. I am a shaky old guy who hoped the Olympus E510 would let me get off my tripod and get hand-held action. Mostly, I like shooting birds and ducks at my local park I have no unreasonable expectations of IS – it won’t slow down the action – but I hoped it would compensate for my shaky hands. Unfortunately, it rarely works very well, for me. I really liked Gorden’s video of the E510, and tested it out, like he did – so the camera works properly. My question then is: Should I have bought another camera with better IS? Would I have been better off with lens IS, instead of in-body. Is there a measurement of IS? Is CameraLabs considering IS measurement of cameras and lenes in the future?

Hi Brian, welcome to the Cameralabs forums!

I hear what you're saying, but IS isn't something you can easily measure scientifically. None of us shake in a consistent way when holding different cameras, so it's impossible to do it with a human hand and categorically say this camera or lens is 10% better than that one.

You could build a platform which tried to simulate human shake, but as I'm sure you can appreciate, it's a lot more complex than a simple wobble or tremor. So I don't think a mechanical simulation is a fair test.

So all I can do is publish 'with and without' shots showing how well it worked for me personally at a given moment.

Have you tried taking shots with and without IS on your E510? What's the slowest shutter speed you can use for a steady image with and without IS. It may still be faster than you'd like, but I'd be surprised if the IS isn't helping a bit.

It could also be worth popping into a store and trying an alternative IS system, such as a Canon or Nikon lens-based option. Again take shots with and without IS enabled to see what it lets you do. One major benefit is seeing the stabilisation through the viewfinder...

Shaking and tremors can be quite unique to the individual and you may find one system working better than another for you personally...

Let us know how you get on,

Gordon

Thanks for your reply Gordon. I generally use low ISOs (100,200), which doesn’t help. Also my expectations may be higher than some, when it comes to clarity. Also, I may be trying harder, but I sometimes get clearer hand-held shots with IS turned off. So that’s another question: Can IS induce movement if the camera is held steady? Is there any inertial effect that would continue sensor movement if I was suddenly got steady at the moment of exposure? And finally, do you think the factorys measure this, but keep the results to themselves (I would expect R&D to have hard data)? You're right, I should get out more often -- and try out some other camera/lenses. Thanks.

Hi Brian, anti-shake systems sure can introduce their own wobble when the camera is perfectly steady - that's why when you have it mounted on a tripod you should turn any stabilisation off...

It may also be worth refining your photo-taking technique. Holding the camera steady with both hands (left hand supporting the lens), pressing the shutter release gently and breathing out as you do so can all really help...

Yes, yes, yes! Thanks again Gordon. I had seen it hinted that wobble might be induced, but never affirmed. Sometimes I think it’s more about understanding your camers’s limits that make you a better photographer, than about how many features it has. (big grin!).