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How important is Image Stabilization to you?

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... but after regularly using the E-3 and the E-PL1 both with in-body image stabilization I've really started to notice how many more "keepers" I get with those cameras.

Image stabilization won't make you a better photographer but it will help to prevent camera shake from ruining what otherwise might have been a good photo.

I love shooting with my old Olympus E-1 and E-330 DSLRs but I don't think I'll ever buy another camera without in-body image stabilization.
--
http://www.jjjphotography.com
See 'The Big Picture' at http://jjjphotography.blogspot.com/
 
I'm not much of a tele shooter and my 45-200 has IS when needed. I shoot mostly under 50mm (100 mm 35 FF equiv) and even not being a spring chicken LOL I don't feel the need on any but long lenses. Nice for my 45 macro though I don't always use it. I shot Canon for years with mostly non IS fast lenses.

Diane
--
Diane B
http://www.pbase.com/picnic
G1 gallery http://www.pbase.com/picnic/temp_g1
 
I love night time city scapes and I LOVE IS

Nothing like being able to hand hold the kit lens wide open on the wide end at 1/8 with a high hit rate

It helps as I'm already at ISO1600 many of these instances at F3.5 at 14mm

OTOH, I'd like to try the 14 2.5 Pancake on my GH1, hand held
 
As I've gotten older I've noticed that my hands aren't quite as steady as they used to be in my younger days. I've shot with an E-300 for the past 5 years, and in brightly lit outdoor shooting, that increasing un-steady-ness hasn't generally been an issue and shorter focal lengths. But I've started to notice it on long telephoto shots. So in-body IS is increasingly important to me. My Stylus 830 pocket cam (that I've owned for 2-3 years) has it. Last summer I picked up an E-PL1 for travel. And a couple of months ago I picked up a low mileage E-30. I don't foresee ever getting another body without IS.
 
I said this before when the subject came up but I find OIS lenses very useful while I believe IBIS, at least the E-PL version of it, is a bit over-hyped. I have a GH1 and E-PL2 and my most-used lenses are all unstabilized. To me, the form factor of the G and GH bodies trumps IBIS (at least IBIS lite as found on the EPL bodies) in terms allowing the photographer to achieve a stabilized platform.

If I were to rank stability of platforms for normal through short telephoto focal lengths, my ranking would go:

OIS lens + any body > non-OIS lens + G/GH body > non-OIS lens + EPL IBIS body

Using non-OIS lenses at longer telephoto lengths, IBIS might trump the form factor of the G/GH bodies, but I know that using my ZD 50mm in low light, I'd still rather have it attached to the GH1 than the E-PL2.

Of course if you bought the EVF for your PEN, you'd make the ergonomics of shooting more like a G/GH body.
 
mpgxsvcd said:
We aren't saying that Image Stabilization is unnecessary. We are saying that subject movement is a far bigger issue than camera movement.

IS won't help the subject movement at all. Using a wider aperture lens will correct both issues though. That is why I have switched over to using fast primes without IS(14mm F2.5, 20mm F1.7, 25mm F1.4, 30 F1.4, 55mm F1.2, 85mm F1.8) for low light situations. That is a much better solution than trying to correct subject movement with a tool(IS) that can't possibly help.
firefox23508 said:
No ibis is a deal breaker for me. Regardless of what all the sanctimonious shooters claim about proper camera handling, etc., it is useful, just like higher iso capabilities. ...
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I say a bounceable or off-camera flash is pretty useful too. Because the limits of both IBIS & f/1.4 are pretty thin.

--
'I have no responsibilities here whatsoever'
 
It means I don't have to carry a tripod for a lot of shots.

Tedolph
 
great post skihound

OIS is crucial for video unless you intend carting a tripod everywhere you go and is great for low light photography especially as theses cameras dont have fantastic ISO performance.

Dont forget that the smaller the camera the less grip you have and the harder it is to stabilize when handheld.

In most situations for most people I would think it is necessary and very usefull.
 
I have not read all the posts so someone may have said this already, wide angle lenses and I suppose that at 20mm (40 equivalent) this is still wide angle and they do not really require IS, it is you when start getting longer and longer lenses that IS becomes very useful and for me at my age totally necessary, but I could easily manage with the 20mm. Dennis.
 
c_man said:
There are so many differing opinions, I keep changing my mind as to whether it'll be okay or not!
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Following the well proven hand-held rule, the Panasonic 20mm lens without stabilisation should see hand-held shake to start being a problem at shutter speeds of 1/40 sec and slower. People vary in their hand-holding ability but most folks with care can achieve that.

If on an Olympus body then that can predictably be stretched down to 1/4 second with IBIS turned on and the same level of hand-holding care. I can always get a 10x improvement in slowest reliable shutter speed with a range of lenses and focal lengths from M4/3 and from 4/3 on mt E-PL1.

Following the formula at 150mm I see my slow limit is 1/300 second without IBIS and 1/30 second with IBIS. Proven many times and also proved by me with various lenses set at 20mm that 1/40 second is the non-IBIS safe limit and 1/4 second the IBIS safe low limit.

But with Panasonic bodies you are stuck with 1/40 second slowest speed on that 20mm unless you use a tripod or monopod.

Regards........... Guy
 
+1

Shot a legacy 300mm lens on my E-P1 on a windy day and through the camera at 10X I could see much movement even on my Gitzo Explorer Tripod, but left IS on and didn't see any motion blur in the final images.

I wouldn't say IS is a dealbreaker for me, but no way would I want Oly to do away with it and it is one of the functional reasons I prefer Oly to Panasonics.
kermitG9 said:
On the other hand, connect a tele-photo lens to it .. f.ex. try it with a 300mm (600mm) on 4/3 .. and the benefits of stabilisation are more than apparent.
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JJJPhoto said:
Image stabilization won't make you a better photographer but it will help to prevent camera shake from ruining what otherwise might have been a good photo.
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This. IBIS is especially useful when using legacy lenses in sub-optimal lighting conditions (i.e. macro).
 
I am no longer 22 years old with rock steady hands. But deal breaker? It depends. I wouldn't be without it, but I'm willing to take my chances with a legacy lens on my Panny cameras that don't have in-body stabilization.

I wish the 45mm f:1.8 had come from Panny, not Oly, because then it would offer IS. And it needs it at that focal length.
--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix
 
Except that fast aperture reduces DoF which is often not a benefit...

Ultimately, what you want in your camera heaven is an m43 camera with perfectly clean ISO 12,800, an f1.0 lens and IS!

:)
RoyGBiv said:
mpgxsvcd said:
We aren't saying that Image Stabilization is unnecessary. We are saying that subject movement is a far bigger issue than camera movement.

IS won't help the subject movement at all. Using a wider aperture lens will correct both issues though. That is why I have switched over to using fast primes without IS(14mm F2.5, 20mm F1.7, 25mm F1.4, 30 F1.4, 55mm F1.2, 85mm F1.8) for low light situations. That is a much better solution than trying to correct subject movement with a tool(IS) that can't possibly help.
firefox23508 said:
No ibis is a deal breaker for me. Regardless of what all the sanctimonious shooters claim about proper camera handling, etc., it is useful, just like higher iso capabilities. ...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I say a bounceable or off-camera flash is pretty useful too. Because the limits of both IBIS & f/1.4 are pretty thin.

--
'I have no responsibilities here whatsoever'
Click to expand...
 
morepix said:
I am no longer 22 years old with rock steady hands. But deal breaker? It depends. I wouldn't be without it, but I'm willing to take my chances with a legacy lens on my Panny cameras that don't have in-body stabilization.

I wish the 45mm f:1.8 had come from Panny, not Oly, because then it would offer IS. And it needs it at that focal length.
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For a close-enough focal length, check out the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f1.4.

I have the 35mm f1.4. I wanted something in-between 25mm and 50mm and to my eye 70mm equivalent what I see through the lens looks exactly the same size as what my eye sees.

Anyway, I shoot in the city late at night with available light. No IBIS. No OIS. EVF and waist-level composing with the GH2 LCD. I find lots of things to lean against, too.
 
Jeff,

Thanks for that. I waited a while for the Nokton 40 1.4, and, tired or waiting, bought a Canon FD 50 1.4. Works well, and saved a bunch of $$. I still can't get the Nokton out of my mind because of the startling bokeh. But both are subject to the hand-holding issue.

Should I consider scrapping my $130 investment and buy the Nokton 40 if they ever come back into the market?
--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix
 
I have a tremor in my left hand so IS is pretty important, especially with light things.

I've tried cameras with in-body IS and found it doesn't work at all for me or is of very limited help. The IS in lenses works much better. And for long lenses lens IS iis the only way to go for me.

That said, I use the GH2 and 20mm without a problem. I don't know that I'd do as well with even a 25mm. I'm pretty sure the 12mm Oly lens will work without IS as well.

Tom

http://www.kachadurian.com
http://www.kachadurian.com/blog
 
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