EX2F Image Stabilization. When to use?

frascati wrote:

All I found 'recently' here was this from four years back....

Do you wonder what exactly the EX1/TL500's Dual Image Stabilization does? Is it some sort of computerized detection and correction of blur?

I think I have the answer, and it does not involve any sort of magic--if fact, I'm tempted to say that any unique claims for this function at least border on the misleading.

I took two sets of photos in our fairly dark basement: one set with the P setting, ISO100, optical IS on, and the other with the Dual IS engaged. The normal shot with the P setting resulted in a shutter speed of 1/10--and, examining the image on the computer, it was pretty sharp: optical IS works. (This was at maximum zoom.) The shot with dual IS was equally sharp (no sharper), but was more noisy/grainy. Then I looked at the exif: ISO800, 1/60 sec. All dual IS did was to increase the ISO from 100 to 800, which resulted in a higher shutter speed (not needed, in this case). That's all! Fuji used to do this, calling it some kind of image stabilization, when all they did was to increase the ISO.

But wait: what if you set the ISO at 800 in the first place? Does dual IS do anything at all? I did that comparison, too. In that case, the shutter speed with optical IS only was 1/60 sec, but with dual IS it was 1/90. However, the picture was noticeable darker, and this could be seen in the histogram. So it seems that what they do with dual IS when the set ISO is already high is to deliberately underexposure the picture, which of course results in a higher shutter speed (but has its own disadvantages).

I will not be using dual IS at any time. If the shutter speed is too low, then I'll increase the ISO, but only by as much as I need to, not the arbitrary increase to 800 that dual IS does. (That's assuming that I'm already using the widest aperture.)

Bob

What to make of this?

My initial questions about IS were other than this. The manual suggests that using IS with a tripod (or any very solid platform I suppose) can be disadvantageous. The mechanicals can actually induce blur. Has that been everyone's experience? What about the plentiful situations where the camera is stabilized against an immobile handy object nearby... a door-frame, tree, outcrop of rock, car fender, etc? Not that there would be, of course, any use for IS with a tripod (except for full zoom perhaps?) but must one remember to defeat it in all such cases?

What are user's experience generally with Samsung's mechanical and/or optical zoom? When to use one or both? When to defeat?

Thanks.

According to my humble experience:

I only use software IS when shooting videos, which generally comes at the cost of some cropping. In principal, this is not much different from applying a stabilizer filter in post (for instance in After Effects); it just shifts the frames around to reduce the overall shake between them. Although I have no hands on experience with EX2F, I use software stabilization a lot in my other cameras. I am guessing EX2F software IS does the same, so please (someone) correct me if I am wrong...

Even in videography, software IS never compares to the mechanical one, but saves you a fair bit of time and trouble in post production. It also enhances the overall video quality a notch as the lossy codecs we use are more efficient in compression when there is less unwanted motion (i.e. jitter) in between the frames.

When it comes to taking pictures, I would be surprised if it is anything more than a software gimmick to bump up your shutter speed.

Mechanical IS, which comes in flavors of lens or sensor shift, actually moves the components around to counteract the shake. It does not only smooth the motion in videos, it also gives you a stop or more advantage (depending on the camera) in every single, individual frame. It understandably has the same positive effect on photos.

They are both meant to be used when the camera is unstable, for instance handheld, or on moving ground (i.e. in a vehicle). Unless you have surgeon-steady hands, you should be shooting at minimum speed of 1/60th of a second handheld. 1/125th puts you in the safe zone. Those are hard to attain without bumping up your ISO, and welcoming the inevitable grain. A "one stop" mechanical stabilization advantage means you can shoot at 1/30th of a second instead of 1/60th, and won't need to increase your ISO one step.

I would avoid using any IS as long as camera is on stable ground, whether be it mounted on a tripod, or sitting on a wall, a table etc. IS causes more trouble than good in those cases. You can see the damage especially if you are taking time lapse photos or videos. Just turn IS completely off, and use a 2 sec. timer to take your shots (as an alternative you can use the wifi app; just make sure you are not touching the camera when the shot is being taken)...

Hope this helps...