How to properly use Image Stabilization (IS) in Digital Cameras

[hitanshu]

Hey, I'm just saying it makes alot of sense to stabilize the body and large white elephants ... er lenses. Else I see little reason why 18-55 lens needs to have IS. IS comes into its own for telezooms - that's when its made the most sense for me.

I mean, ideally if the BODY is stabilised, you can use all the older lenses happily - isnt that a great thing. I mean, I know enough guys who bought 1000D with the non IS kit lens, and later traded it in for a IS 18=55 lens. To me, that's stupid. Rather, shrewd on the company's part to force people to upgrade automatically to 450D that's just a lil more and comes with IS lens.

 

[Yogesh Sarkar]

That’s the case with Sony DSLRs as well, however in body IS isn’t as effective as lens based one that Canon and Nikon use. Especially while using the telephoto lens at good zoom and frankly, that is where it is needed the most. However that doesn’t means that a 18-55 lens wouldn’t benefit from IS and the Canon 18-55IS also has better optics than the earlier 18-55kit lens, just check Salil’s and Shamik’s photographs in the Delhi Photography contest thread (not the zoom one where he uses the 70-200L).

Ps. it is only in India that 1000D is coming with the non IS version of the kit lens, in US it comes with the IS version.

So does that mean Canon & Nikon are illogical?

Is IS utterly independent of lens characteristics? Perhaps not.

Neah, it just means that in case of Canon/Nikon, you have to shell out more to buy the IS version of the lens.

 

[anupmathur]

Here then is a nice article to clear our fundas on IS in lenses vs IS in body!

Neah, it just means that in case of Canon/Nikon, you have to shell out more to buy the IS version of the lens.

Canon & Nikon don't quite agree that the IS is independent of the optics!
This article does explain a little.


Image Stabilization - Lens vs. Body

 

[hitanshu]

Yeah, so basically IS in body isnt that bad either! Coupled with the humongous cost of IS wala lenses, it can be a viable option overseas.

My experience with both systems suggest that the performance differences, at least with wideangle to short telephoto lenses, are small.

However, most of us buy Canon/Nikon for ease of repair in India, over anything else

 

[Yogesh Sarkar]

More than the ease of repair it is the easy and wide verity of lenses available for Nikon/Canon in India, which matters to most. Add to that, they also have better high ISO performance than Sony/Pentax etc.

 

[hitanshu]

Umm, not really. My two pentax friends swear by the high ISO performance, as well as the cheaper higher quality lenses. How does a 50/f1.4 for 8000 sound?

The same gent has a 50/f1.2 with razor sharp bokeh from the 1970s that STILL is fully compatible with his new age Pentax

Anyways ... I'm buying neither anytime soon, so there!