1. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Copyright © 2003 – 2009 Kenji Tachibana Image Stabilization - IS 16 slides

2. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization: IS Practical Description: The state-of-the-art image stabilization (IS) seems to work very well in actual use. IS help ‘stabilize’ the camera by 1 to 2 whole-stop slower shutter speed settings for hand-held shooting.

3. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Misconception: The image stabilization ‘cures’ the ‘camera shake’ problem. And it has nothing to do with stopping subject motion or taming movement within the scene.

4. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Pro and Con: State of the art electronic IS seems to function very well in actual use. They help to stabilize the camera to minimize camera movement blur. The disadvantage is that it makes many shooters less careful about holding the camera steady. That tends to nullify any advantage offered by image stabilization.

5. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Two Types: Type 1: Lens based image stabilization. In theory, this type of image stabilization is superior to the type 2. Type 2: Body based image stabilization. In practice, this type work just as well as the type 1.

6. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Better Type: My prejudice I like the cost advantage offered by the Type 2. Early on, it was thought that the IS had to be in the lens to work properly. Sony Alpha series DSLR proved that the IS built into the camera body can work just as well.

7. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Sony Alpha Story: Sony Alpha A100 broke new ground when it came out a few years ago with a in-the-body based IS. Rigorous testing in the lab and field use by many photographers proved its effectiveness. Now the owners of Sony prosumer DSLR Alpha A350 to the professional full-size-chip A950 DSLR cameras have a large legacy of Minolta/Konica lenses available for use with the in-the-body based stabilization.

8. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization My Story: Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ-18 IS My new camera has an optical zoom that reaches over 500mm (equiv). The generic hand-held shutter speed guide for a 500mm is 1/500 th sec. Although, in the Pacific Northwest, I would be lucky to get 1/125 th sec shutter speed on an average day. Except for direct sunlight lit subjects, which is rare for me, the 1/500 th sec shutter speed is not seen too often in my image EXIF data.

9. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Not Possible Without IS: I ordered tea for lunch at a neighborhood Tai restaurant. When it came, I was surprised at the elegant presentation. I got inspired to capture it even though the available light level was extremely low and there was mixed lighting.

10. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Facts: Hand held available light shot The f/4 was chosen for deep dof. The ‘.6 sec’ shutter speed is way into the ‘tripod required’ realm. I had no tripod so with the IS turned on, I squeezed the shutter. I was tempted to turn up the ISO to 200 but I held it @ 100 for quality. The 6.3mm wide angle choice was based on maximizing dof. The bias was adjusted to ‘-.3’ to hold the shutter speed at ‘.6 sec’.

11. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. This hand held shot could not be this sharp without the use of the image stabilizer when using a ridiculously slow shutter speed.

12. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Conclusion: The use of the IS allowed me to capture a sharp image to use for this IS PowerPoint show. Besides using the IS, I also braced both my elbows on the table top. That was combined with the ‘breathing’ and ‘squeeze’ technique on the shutter button. Even then, the other 6 ‘sharpness bracket’ shots were all motion- blur soft. The example image was image processed and retouched.

13. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Tea Treat for your eyes as well as your taste buds.

14. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization IS: Final thoughts There are usually two (2) setting choices which are: IS-1: On only for the shot – best function and battery life. IS-2:Always On – not recommended and your numbering system may be reversed.

15. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Shutter Speeds: Reminder Shutter speed colorized in RED are not recommended for handheld shooting. The marginal speeds are colorized in ORANGE. And the GREEN speeds are recommended for safe use. The BLUE speeds are very safe for hand holding and shooting moving objects. 4 sec2 sec1 sec½¼1/81/151/301/601/1251/2501/5001/1000 1/2000

16. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Image Stabilization Summary: Even with IS, I recommend the use of a tripod or some other mechanical support until your technique matures and becomes rock solid reliable.

17. Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I x End