Stabilization TodayBattling camera shake? Camera and lens manufacturers lend a hand. |
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Page 3 of 5 Electronic/ISO-Shift Stabilization While electronics are used in lens-shift and sensor-shift mechanisms, some compact digital cameras offer “electronic stabilization” that doesn’t shift lens elements or the sensor. It takes data from the motion detector(s), then uses in-camera processing to sharpen the blurred images. This isn’t as fancy as lens-shift or sensor-shift systems, which actually stabilize the image, making it sharper during shooting. However, this method is less costly and does improve images. Some compact digital cameras feature ISO-shift “stabilization”: They provide higher ISO settings (up to 3200 with some models) and automatically increase the ISO setting in dim light to provide faster, more “handholdable” shutter speeds. Faster shutter speeds are indeed an effective anti-shake measure (and they also help reduce blur caused by subject movement, which lens-shift and sensor-shift mechanisms can’t help), but higher ISO speeds result in poorer image quality than slower ISO speeds with any given camera. To counteract this, the up-the-ISO systems also generally employ advanced noise reduction to maintain image quality. Another sharpness-increasing feature (currently found in the Nikon Coolpix S7c) records a series of images and saves only the sharpest one. Casio, Fujifilm, HP, Nikon, Olympus and Samsung all offer compact digital camera models with electronic stabilization. Gyro Stabilizers None of the systems we’ve mentioned actually prevent the camera from moving; rather, they compensate for the movement. There are also separate gyro-stabilizing units on the market that can be attached to cameras to prevent movement. These are even more effective than the built-in systems and can be used with any camera, but they add bulk and cost. Kenyon’s units contain two gyro wheels (to stabilize both pitch and yaw), spinning at more than 20,000 rpm (it takes them six to seven minutes to reach operating speed) and are very effective at stopping camera shake. These units can be used in conjunction with stabilizer lenses for maximum shake elimination.   |
