Often you have to deal with situations where it is not possible to set the necessary parameters to obtain a high-quality photo when shooting handheld. Or, you should not use flash or other lighting equipment in low-light conditions. In short, when even a strong lift and the presence of high-aperture optics (the ability to set a high value) still will not eliminate the need to set a sufficiently long one, which will result in blur when shooting handheld.

In order to obtain a high-quality image, in such cases, it is necessary to achieve stabilization of the camera. This can be done either by stabilizing the camera with external devices, or by using the built-in stabilization.

In this article we will look at solutions for image stabilization, which are developed and implemented into their products by camera and lens manufacturers. We will look at external tools, such as a tripod, monopod, etc., in the second part of the article.

Today there are several fundamentally different solutions:

• optical stabilization;
• matrix stabilization;
• electronic (digital) stabilization.

Optical and matrix stabilization assumes that special sensors - gyroscopes or accelerometers - are built into the camera (or lens). These sensors constantly determine the angles of rotation and speed of movement of the camera (or lens) in space and issue commands to electric drives that deflect the stabilizing element of the lens or the camera matrix.

With electronic (digital) stabilization, nothing is mechanically shifted anywhere; the image angles and camera movement speeds are recalculated by the processor, which eliminates the shift, essentially redoing the resulting image.

Typically, manufacturers integrate one type of technology into their products. Or they make cameras with built-in stabilization, but lenses without it (like Olympus or Pentax). Or vice versa - they build a stabilizer into the lenses and produce the cameras themselves without it ( Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Samsung). But, as usual, there are exceptions).

OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZATION

Optical stabilization- This is a technology implemented in a camera, not a camera. Grandees of photographic construction - Nikon And Canon Research in the field of optical stabilization began almost simultaneously. And in 1994 Nikon introduced the first film camera Nikon Zoom 700VR with optical image stabilization built into the lens, and in 1995 Canon presented EF 75-300mm F4-5.6 IS USM, the world's first lens equipped with optical image stabilization.

The principle of operation was that an additional optic stabilizing element, which is deflected by the electric drive of the stabilization system so that image projection on film (or matrix) completely compensated for camera vibrations during shooting.

We remember that photography is drawing with light that passes through the lens, is refracted by the lens of the lens and projected onto a light-sensitive element (matrix or film). If the correct shooting parameters are not met and the shutter speed is longer than necessary, and you take photographs handheld, then the projection of the image falling on the matrix shifts due to camera vibration, and the image turns out blurry.

So, thanks to the stabilizing element, the projection always remains motionless relative to the matrix, which provides the picture with the necessary clarity. But this technology also has a drawback - the additional optical element slightly reduces lens aperture. The second obvious drawback is that, other things being equal, lenses with built-in image stabilization - expensive.

lenses Image stabilization:

• Nikon Vibration Reduction - VR
• Canon Image Stabilization - IS
• Panasonic Lumix Optical Image Stabilizer O.I.S.(There are varieties - POWER O.I.S. And MEGA O.I.S.)
• Olympus Image Stabilization - IS
• Sony Optical Steady Shot - O.S.S.
• Tamron Vibration Compensation - V.C.
• Sigma Optical Stabilization - OS
• Samsung Optical Image Stabilizer - OIS
• Fujifilm Optical Image Stabilizer - OIS

As you noticed, some manufacturers may have different types of optical stabilizers, such as POWER O.I.S. And MEGA O.I.S. at Panasonic. So, let's figure it out:

Initially, the first optical stabilizers were biaxial - that is, they shifted the image projection along two axes of the plane - horizontal and vertical and could compensate for fluctuations when using a shutter speed that was 1-2 steps longer than possible.

Let's look at an example: when using a lens with a focal length of 100 mm, the minimum shutter speed that can be used to obtain a sufficiently sharp image should be shorter than 1/100 of a second (this is for a full sensor, and if the camera has one installed, then you need to take into account -). But, if the lens uses a stabilizing element, the shutter speed can be made shorter without compromising image quality (1 stop is a 2-fold reduction in shutter speed, 2 stops is a 2*2=4! times reduction). That is, you can set the shutter speed up to 1/25 second.

But progress does not stand still, and today manufacturers offer in their products much more advanced stabilizing elements that can compensate for shutter speed by 3-4 and even 5 steps (that is, reduce shutter speed by 8-16-32 times, respectively).

In addition, technologies with 4-axis stabilization elements have appeared, which make it possible to compensate not only hand tremors and horizontal / vertical shifts, but also axial movements of the lens and strong shaking when walking. This is significantly helpful when shooting macro photography and hand-held video shooting with a digital camera.

As an example - MEGA O.I.S. at Panasonic, this is two-axis stabilization with vibration compensation up to 2-3 steps, and POWER O.I.S.- this is already a four-axis system, which, in addition to compensation up to 3-4 steps, is also capable of dampening the vibrations of hand-held video shooting when walking. Other manufacturers have similar technologies - for example Hybrid IS And Dinamic IS at Canon.

INTRA-CAMERA OR MATRIX IMAGE STABILIZATION

Matrix stabilization- This is a technology implemented in the camera, not the lens. It was offered by the company Konica Minolta and was first used in 2003 in a camera Dimage A1(the technology itself was called - Anti-Shake).

With this solution, camera vibrations are compensated not by the optical element inside the lens, but by the matrix itself, installed on a movable stabilizing platform. The principle of stabilization here is different - the matrix itself “adjusts” to the projection of the image, rather than the projection changing on the way to the matrix. One of the advantages of this solution is that, unlike optical stabilization, matrix stabilization does not introduce distortions into the picture and does not affect the lens aperture. In addition, the most obvious advantage is that you can use any, even the cheapest, lenses and get a “stabilized” image.

But there are also disadvantages. It is believed that matrix shift stabilization is less effective than optical stabilization. As the focal length of the lens increases, its efficiency decreases: at long focal lengths, the matrix has to make too fast movements with too large an amplitude, and it simply ceases to keep up with the “escaping” projection. In addition, for high accuracy, the system must know the exact focal length of the lens, which limits the use of old zoom lenses, as well as the focusing distance at short distances. And the most unpleasant thing is that matrix stabilization may not work correctly during macro photography. Of course, progress does not stand still here either, and manufacturers are significantly improving their developments. The latest cameras now offer 5-axis stabilization systems ( Konica Minolta Anti-Shake was 2-axis) and the ability to compensate for shutter speed up to 5 steps.

Below are the designations used by manufacturers to identify the built-in cameras Image stabilization:

Konica Minolta Anti-Shake AS(out of print, mentioned here as a “tribute to history”)

Pentax Shake Reduction - S.R.

Olympus In Body Image Stabilizer - IBIS

Sony SteadyShot - SS, (There are varieties - Super SteadyShot - SSS and SteadyShot INSIDE -SSI)

ELECTRONIC (DIGITAL) IMAGE STABILIZATION

With this type of stabilization, approximately 40% of the pixels on the matrix are allocated to image stabilization and are not involved in the formation of the image. When the camera shakes, the image “floats” across the matrix, and the processor records these fluctuations and makes corrections using reserve pixels to compensate for the shake. This stabilization system is widely used in inexpensive digital video cameras with small matrices. It is of significantly lower quality than other types of stabilization, but is fundamentally cheaper, since it does not contain additional mechanical elements.

Please note that manufacturers may provide the option to use certain operating modes of stabilization systems, For example:

• single frame mode, in which the stabilization system is activated only for the duration of the exposure for one frame (If there is no choice of stabilization modes, but only an on/off switch, then most likely this is the only possible mode of its operation. Although, it is possible that the definition of the stabilization operating mode is set to camera menu)

• continuous mode, in which the stabilization system works constantly, making it easier to focus in difficult conditions. However, the efficiency of the stabilization system may be somewhat lower, since at the time of exposure the correction element may already be displaced, which reduces its correction range. Yes, and in continuous mode the system consumes more electricity, which leads to faster battery drain.

• panning mode, in which the stabilization system compensates only for vertical vibrations.

Let us once again draw attention to the fact that the operating modes of the stabilization system may be regulated both on the lens barrel and in the camera menu.

All manufacturers have their own specific developments and technologies, so it is worth reading the user manual for a particular lens in order to fully take advantage of all its capabilities.

Also, it is important to consider that for almost all lenses and cameras equipped with built-in image stabilization, manufacturers recommend turn it off when mounting the camera on a tripod.

In addition, some manufacturers introduce both optical and matrix stabilization into their equipment:

• Sony, having absorbed the company at one time Minolta, “inherited” the technology of biaxial matrix shift - Konica Minolta AS (Anti-Shake), have finalized it and are now implementing it in some of their cameras. Moreover, a new full-frame mirrorless camera Sony α7 II already equipped with a 5-axis stabilizer.
• Company Panasonic builds image stabilization into lenses, but they already have four (so far four) camera models with a built-in matrix stabilization system - this DMC-GX7, DMC-GX8 DMC-GX80 DMC-G80 . The technology does not have any special name; the specifications simply indicate that the camera uses an image stabilization system ( Image Sensor Shift Type).
• Company Olympus also began to produce lenses with built-in optical image stabilization, which complements the built-in matrix one. There are only two such lenses so far - M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 300mm F4.0 IS PRO And M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-100mm F4 IS Pro.

To summarize, I would like to say that:

• the built-in image stabilization system is a truly serious assistant, making it possible to obtain high-quality shots in difficult shooting conditions
• even high-aperture optics will help reduce shutter speed, but will not help when shooting handheld video, where compensation for serious fluctuations is important
• stabilization together with high-aperture optics is the best combination that is “worth striving for” and which gives the best result
• if you are not buying the fastest aperture optics, then at least don’t skimp on image stabilization - this is often very helpful
• Also, do not forget that long-focus lenses require fairly short shutter speeds (remember the rule) and good image stabilization is especially important in them.

Karpukhin I. V.

The article explores methods of image stabilization. The main technical characteristics, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different methods are considered.

Keywords: image stabilization, optical stabilizer, digital stabilizer.

Introduction

Modern requirements for optical devices come down mainly to a combination of two contradictory characteristics: high angular resolution and minimal weight and overall dimensions of the device. These requirements also apply to equipment operating on a moving or insufficiently stable base. To preserve the potential capabilities of optical devices in the field of resolution, various additional mechanical devices are most often used to reduce the influence of base movement on image quality. Such devices are called image stabilization systems.

1 Image stabilization methods

There are two main methods of image stabilization: optical and digital (electronic). Electronic image stabilization uses a comprehensive software algorithm to improve image quality. Optical is a hardware solution.

1.1 Optical image stabilization

Optical stabilizer consists of two elements: a motion detector - a system of gyroscopes that record the movement of the device in space, and a compensating lens. The principle of operation is as follows: the compensating lens in the lens is shifted in the opposite direction from the displacement registered by the sensor. As a result, light rays in all frames fall into the same area on the light-sensitive matrix. Taking readings from the detector occurs more often than reading data from the matrix, and the lens has time to correct its position even before taking the image from the matrix. Thanks to this, there are no image shifts between frames or blur within one frame.

One of the disadvantages of an optical stabilizer is the use of expensive and complex mechanical elements in its production. In addition, the presence of an optical group of several elements can affect the lens aperture, that is, the ability to provide a particular level of image illumination for a given object brightness.

In general, optical stabilizers are divided into two types: the first move the entire device on a movable base, the second move the optical elements inside the device. In the latter, the following elements are usually used to stabilize the optical image.

Mirrors. To change the direction of the sighting beam, a plane-parallel mirror with an internal or external reflective coating can be used. To rotate the line of sight to a given angle, the mirror is rotated by half an angle.

Wedges. For small deflection of the sighting beam with significant mechanical movement, refractive optical wedges are used. Two identical wedges, turning in different directions at the same angles, form a wedge with a variable beam deflection angle.

Prism cube. It consists of two rectangular prisms glued together with hypotenuse faces, on which there are reflective coatings. The prism cube makes it possible to change the direction of the sighting beam by more than 180˚.

Dove prism, or direct vision prism. This prism wraps the optical image from top to bottom. A Dove prism is used to rotate the image around the viewing axis.

Pehan prism. Since the Dove prism has a significant length, compact devices for image rotation use a Pehan prism, which is a gluing together of a Schmidt prism and a half-pentaprism. The Pehan prism can also work in converging beams, but there is more light loss here, so it is used less often.

Liquid wedge. A cuvette with elastic walls, transparent windows, filled with a transparent, easy-to-flow liquid is used in optical image stabilization systems as an adjustable optical wedge. Depending on the inclination of the glass window, the sighting beam passing through the cuvette is deflected in one direction or another.

The number of optical elements used to stabilize the optical image is continuously increasing. Here we present only the main ones, the use of which in optical instrumentation has become traditional.

1.2 Digital image stabilization

Action digital stabilizer based on analysis of image displacement on the matrix. The image is read only from part of the matrix, thus leaving a supply of free pixels at the edges. These pixels are used to compensate for device offset. Those. When the frame shakes, the image moves across the matrix, and the processor detects the vibrations and corrects the image, shifting it in the opposite direction.

Digital stabilizers have no moving parts (in particular, optical groups of several lenses). This has a positive effect on reliability, since fewer elements are susceptible to failure. In addition, the use of digital image stabilizers allows you to increase the sensitivity of light-absorbing elements (matrix). Also, the response speed of a digital stabilizer can be higher than that of an optical stabilizer.

Digital stabilizers have a number of disadvantages compared to optical stabilizers; in particular, in poor lighting conditions, low-quality images are obtained. As the focal length of the lens increases, the efficiency decreases: at long focal lengths, the matrix has to make too fast movements with too large an amplitude, and it simply ceases to keep up with the “escaping” projection.

Thus, it is believed that matrix shift stabilization is less effective than optical stabilization.

2 Main technical characteristics

One of the main parameters characterizing the quality of operation of optical image stabilization systems is dynamic accuracy, which is determined by errors in optical image stabilization and errors in tracking the line of sight for the object under study.

The task of determining the accuracy of optical image stabilization comes down to measuring the angular deviations of the line of sight during angular and reciprocating portable movements of the base caused by the rolling of a moving object. In this case, it is necessary to take into account a number of specific features of the functioning of the system in systems of the class under consideration. These are, first of all, small values ​​of stabilization and tracking errors; the need to measure the accuracy of optical image stabilization directly on the optical element, which is connected to the system by a non-unit kinematic connection and oscillates in inertial space, the need to measure stabilization and tracking errors at different positions of the system and the optical element.

List of sources used

Line of sight stabilization and guidance system with increased viewing angles / V.A., Smirnov, V.S. Zakharikov, V.V. Savelyev // Gyroscopy and navigation, No. 4. St. Petersburg, 2011. P.4-11.

Automatic optical image stabilization / D. N. Eskov, Yu. P., Larionov, V. A. Novikov [etc.]. L.: Mechanical Engineering, 1988. 240 pp.

Stabilization of optical devices / A.A. Babaev-L.: Mechanical Engineering, 1975. 190 p.

Every photographer sometimes produces blurry, unclear, seemingly blurry shots. The reason for this is camera shake at the time of shooting, which most often happens when working in low light. Indeed, in such conditions, photography is usually carried out at long shutter speeds. And the longer the shutter speed, the greater the likelihood of getting a blurry shot.

Image stabilization system on: the frame is sharp.

To prevent the picture from shaking and the frames from blurring, modern cameras, smartphones, and video cameras are increasingly equipped with an image stabilization system. It helps compensate for camera shake in your hands and get sharp shots even in difficult shooting situations. For modern multi-megapixel cameras, this is especially important, because even the slightest blur will be noticeable in the frames obtained from them. Micro-smear can also occur from the slightest vibrations of the camera mechanisms itself. So stabilization today is not just an additional feature, but a necessity.

How to understand which stabilizer works better and which one works worse? The effectiveness of stabilization is usually assessed in exposure levels. Suppose, without stabilization, a sharp image can be captured at a shutter speed of 1/30 s. If you use a stabilizer with an efficiency of 4 exposure steps, you can count on sharp shots at shutter speeds up to 1/2 s. And if the declared efficiency is only two steps, you should expect a clear picture only at 1/8 s.

Types of Image Stabilization

Digital (electronic) stabilization

The simplest type of stabilization, which does not require any separate modules or mechanical parts, only software algorithms. When digital stabilization is turned on, part of the matrix is ​​allocated for its operation, and the image is shot with a cropped image. During shooting, the image moves across the matrix, thereby dampening vibrations.

The more “aggressive” such stabilization works, the more the final image is cropped and loses quality.

Electronic stabilization in Canon EOS 77D:

This type of stabilization is mainly used for video recording. Interestingly, advanced video editors, such as Adobe After Effects, can also perform digital stabilization.

This type of stabilization can often be found in budget equipment - smartphones, some action cameras, amateur video cameras, compact cameras. In system cameras it is present, perhaps, as an additional feature for video shooting.

Technologies of optical stabilization, rather than digital, demonstrate much greater efficiency.

Optical stabilization in the lens

In photographic equipment, optical stabilization is most often found not in the camera itself, but in its lens. This same type of stabilization is the oldest - it began to be used at the end of the last century. Canon was the first to introduce such technology in 1995, calling it Image Stabilization (IS). Today, every self-respecting manufacturer of photographic lenses has its own optical stabilization technology. But since the name Image Stabilization remained with Canon, other companies named their developments differently. Below we provide a list of names of optical stabilization technology in lenses from various manufacturers.

• Canon - IS (Image Stabilization)
• Nikon - VR (Vibration Reduction)
• Sony - OSS (Optical SteadyShot)
• Panasonic - MEGA O.I.S.
• Fujifilm – OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer)
• Sigma - OS (Optical Stabilization)
• Tamron - VC (Vibration Compensation)
• Tokina – VCM (Vibration Compensation Module)

As a rule, if a lens is equipped with an optical stabilization system, this is reflected in its name, where the corresponding abbreviation is indicated. For example, CANON EF-S 18-55MM F/4-5.6 IS STM, AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6G VR.

How does optical stabilization work in a lens? Its design contains a special module with a movable optical element. During photography, the module detects camera vibrations and, to compensate for them, moves the optical element accordingly. As a result, the image remains sharp.

Pros:

• DSLR and mirrorless cameras have interchangeable lenses. And if you often get blurry shots, you can easily upgrade your old camera by adding a lens with optical stabilization. This will increase the number of clear shots.
• Optical stabilization systems in modern lenses can usually save 3-5 stops of exposure.
• In SLR cameras, the stabilizer in the lens will help you immediately see a stabilized image in the viewfinder - without image shaking, it is much more convenient to compose shots.

Minuses:

• Lenses with stabilization are more expensive, they are heavier in weight and larger in size than their counterparts without a stabilizer.
• An additional optical element in the optical design can negatively affect image quality, light transmission, aperture, and bokeh of the lens.
• Stabilizers in different lenses demonstrate different effectiveness and have their own subtleties of operation. When shooting, you have to take into account that one lens has an effective stabilizer, another is not so good at stabilization, and the third does not have it at all.
• In many lenses, the stabilizer makes a buzzing sound, which can be critical when recording video.

Optical stabilization in the camera

Why add an additional module to the optics if you can stabilize the sensor itself in the camera? With the development of technology, it has become possible to place the matrix on a special moving mechanism, which, following the vibrations of the camera, moves the sensor itself. Stabilization on the matrix allows you to dampen movements and tilts up and down, turns clockwise and counterclockwise. The latter, by the way, cannot be achieved by the stabilizer in the lens. Not all manufacturers equip their cameras with this technology. So far, only the following companies have matrix stabilization:

• Sony - Super Steady Shot (SSS), SteadyShot Inside (SSI);
• Pentax - Shake Reduction (SR);
• Olympus and Panasonic - In Body Image Stabilizer (IBIS).

Sony α7 II camera stabilization system:

What if you put a lens with its own stabilization module on a device with internal stabilization? Sony, Olympus and Panasonic allow you to use both stabilizers simultaneously, thereby achieving greater efficiency in image sharpness.

Pros:

• Modern sensor stabilization systems allow you to compensate for camera shake in all possible directions. Depending on the manufacturer and model of the camera, the effectiveness of stabilization on the matrix can reach five exposure levels.
• Versatility. If the camera has a built-in stabilizer, it can be equipped with more compact lenses without stabilization. On it, any lens will become “stabilized”, even the old Helios from Zenit.
• The stabilization systems on the matrix are almost silent. This means they can be fully used for video recording.
• The stabilized image can be seen immediately through the electronic viewfinder or camera screen. But in DSLRs, in the optical viewfinder, you won’t be able to see a stabilized image.
• Ability to implement many additional functions. For example, the function of tracking the starry sky for photographing it at long exposures.

Minuses:

• Less efficient when working with long-focus optics. When working with it, the matrix has to move too quickly and over too long distances. In the case of telephoto cameras, stabilization in the lens is considered more effective.

In conclusion, I would like to wish our readers to take only sharp shots and let image stabilization systems help you with this!

Image stabilizers are used in all digital cameras. They are necessary, because cameras in the hands of users at the time of taking a picture are often in a moving position: slight trembling of the hands or other possible factors influencing the unstable position of the camera. Without stabilization, pictures would always turn out blurry; image stabilizers were invented to solve this problem. Some companies call them vibration compensators.

The simplest and easiest to understand image stabilizer is tripod, but its use is often impossible. It is large and inconvenient; carrying it with you always and everywhere is unthinkable. It is often used by professional photographers to take long exposure photographs.

There are also software methods for image stabilization: decreasing the shutter speed and increasing the light sensitivity (iso), however, graininess may appear on such a frame. But these are no longer the best techniques, given the fact that it is often impossible to reduce the shutter speed due to poor lighting.

There are 2 stabilization systems: digital, optical. Let's start in order.

Optical image stabilization system

You can guess from the name that we are talking about the operation of the lens unit (optics). The principle is simple: the lens block moves the required distance in the opposite direction of camera movement.

This system itself is good, it costs more and is technically more complex. However, it has advantages: the stabilized image that enters the viewfinder is transmitted to both the matrix and the autofocus system.

There is also a stabilization system based on the movement of the camera matrix. Those. the principle is the same, only instead of a lens block, the matrix will shift a certain distance when the camera is moved. The system has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that a camera with such a stabilization system requires the use of cheaper interchangeable lenses (without an optical stabilization system). Minus - the image is transmitted to the viewfinder and to the focusing system unstabilized, although the matrix “sees” it stabilized (which is important). However, at long focal lengths such a system becomes almost useless, because the matrix has to move to the sides very quickly, and it does not have time to do this.

Important: the optical stabilizer does not affect the picture quality and works well even with magnification. However, it requires quite a lot of energy and is technically complex, so the size of the chamber increases.

Digital stabilization in the camera

Digital stabilization does not require the use of additional devices in the case. In this case, the camera processor and pre-recorded programs are used. However, in this case, part of the information (at the edges of the matrix) disappears.

In fact, the image is initially captured larger in size (larger than we see in the photograph) and when the camera is shifted, the visible area of ​​the image may shift on the matrix in the opposite direction, but no further than the actual image taken.

It sounds complicated, but in reality everything is much simpler. It's difficult to simply explain. The main thing to take away is that digital stabilization involves the use of software and processor resources. In fact, the camera already has algorithms - they recognize the image shift and compensate for it. At the same time, the algorithms are smart, and they easily determine the shift of the picture and the movement of objects in the frame. That is, moving elements do not affect image stabilization in any way.

There is a disadvantage of such a system - it does not work well together with digital zoom. If you use the camera zoom, noise will appear in the image. However, there is also an advantage. Firstly, it reduces the cost of the camera. Secondly, the absence of additional devices inside the camera itself, which makes it more compact.

Something more about stabilization

The operation of the stabilizer is impossible without sensors. These sensors are sensitive and record the slightest movement of the camera and even the speed of movement. When the displacement is detected, they send signals to the processor or drives to shift the stabilization element.

The very first stabilizer (optical) was used by Canon in 1994. It was called Image Stabilization (IS).

Other companies a little later also began to use this technology, but they just called it differently:

• Optical Steady Shot (Sony);
• Vibration Reduction (Nikon);
• MEGA O.I.S (Panasonic).

A moving matrix stabilizer was used in 2003 by Konica Minolta, called Anti-Shake technology.

Competitors picked up the technology and also began to use it, calling it differently:

• Super Steady Shot (Sony);
• Image Stabilizer (Olympus);
• Shake Reduction (Pentax).

Optical or digital stabilizer - which is better?

There can't be two different options here. Definitely, optical image stabilization is always better. According to tests (which ones we don’t know, we’re just saying so) it shows the best results. And in general, it’s easy to verify this yourself. You just need 2 cameras with different stabilization systems. Take pictures with each of them, but at the same time shake the camera itself a little in your hands. The result will be obvious.

Cameras with an optical stabilization system are more expensive, and the price difference is completely justified. If you have the choice between a camera with digital or optical stabilization, it is always better to choose the latter option.

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Publication date: 25.04.2019

Every photographer sometimes takes blurry photos... What is the reason? Of course, a blurry image is almost always associated not with technical imperfections in the equipment, but with shortcomings in setting the most important shooting parameters - shutter speed, aperture, as well as focusing errors. In many situations, image stabilization helps get rid of blur in photos. This is both an excellent safety net in case of difficult shooting conditions and a new creative opportunity in modern photography.

What types of image stabilization exist today? How to use them? Let's discuss in this article!

Ceiling in the Spanish Synagogue, Prague. To shoot in low light without a tripod and without raising the ISO, you have to take pictures at a relatively long shutter speed - about 1/15 s. In such conditions, image stabilization will come in handy.

NIKON D850 / 18.0-35.0 mm f/3.5-4.5 SETTINGS: ISO 1000, F4.5, 1/640 s, 18.0 mm equiv.

Why is image stabilization needed?

What causes the image to blur? If it does not concern focusing errors, then there is only one reason - the shutter speed is too long. When we hold the camera, it always shakes a little, this is human physiology. If the shutter speed is fast enough, this jitter will not affect the image in any way; if it’s long, we’ll get a “stir” or blur in the image.

In addition, when shooting a moving object, blur may occur due to the fact that the shutter speed did not allow the movement to be “freeze” completely. The faster our hero moves, the shorter the shutter speed is needed. If you can shoot a walking person at 1/250 s, then for a playing kitten such a shutter speed may be long.

As the resolution of modern cameras increases, blur in images is becoming more and more visible. This is also the answer to the popular “before, we somehow shot on film without a stabilizer and didn’t know grief.” It’s just that now the quality of both pictures and displays has increased noticeably, and any technical flaw is visible. Blur due to blur will not allow you to reveal the advantages of cameras with higher resolution: for example, Nikon D810 with 36 MP, Nikon D850 and Nikon Z7 with 45 MP. After all, the greater the detail of the image, the more noticeable the blur. If earlier, when shooting at fifty dollars, I boldly set 1/60 s and was confident in the sharpness of the resulting image, now in high-resolution photographs when shooting at such a shutter speed, blur is noticeable. Grease can be avoided in three ways.

Shoot at a faster shutter speed- the most effective way to insure yourself against grease. When shooting dynamics, you need to rely on the speed of the object, and test shooting will help here. But the shutter speed still cannot be longer than the maximum shutter speed for hand-held shooting of stationary objects. How to determine a safe shutter speed for hand-held shooting of stationary objects? To what extent can you extend the shutter speed without fear of consequences? There is a formula derived empirically by photographers:

The maximum shutter speed when shooting handheld should be
no more than 1/(focal length × 2)

The formula in this form will work well for cameras with a resolution of about 24 megapixels. For crop lenses, it is better to take not the physical, but the equivalent focal length of the lens.

But for cameras with high resolution (36, 45 megapixels and higher), it is more correct to use three in the denominator of the fraction, not two, but three, further reducing the shutter speed. It turns out that when shooting with a lens with a focal length of 50 mm, I should set the shutter speed to 1/150 s (50×3). And with a 200 mm lens it’s already 1/600 s!

NIKON D850 / 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6 SETTINGS: ISO 1100, F5.6, 1/200 s, 300.0 mm equiv.

There is one thing: if there is not enough light, when shooting at shorter shutter speeds you will have to increase the ISO, which can result in digital noise appearing in the photo. Therefore, it is not always possible to shoot at short shutter speeds without loss...

Use a tripod- a great way to get rid of blurry shots! But only if you are shooting stationary objects or, conversely, want to greatly blur the movement in the frame. A tripod is an indispensable tool for an architectural, landscape, or product photographer. It securely fixes the camera, and stationary objects remain sharp at any shutter speed. It is also used in reportage, dynamic scenes, if the shooting is carried out with super telephoto lenses. Essentially, a tripod is the “physical” stabilizer of our camera.

But a tripod is not a panacea for blurring. As long as it concerns stationary objects, it is useful. But to “freeze” the dynamics in the frame, a shutter speed sufficiently short for this movement is required. If 1/60 s is enough for a sitting person, then at least 1/500 s will be required for a runner, otherwise the subject will be blurred. Thus, when shooting fast action without setting the shutter speed correctly, a tripod will not help at all.

To stabilize the image when shooting video, in addition to classic tripods, special gyroscopic stabilizers are used, which compensate for all vibrations coming to the camera from the operator’s hands. One of these stabilizers, Moza Air 2, comes in a special Nikon Z6 Filmmaker’s kit.

All of the above options are not universal. Lighting conditions do not always allow for a sufficiently short shutter speed, and a tripod is used mainly for shooting static scenes.

This is where the image stabilization functions built into the camera or lens come to the rescue.

Types of Image Stabilization

How is stabilization effectiveness measured?

The effectiveness of stabilization is usually measured in exposure levels (EV - Exposure Value). How do practicing photographers understand this?

For example, if without a stabilizer we systematically get sharp frames at shutter speeds up to 1/60 s (at longer shutter speeds everything is blurred), and with it most frames turn out to be sharp up to a shutter speed of ¼ s, then this stabilizer has an efficiency of 4 steps.

We can count how long shutter speeds a stabilizer will allow. Why not immediately indicate the maximum shutter speed available when the stabilizer is operating? Why these complex exposure steps? The fact is that a lot depends on the focal length at which the shooting is carried out. If at a focal length of 15 mm you can shoot at 1/30 s without a stabilizer (see the formula for calculating the maximum shutter speed) and get clear frames, then when shooting at a focal length of 400 mm, only a very effective stabilizer that can save 5 steps of exposure, will allow you to get closer to a shutter speed of 1/30 s. After all, the longer the focal length of the lens, the more the image shakes. And in order not to make constant reservations regarding the focal length, the effectiveness of the stabilizer is measured in EV exposure steps. This indicator gives a clear idea of ​​what to expect from a particular stabilization system. This measurement method is also used in Prophotos magazine when testing cameras and lenses.

NIKON D850 / 18.0-35.0 mm f/3.5-4.5 SETTINGS: ISO 400, F4.5, 1/400 s, 18.0 mm equiv.

But there is a strict CIPA measurement method that photographic equipment manufacturers follow. It works a little differently. The “safe” shutter speed for shooting without a stabilizer is not calculated in practice, but simply using the formula “1/focal length”, as in film days. Note that this does not use a ×2 factor like the formula above. On modern cameras with high detail, you need to try hard to, for example, get a sharp frame at 1/200 sec when shooting with a lens with a focal length of 200 mm. Consequently, since researchers take as a starting point a shutter speed that is obviously too long, which does not guarantee sharp frames, they give the tested stabilizer some head start, and the results sometimes look more optimistic than they turn out in practice.

Electronic stabilization. Electronic stabilization does not require any complex technical devices to operate. It is enough that this function is supported by the camera software. As a rule, it is used when shooting video and helps to obtain a smoother, non-shaky picture. In Nikon cameras, this type of stabilization can be activated for shooting video in the menu.

With electronic stabilization, part of the picture is cut off and the viewing angle narrows. Due to the cropped image field, the camera compensates for camera shake by moving the image depending on the camera’s movement in space.

Often several degrees of electronic stabilization can be selected. The higher the stabilization level, the more the image is cropped.

Video with electronic stabilization disabled:

Video with electronic stabilization turned on. The viewing angle is narrower, but the picture shakes less:

This type of stabilization has a drawback: the picture is cut off at the edges, which means the image quality is lost and the viewing angle is reduced. But it is the most inexpensive - you only need software to implement it. By the way, this type of stabilization can be implemented not only when shooting video, but also when processing it on a PC. Some video editing programs also have electronic stabilization functions.

Optical stabilization in the lens

If your Nikkor lens has the letters VR (Vibration Reduction) on it, it means it is equipped with an optical stabilization system. Other lens manufacturers also have their own stabilization systems: they are similar in principle, but the names of the technologies differ.

The lens, equipped with an optical stabilization system, has a special movable lens unit and gyroscopic sensors. Sensors detect vibrations, and the lens unit dampens them by moving in antiphase. The camera now receives the image without any shaking.

Example of an optical stabilization unit

This stabilization system has been on the market for quite a long time, and photographers have managed to get used to it and experience its advantages. Today, many lenses are equipped with such a stabilization system. Even simple “whale” zooms have VR.

A modern lens stabilizer can dampen vibrations along 2–4 axes: tilts up and down and tilts right and left, linear shifts up and down and right and left. The only thing that remains beyond his control is the rotation of the camera around the optical axis of the lens. The effectiveness of modern optical stabilizers averages from 3 to 5 exposure stops, but this figure may vary from lens model to lens model. The manufacturer indicates the effectiveness of the stabilizer for a specific lens model in its characteristics.

Some advanced lenses (for example, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR) may have several optical stabilizer operating modes.

The switch responsible for working with VR has several positions. If everything is clear with OFF (this is turning off the stabilizer), then what are the other two modes NORMAL and SPORT? In NORMAL mode, stabilization occurs constantly, even when simply viewing the image through the viewfinder. By the way, when the image in the viewfinder does not shake, it is much more convenient to “aim” at the subject - both for the photographer and the autofocus system. This mode also recognizes the nature of vibration, and if you want to do panning or shooting with wiring, it will not dampen these camera movements. SPORT mode is used when vibrations are unpredictable and chaotic. In this mode, stabilization occurs only at the moment of shooting; the camera dampens any vibrations. This mode is well suited, for example, for shooting from the window of a moving car.

Video example: shooting without an optical stabilizer and with the stabilizer turned on

It is believed that among telephoto lenses, the best results are shown by stabilization in the lens, and not on the matrix (more on this type of stabilization below). After all, the stabilization module in the lens is designed to work with long focal lengths.

Lens stabilization also has its own nuances. Different lenses are equipped with different stabilizers. This means that the photographer will have to take into account the characteristics of each of them in his work. Some have a stabilizer that is more effective, some have less, and others don’t have it at all. This will have to be taken into account when shooting, setting shutter speed and other parameters. As already mentioned, the stabilizer in the lens cannot dampen vibrations along the torsional axis, and for this reason, beginners often get blurry due to the sudden pressing of the shutter button. The stabilizer unit in the lens means an increase in weight and in the price of the optical product. Lenses without a stabilizer are generally lighter and less expensive.

On-die stabilization

This technology is relatively new, but it has already won many adherents. The bottom line is that the stabilization mechanism is not located in the lens, but on the camera matrix. The matrix is ​​installed on a special mechanism, which, by moving it, dampens camera vibrations. This technology is used in mirrorless cameras Nikon Z 6 and Nikon Z 7. By placing the entire mechanism on the matrix, vibration compensation can be provided not in four, but in five axes. The declared effectiveness of matrix stabilization in new mirrorless cameras from Nikon is up to 5 exposure steps. A serious indicator, especially for a full-frame camera! After all, a full-frame sensor is larger and heavier than others, making it more difficult for the stabilization drive to move it in the desired direction.

Since stabilization is on the matrix, then any lens mounted on the camera receives it. Even if it's an old manual fix. True, in this case the stabilization will be not along five, but at most three axes. For the remaining two to work, the camera needs information about the shooting distance, and such models do not transmit it.

And if you install a lens with its own stabilizer on Nikon Z 6 or Nikon Z 7, the systems will work in pairs, providing an even higher level of stabilization.

How to use optical stabilization?

You will also have to learn how to work with optical stabilization. Sometimes photographers, in the midst of shooting, completely forget about properly setting the parameters. And sometimes the user abuses excessively long shutter speeds, hoping for the stabilizer to work effectively. But even if the camera runs a one-second shutter speed without vibration, the movement in the frame may still be blurry. Thus, posing models will be blurred at shutter speeds longer than 1/60 s. The photographer needs to learn to select a shutter speed sufficient to “freeze” the movement in the frame, otherwise the stabilizer will be of no use, because it only compensates for the vibrations of the camera in the hands, and not the movements of your subjects.

But when shooting at a shutter speed of a second, two, ten, it is better to use a tripod. The result from a tripod is always predictable. But if necessary, you can learn to get sharp shots without a tripod, with just a stabilizer, at shutter speeds of up to several seconds. We talked about this in a separate lesson. But in most cases, it’s good if the stabilizer is your backup, and not your last hope for a sharp shot. During the shooting, did your hand shake or were you pushed? "Stub" will protect the frame!

It is customary to turn off stabilization when mounting the camera on a tripod. Not all lenses have stabilizers that handle long shutter speeds correctly; sometimes their operation causes blurred frames. In order not to tempt fate, the stabilizer in the lens is turned off when installing the camera on a tripod. But from experience I can say that the new Nikon Z 7 and Nikon Z 6 work correctly even at shutter speeds of several seconds. For example, I took long exposure shots from the Floating Bridge in Zaryadye Park. The design of the bridge is such that it always vibrates a little. Thanks to the effective work of the stabilizer in the Nikon Z 7, I got clear shots here.

Konstantin Voronov

Professional photographer with ten years of experience. Has been teaching for six years. A journalist by training, author of courses and educational articles on photography. Area of ​​interest: landscape, subject, portrait photography.