Image Stabilization

A great shot can end up being a bad photo or video when an unsteady hand makes it blurry. Luckily, many cameras and camcorders have built-in image stabilization technology to reduce the effect of shaking so your media looks its best.

Crisp & Clear Photos

Image stabilization (IS) is useful when you’re shooting in lowlight settings because your camera’s shutter speed is slow and its image sensor is exposed for a long period of time. It can also offset movement when you use a high optical zoom, which makes your camera extremely sensitive to movement.

Point-and-shoot cameras generally have image stabilization built into their bodies, but D-SLR or compact system cameras can have IS integrated into their mechanics as well as the detachable lenses they use.

While IS can counter the effects of an unsteady hand, it won’t be able to compensate for the movement of your subject.

Smooth & Steady Video

You may think you keep perfectly still while shooting with a camcorder, but the smallest things such as your breathing or even your pulse can cause video shake. Tripods are one answer to this problem, but they aren’t exactly convenient to always take with you. To solve this issue, most camcorders use image stabilization technology to counteract the effects of shaky grips, unstable stances, and other unintentional movements on your video.

Camcorders generally offer both digital and optical image stabilization, but the latter is the most effective to offset unwanted motion from ruining the events you record. And just like on cameras, IS is most helpful when you zoom in on your subject.