Image stabilizer

[Jonathan Wienke]

Do a forum search. There's a lot of discussion about this if you look. Short version, IS reduces the motion blur introduced by camera shake, but does not affect motion blur caused by subject movement.

[myeyes]

Hi, I am new to the forum and recently changed to digital. I was reading on lenses and the so called IS. Can someone tell me what i's function is anda little bit about this?
thanks!

[Bobtrips]

Image stabilization is a mechanical approach to reducing the effects of camera movement when hand-holding.  It can greatly reduce motion blur produced by the shooter.  It can give you 2 -3 more stops (wider aperture or slower shutter speeds),

There are two approaches.  

Canon and Nikon has built IS into some of their lenses.  Camera movement is detected by sensors built into the lens and these provide the guidance to move a lens element to help keep the image placed constantly on the sensor/film.

Minolta has taken a different route and move the sensor.  They first introduced the system in their fixed lens A1 and A2 digitals.  They have used the system with their dSLR.  There's a huge advantage with Minolta's approach as it makes all your lenses stabilized.  (But the current version may not be quite as efficient as the in-lens systems.)

I've been shooting IS fixed-lens cameras for a few years.  And IS makes a great difference.  It allows me to shoot static subjects in quite low light conditions.  I've taken some quite sharp shots at shutter speeds as low as 1/5th second.  I don't think that I ever successfully exceeded 1/30th second with a non-IS camera.