Anti-Shake Camera Mechanisms

Anti-Shake Camera Mechanisms
How DSLR Manufacturers Help You Cut Down on Camera Shake

By Jo Plumridge, Contributing Writer

Camera shake can be caused by many things, but a common problem is the weight of cameras and lenses. Even the most steady of hands can struggle to keep a big telephoto lens stable!

Fortunately, most DSLR manufacturers have developed anti-shake camera mechanisms to help prevent camera shake. The most sensible form of stabilization is obviously when manufacturers use an anti-shake camera system on actual DSLR camera bodies. This means that stabilization is in place, whatever lens you are using.

Manufacturers who currently use anti-shake camera technology on their DSLR bodies are:

    Pentax (Shake Reduction)

    Sony (Super Steady-Shot)

    Konica Minolta (Anti-Shake)

    Olympus (Sensor-Shift Stabilization)

The only downside of in-camera stabilization is that you can't see the effect that it's having on your images as you shoot your photos. But this is a small price to pay!

So, why do the two biggest camera manufacturers -- Canon and Nikon -- only offer stabilization on some of their lenses, and not in camera? Simply put, both manufacturers produced (and still do produce) film cameras. The lenses that were built for film cameras still work on DSLRs today with all the AF functions.

Canon and Nikon have simply produced too many lenses with stabilization in the past to switch to in-camera technology at this point.

Unfortunately, you will pay more for a lens with built-in stabilization. Both manufacturers are starting to produce lenses with stabilization for their APS-C range of cameras, and prices are gradually coming down on these.

Canon uses the abbreviation "IS" (Image Stabilization), and Nikon uses "VR" (Vibration Reduction) to denote lenses with stabilization in them, so make sure to look for this before you buy!

MY THOUGHTS

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