The Value of Image Stabilization

Many lenses today come with image stabilization. You’ll also hear terms like vibration reduction, optical stabilization, vibration compensation, and so forth. All of these things mean essentially the same thing; there is a lens or sensor compensating mechanism that moves to balance any movement of the camera during exposure. In a sense, this new movement in the lens or camera cancels out the movement of the camera itself during exposure. This can help you gain significantly sharper pictures with slower shutter speeds.

Image stabilization is a great help for close-up work when you’re shooting hand-held. It should not be used when you’re using a tripod, although it can help when you are using a monopod. It will only help you gain a few EV steps of slower shutter speed, but sometimes that is enough to give you a sharper picture.