Everything you need to know about image stabilization systems
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The simplest image stabilizer is tripod and its derivatives (monopod, desktop or shoulder tripods). With the help of this accessory, it is possible to fix the camera immobile and take a frame at a long shutter speed. The stabilization systems built into the camera perform a similar function, but not at such long exposures. They smooth out the effect of shaking or other camera shifts, and also allow you to gain from 1 to 5 exposure steps when shooting with your hands in conditions of lack of light.
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Image stabilization systems will come to the aid of an amateur photographer in situations where it is impossible to use flash. They are also always ready to help in obtaining a high-quality result without smudging and stirring, when a strong increase in photosensitivity (ISO) does not allow you to get rid of the need to set a sufficiently long shutter speed for shooting the current scene.
The stabilizer performs equally important functions when shooting video. Its presence in the camera's arsenal has a positive effect on the smoothness of the captured video sequence. Some stabilization systems are also able to compensate for high-frequency vibrations from motors drones and radio-controlled models, allowing you to get a clear picture at the output without shaking objects in the frame.
The ancestor of stabilization systems is video technology. But if previously the stub was present only on board objects, it is now actively found in the cameras, action cameras and inside the cameras mobile phones.
Help. Among manufacturers of photographic equipment, it is not customary to share their secrets with competitors, so each major player produces its own image stabilization system with a brand name:
- Canon — IS (Image Stabilizer);
- Nikon — VR (Vibration Reduction);
- Sony — OSS (Optical Steady Shot) and SSI (Steady Shot Inside — matrix stub);
- Fujifilm — OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer);
- Olympus — IBIS (In Body Image Stabilizer — matrix stub);
- Panasonic — Mega O.I.S. and Power O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer);
- Pentax — SR (Sharke Reduction — matrix stub);
- Sigma — OS (Optical Stabilization);
- Tamron — VC (Vibration Compensation);
- Tokina – VCM (Vibration Compensation Module).
There are three main types of stabilization: digital, optical and matrix.
Digital stabilization
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The operation of digital (in other words, electronic) stabilization systems is based on quality improvement software algorithms that determine the image shift and compensate for it by cropping the edges of the frame of the original image. In this case, the entire sensor area is used to build the image, but a kind of crop is created — the image is reduced up to 40% of the original size, and some pixels are reserved for its possible shift within the frame actually taken. Simply put, when the camera shakes, the picture floats on the surface of the matrix from one edge to the other.
Digital stabilization is often used in action cameras, digital compact cameras and smartphones, because it does not require space to install additional hardware components and, accordingly, does not affect the price tag of the device.
At the same time, the electronic stabilizer, as mentioned above, cuts off part of the picture (for example, the family of Sony Action cameras normally takes pictures with a field of view angle of 170°, and with a stable it is cut to 120°). Negative effects on image quality are also manifested in the creation of interference when using digital zoom and in the loss of image detail during both photo and video shooting. Optical and matrix stabilization systems are more effective alternatives to a digital stabilizer.
Optical stabilization
These oscillation compensation systems are used, as the name implies, in the construction of objects. For the first time, optical stabilization was installed on board the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM zoom object in 1995. In the smartphone family, its debut took place much later — in 2012, the main camera module of the Nokia Lumia 920 phone was equipped with this system.
The principle of operation of optical stabilization systems is radically different from the digital method. An additional element is introduced into the object (for example, a movable biconcave lens), which, by means of an electric drive, is deflected in the opposite direction relative to the optical axis of the object. The required level of displacement is determined by 2 special angular velocity sensors (vertical and horizontal) equipped with gyroscopes. And the command to change the position of the additional lens is given by a high-speed microcontroller that reads up to 1000 readings in 1 second. As a result, from the point of view of the matrix, the projection of the image remains stationary.
The performance of optical stabilization systems is estimated by the ability to gain from 2 to 5 exposure levels when shooting with hands in unfavorable lighting conditions. For example, the powerful Tamron 150-600mm F/5.0-6.3 Di VC USD telezum allows you to compensate up to 4.5 stops, which at the maximum focal length makes it possible to get a high-quality result when shooting with shutter speeds up to 1/30 s.
As can be seen, the greatest efficiency of the stabilizer is observed when working at shutter speeds close to 1 /equivalent focal length. On long and short exposures, it is desirable to turn it off, because it can create a small "soap".
The main arguments "for" optical stabilization systems are their high efficiency, especially when working with long-focus objects, as well as providing the opportunity to see on the smartphone screen or in in the viewfinder of the camera, the image is stabilized even before pressing the shutter button. In addition, they occupy a position head and shoulders above digital systems and do not affect the quality of the picture.
The arguments "against" against the background of the advantages of optical stabs look frankly pale. These include, perhaps, influencing the light intensity of the object due to the presence of additional lenses in the optical circuit and the higher cost of devices with a stable on board.
Useful to know. There are narrowly focused optical stabilization systems that are revealed during macro photography or during the creation of photo reports from sporting events (for example, Canon Hybrid IS and Nikon VR Sport, respectively).
Matrix stabilization
Unlike optical systems, an additional element for vibration suppression, hand shaking and vibration compensation is hidden directly in the camera body. And this is nothing but the matrix itself, fixed on a movable stabilizing platform. Compensation of the camera displacement trajectory is carried out by moving the platform with the sensor in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the object.
The control microprocessor, based on the data obtained from angular velocity sensors and gyroscopic sensors, sets in motion electric drives to shift the platform with the matrix. In simpler words, the image sensor moves up and down, right and left, or tilts along its own axis (subject to the use of a 5-axis system), according to the reaction of automation to the slightest deviations of the camera position.
The most important advantage of matrix image stabilization systems is the ability to work with any objects, including old Soviet ones (Helios, Jupiter and others). In conjunction with the corresponding camera, any optics (except, perhaps, manual processor-free objects) becomes stabilized. And the most advanced systems also support double stabilization — both by means of an optical stub inside the object, and with the help of matrix shift technology. A striking example of such a camera is the flagship mirrorless Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
In favor of matrix stabilizers, the minimum level of distortion of the images obtained, the absence of influence on the optical power and noiselessness during operation is also an important factor for videographers.
Cameras with matrix shift technology are usually more expensive than their counterparts. But it is worth remembering that they eliminate the need to use stabilized optics, allowing you to significantly save on the purchase of an object. That's just paired with telecoms matrix stabilization is not always able to help effectively — the platform with the matrix simply does not have time to move a long distance in such a short period of time necessary to ensure image stabilization.
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