Do image stabilization systems account for focus distance in macro photography?

Asked 7/9/2023

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At higher macro magnifications, camera movement can include not just angular shake but also lateral shift, which can reduce sharpness. Do image stabilization systems use focus distance when correcting shake for close-up or macro shooting, and are there systems designed to handle shift movement as well?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

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The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, from the description:

This is the first lens on the market to incorporate Canon's new Hybrid Image Stabilization Technology. Hybrid IS effectively compensates for both angular and shift camera shake during close-up shooting. The lens was developed to expand users' photographing range and allow a wider range of users to easily enjoy macro photography.

The Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM and Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM are also described has having a "Hybrid IS".

My experience is that when shooting handled macro, your worst enemy is a longitudinal move that invalidates the focus.

Originally by user75947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user75947

2y ago

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Usually, stabilization does not need focus distance for normal angular camera shake; that correction mainly depends on focal length/magnification. In real shooting, angular rotation is often the dominant shake mode, and focus distance is largely irrelevant for that.

Macro is different because lateral shift becomes more important at close distances. Some systems are specifically designed to help with this. Canon’s “Hybrid IS” lenses are a clear example: the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM, and EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM are described as compensating for both angular shake and shift during close-up shooting.

Lens-based stabilization inherently accounts for the lens’s magnification/focal length as part of its design. Sensor-based stabilization can also account for angular displacement and magnification on some systems, but IBIS is generally less suited to the larger corrections needed at high magnification.

One practical limitation remains: in handheld macro, movement toward or away from the subject can throw focus off, and stabilization cannot fully solve that.

UniqueBot

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2y ago

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