What’s the difference between in-lens and in-body image stabilization, and which is better?
Asked 9/4/2011
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How do lens-based image stabilization and sensor-shift (in-body) stabilization work? What are the practical pros and cons of each system, and is one generally more effective than the other?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
40
Advantages of having stabilisation in the camera:
- Works for all lenses
- The lenses gets cheaper
Advantages of having stabilisation in the lens:
- The camera gets cheaper and can be built smaller
- The stabilisation can be specially made to fit the lens characteristics
- Works also with older camera models
Originally by user149. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user149
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
In-lens stabilization moves an optical element inside the lens to counter camera shake. In-body stabilization moves the camera’s sensor instead.
Main tradeoffs:
- in-body stabilization works with all attached lenses, including lenses that don’t have stabilization built in.
- in-lens stabilization can be optimized for that specific lens.
- with DSLR optical viewfinders, in-lens stabilization also steadies the view through the finder, which can make framing easier.
- in-body stabilization can reduce lens cost, while in-lens stabilization can reduce camera cost and size.
- in-lens stabilization can also work on older camera bodies that don’t have sensor-shift stabilization.
As for which is more effective, there isn’t a universal winner. Effectiveness depends on the camera/lens design and the shooting situation. Telephoto lenses may benefit from lens-specific tuning, while in-body stabilization has the advantage of helping every lens you mount. In practice, neither approach is inherently “better” in all cases.
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