Dear Folks,

I just bought the Panasonic lens for use with my Olympus, and a quick handful of test photographs at 200mm has left me confused about what provides the best image stabilization.

With long exposures (1/30 of the second and more) any image stabilization looks a lot better than no image stabilization, but I can't see any obvious differences between using the Olympus stabilization (IS1-auto focal length mode), the Panasonic in-lens stabilization, or both at the same time. It doesn't seem like any one has an advantage over the other, just that any image stabilization is better than none.

At high shutter speeds (1/100 of a second and less) I'm seeing just the opposite; any combination of image stabilization-- in lens, in camera, or both -- seems to be slightly worse than leaving it off entirely.

To put it simply... ?????

I could drive myself crazy trying to figure out what's going on, but I figure there have to be folks here with more experience than me who I can ask.

Yes I'm aware of the oft-made statements to the effect that one shouldn't have both systems on the same time. It's never been clear to me whether those statements have any knowledgeable authority behind them or just assumption. In this case, I seem to be seeing that it doesn't make any difference at all, and that does seem a little odd.

The business about getting steadier results with no stabilization at all at higher shutter speeds seems more than a little odd.

Comments, suggestions, advice, people? Too many variables and much weirdness here for me to figure out on my own.


~ pax \ Ctein
[ Please excuse any word-salad. MacSpeech in training! ]
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Ctein, you've posed some interesting observations here. I'm sure as the day/evening wears on that people with solid technical knowledge and experience will post with some helpful feedback for you.

And, by the way welcome to mu43.com! I didn't realize this was your first post here. Do drop by the Welcomes and Introductions forum, if you have the time. Glad to have you aboard!

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Hi Ctein, and welcome to the forum - it's quite an honour for us to have you here... I've enjoyed reading you on TOP

As for stabilisation, I would switch off OIS to conserve power (it's always chugging away if enabled on a Pen) and rely on IBIS unless you're shooting video.

As for the two systems conflicting - I think it used to be a problem with the earlier Olympus 4/3rds cameras and the PL OIS lenses but with the newer Pens they seem to cooperate better. If in doubt, switch it off.

I think there's an element of 'personal holding style' which impacts the effectiveness of any stabilisation system - if you're getting worse results at 1/100s and faster - just switch off stabilisation.

Just out of interest, can you describe how you hold your camera + lens?

Cheers

Brian

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The operation manual does recommend turning off the image stabilization when using a tripod. Of coz this has to do with being steady on a tripod and using longer exposure the image stabilization would in fact create subtle vibration to the sensor itself. But in your case this logic doesn't seem to apply ><

Hi Ctein, welcome to our forum! I don't have an Olympus body, but what you're reporting certainly is bizarre. On Panasonic bodies, I have never noticed a negative impact of keeping the image stabilization on at any shutter speed, but I haven't formally tested it either.

Btw - I removed the asterisks from your urls. Your links are welcome here.

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Amin, which OIS mode do you use on your Panasonic body? if you're using mode 1, there should be no difference between an Olympus with IBIS disabled, and a Panasonic body.

Cheers

Brian

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Yes, I generally use Mode 1. Does Mode 2 function on Olympus bodies?

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This weekend, I'll try to do a 45-200mm handholding test at 200mm and various shutter speeds on the G1 with IS off, in Mode 1, and Mode 2. If anyone is up for doing the same with their Pen, throwing in body IS as another variable, that would be terrific.

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Amin
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No, mode 2 is only functional on Panasonic bodies...

Mode 1 is where the lens is constantly active - Ctein, I'm sure you're aware that OIS mode 1 requires a half second to 'lock on' to your subject and settle into stabilising the image.

Mode 2 is much more similar to IBIS, in that stabilisation is only applied for the duration of the exposure.

Cheers

Brian

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http://www.ukphotosafari.org

the shot I posted earlier in the week of the PL1/45-200OIS combo was handheld with IBIS OFF in the PL1 and OIS ON on the lens, it worked best of the combination's I tried.