Image stabilisation priority clarified

[Ian]

One thing that I think I have now found an answer for concerns the ongoing debate about what happens when you put an OIS lens (from Panasonic) on an Olympus Pen or OM-D body - which IS system, in-lens or in-camera, takes priority.

When discussing this with Panasonic people in Japan last week when I was being introduced to the new DMC-GX7, which is the first Lumix system camera to feature a moving sensor IS system, as I had already been pretty sure of; I was told that it is the camera body IS system that will take priority if IS is switched on at both the camera and lens. This includes lenses that don't have a switch for manual cancelling of OIS mode.

However, it may be that you will see lens OIS while composing your picture, but once the shutter button is pressed to take the shot it will be in-camera IS that does the job.

Exceptions are with the latest Olympus Pen bodies; (E-PL5, E-PM2, E-P5) which offer a menu option to disable the in-camera IS in favour of lens OIS if that's what you prefer.

Ian

[Jim Ford]

Re: Image stabilisation priority clarified

I was told that it is the camera body IS system that will take priority if IS is switched on at both the camera and lens. This includes lenses that don't have a switch for manual cancelling of OIS mode.

However, it may be that you will see lens OIS while composing your picture, but once the shutter button is pressed to take the shot it will be in-camera IS that does the job.

Is this an admission that OIS is inferior to IBIS?

I've always considered that OIS is an ugly legacy kludge and if Canon and Nikon were to start again from scratch, they would choose IBIS.

Jim

[Wally]

Re: Image stabilisation priority clarified

That's nice to know. I've always used the inbuilt camera IS on my ep-3 when using a panny lens with IS on the lens. Just my preference.

[Ian]

Re: Image stabilisation priority clarified

Is this an admission that OIS is inferior to IBIS?

I've always considered that OIS is an ugly legacy kludge and if Canon and Nikon were to start again from scratch, they would choose IBIS.

Jim

Actually OIS is better in my view for conventional DSLRs because it stabilises the phase detect AF points as well as the image, which moving sensor IS can't. But for on-sensor AF, be it contrast detect or on-sensor PDAF, OIS has no clear advantage. The fact that Panasonic has now introduced the GX7 with sensor shift IS is very interesting - it stabilises lenses without OIS (legacy lenses and some Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lenses and of course ALL the Olympus lenses, old and new - which must be good news for Olympus - and our lens hire service!

Ian

[StephenL]

Re: Image stabilisation priority clarified

It's just a pity that, even using modern m4/3 Zuiko lenses on the GX7, you have to manually input the focal length. Or am I reading that wrong?