ALL ABOUT SHUTTER SpEEd

iMagE STabilizaTion

Keep it steady for sharp shots

How lenses with built-in stabilization can make a vital difference

hen it comes to
getting a sharp
shot at slower
shutter speeds, Canons
Image Stabilization system
(or third-party lens makers
equivalents) is a huge help.
IS detects camera shake
and compensates for it. When
you press the shutter button,
tiny gyroscopes inside the lens
sense any shake and pass this
on to a microcomputer that
moves a special group of lens
elements to correct for it.
What goes on under the
hood is of less importance
to us as photographers, but
whats vital is that IS can help
you gain up to four stops so
if you shoot at 1/30 sec with
IS engaged, you are shooting
at the equivalent of 1/500 sec.
A couple of words of
warning IS isnt foolproof and
cant perform miracles. It wont
guarantee you sharp, handheld
shots at very slow speeds,
such as 1/8 sec. Success will
still depend on your technique
and the focal length you are
using. It has no impact on
subject movement either
so if your shutter speed is
too slow for the subject, your
shot still wont be sharp!
The longer the focal length
you use, the more your shot is
susceptible to camera shake

too, so you have to

compensate by keeping
shutter speeds higher. An
oft-quoted rule of thumb is to
use a shutter speed that, at a
bare minimum, is roughly equal
to the focal length of the lens.
You will also often hear
advice that says that IS should
be switched off when the
camera is on a tripod. For very

Modes 1 and 2

lens in Mode 1 if you are using

the camera normally but, if you
are panning, switch to Mode 2;
the lens will then detect the
direction of movement and
disable IS accordingly. Some
high-end lenses also have a
third IS mode. In IS Mode 3
the IS system only becomes
active when the shutter button
is fully depressed.

long exposures, particularly

with older lenses, this is good
advice, but many newer lenses
will sense tripod use and
automatically disable IS. If you
are shooting with a long lens on
a tripod and moving the lens to
track a subject, then keep IS on
as it will definitely help.
Many telephoto lenses have
two Stabilizer modes. Keep the

Mode 1 Image Stabilization

is for handheld photography,
ing
while Mode 2 is used for pann

Mode 3

Mode 3 only actuates IS when

the
shutter is fully pressed, so the
image
in the viewfinder moves more
naturally

School tip: Mirror Lockup

Stop avoidable vibration spoiling a long exposure

ALThough NEgLIgIbLE there

is the potential that vibration caused
by the internal mirror moving up just
before an exposure is made can
cause loss of critical sharpness; this
is most evident in long-exposure
landscapes or macro photography.
The answer is to lock the mirror up
before the image is taken. When you
enable the Mirror Lockup function,
The Canon Magazine

you have to press the shutter release

twice; once to flip the mirror out of
the way, and again to take the shot
(youll need to use a remote release
to avoid jogging the camera, or the
2-sec Self-timer function). The delay
before the image is taken will allow
the vibrations to settle. Alternatively,
if you shoot in Live View, the mirror
is already flipped out of the way.

ISO

WB
SET

AF

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