Strong and stable

Angela Nicholson

Photographer and journalist Angela Nicholson started reviewing cameras for Amateur Photographer in 2004 and was our Technical Editor before leaving for new pastures in 2010. Last year she founded SheClicks, a community for female photographers. squeezymedia.com.

When image stabilisation (IS) first arrived in photography in the 1990s it was lens-based and designed to help us get better results with telephoto lenses. It was about avoiding having to use very fast shutter speeds in low light. These days we have lens- and sensor-based image stabilisation systems, with some cameras making use of both, and they’ve developed to such an extent that they can even help with long exposures. But which is the best system and how do you get the most from it?

Lens-based stabilisation

Inside a stabilised lens there’s a gyro that