Opinions on OM-D E-M5 stabilization effectiveness? (and Panasonic lenses as well)

[fanta]

<p>I have done some un-scientific, subjective testing of the stabilizer of a recently acquired OM-D,as well as stabilizers of two Panasonic lenses, and got disappointing results, based on expectations set by Olympus and Panasonic marketing.</p>

<p>I have taken series of pictures of banknotes, bar codes and street signs, with the camera hand held. I used a Panasonic LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm f/2.8 lens and a G VARIO 45-200mm f/4.0-5.6.</p>

<p>With the in-camera stabilizer on and the lens stabilizer off, on the long end of the focal length of each lens, I roughly got a 2 stops advantage. That is compared to the usual reciprocal rule for shutter speed (e.g., with 200mm focal length, one should use a 1/400th of a second exposure time, taking into account the 2x factor of micro four-third). No way I can claim a solid 3 stops advantage.</p>

<p>With the in-camera stabilizer turned off and the lens stabilizer on, I got slightly worse results, but I would still say in the range of 2 stops advantage.</p>

<p>I don't claim to have a very steady hand, but still, with a Canon EOS 24-105mm f/4 L mounted on my DSLR, I am getting a 3 stops advantage.</p>

<p>I got even worse results with other Panasonic lenses on the same OM-D body, but I won't discuss those because they don't have a manual switch to turn their IS on and off, and it is not clear what happens when you use them on an Olympus body. I asked both Panasonic and Olympus customer supports about that, and they gave inconclusive and contrasting answers, eventually asking me to check with the other maker.</p>

<p>I could not find any feedback on the camera or lenses stabilizers on review web sites like DPReview. I understand that rigorous testing of IS is difficult, may be impossible, but some subjective feedback is better than none at all.</p>

<p>The makers use marketing words like "5 axes stabilization" and "MEGA O.I.S.", but what I am actually getting is a far cry from what they claim. E.g. the OM-D specs claim "Effective Compensation Range Up to 5 EV steps", whatever it means.</p>

<p>May be I am getting something wrong? Has anybody out there done some testing, would like to share his/her experience?</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>What did you get with the shorter zoom or other lenses? </p>

[Ken Katz]

For telephoto lenses, I need more than the reciprocal of the effective focal length to get really sharp results (probably 1/1000 for a 400mm lens). The only way to do an equivalent test with Canon would be to compare results at similar effective focal lengths (not 200mm on m43 vs 105mm on FF). I found Canon IS on my 70-200 F4IS to be very effective while the IBIS on my E-PL2 less so. Never used an OM-D so I can't comment on that. My understanding is that using IBIS and IS on the lens at the same time does not work so you need to turn one of them off.

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>Based on my experience the IF on the OM-D does not seem to be as effective on Panasonic lens as on my FD lens, works great on the Olympus lens.</p>

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>sorry for the double - must have clicked twice</p>

[Greg M]

<p>If you use a Panasonic lens fitted with Mega OIS and it does not have an on-off switch for the OIS, the in-lens stabilization is disabled when you mount the lens on the E-M5, so the in-body stabilization is your only option. Mega OIS makes a noticeable soft sound when activated and you can see the screen go still. If you turn off the in-body IS system and half-press the shutter release you will not be able to hear or see anything engage, which will be your confirmation the lenses Mega OIS is off.</p>

<p>I have not seen a "test" of the E-M5 IS system yet where anyone actually achieved a 5 stop gain. 2-3 has been typical of what I have seen and experienced, but as you noted, the amount is going to vary from user to user based on how steady they hold the camera to begin with. One with a very steady hand is going to benefit more than someone in the opposite extreme. In the review linked below the guy says he experience an approximate four-stop advantage. That's the most I have seen.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_OM-D_E-M5/">http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_OM-D_E-M5/</a></p>

[Sanford]

<p>I use three Panasonic lenses on my EP2 and it doesn't matter if the stabilization switch on the lens is on or off, the Olympus camera doesn't register it. Only the in-body stabilization will work and will work with any lens attached. At least that is how I think it's working.</p>

[bruce_rubenstein]

<p>I've had Pens for over a year and the OM-D since April. In body IS is much more dependent on lens/shutter speed combinations than in lens IS (Nikon experience). For instance, the 75/1.8/OM-D begins to show blur below 1/60 till about 1/15 sec when things get tack sharp again.? You've got to use each lens/body combination over a large shutter speed range to find out what works well and what doesn't.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>Useful observation you make for lens buyers. Two stops is nothing to sneeze at nonetheless. If it works and is quiet and unobtrusive in the lens process. Putting a motor and a moving lens element in the small 12-35 F 2.8 package is so marvelous you know, just to begin with, that I have been unsearching and not so critical so far in terms of results as in how slow can I shoot at moderate aperture. I would say from my experience, pretty slow so far though got to say....but I add my own steady hand to the mix, so.....<br /> Yeah, I am now used to overhype in marketing lingo, I take all with a grain of salt or two. LIke highway mileage on Elantras in auto speak... "Mega "is good, Power OIS is better and so on and on. <br /> In video, (GH2 with the 12-35 lens stabilization always on) it seems by my work to do the job so far to help out is my first random observation. (If it did not it would be obvious to me I guess, so no fuzziness must mean nothing really amiss.)..unscientific for sure but who cares, I guess some will but not me today, too many other factors to juggle ..<br>

image stabilization or VR, useful yes, not a real substitute for a Steadicam rig. Or a steady hand. Or a fluid tripod head. Or a monopod even.<br>

I don't trust the new technology all that much, but if they got it two stops, hallelujah.<br>

Got to say, those who use Canon binoculars for stargazing do rave about their Canon in lens stabilization system.... But I digress.</p>

[kevin_havers1]

<p>well, 2 stops is great..its the best is on any camera ever...real world.</p>

[johnfarrar]

<p>Isn't it a statistical game - the probability of a sharp picture at slow speeds is increased by IS. I've been very impressed by what my OMD can do - sharp at 1/25 sec with the 40-150 at its long end. But I never only take one pic, and if I'm really pushing it - 1/4 sec, say, at a shorter fl - I'll take 4 or 5. Of course this is fine for my stationary landscapes, less so for other subjects. Now macro is something else - in my experience I need much higher shutter speeds than expected for macro, so even with IS I'd not try anything below say 1/100 with much hope of success.</p>

[laur1]

<p>I am not sure how one can measure the effectiveness of an image stabilization system without using dedicated gear that induces consistent shake during testing.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I have done some un-scientific, subjective testing of the stabilizer of a recently acquired OM-D,as well as stabilizers of two Panasonic lenses, and got disappointing result.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Right. It neither surprises me, nor does it worry me.</p>

[roypanos]

<p>I'm surprised that I didn't notice any mention of the "anti-shock" settings available on the OMD. I shoot quite a lot with the Panasonic 100-300 (birds) and was beginning to despair of ever getting anything sharp at the long end, hand-held. Yes, I know, 600mm efov, but even at > 2xEFL nothing was ever what you'd call sharp. Now I don't use this FL for anything much other than a record of birds sighted, so that's not a major issue but even so the results were awful - far worse than my old Sigma 150-500 on a Nikon FX body. But with the anti-shock - currently set at 1/8th - I am getting far more decent results. I haven't really had time to do any half-systematic tests but subjectively the results are clearly much improved.</p>

<p>The other day I also accidentally shot some stuff with the lens stabilisation switched on AND the IBIS in mode 1. This thread is the first place I've seen the suggestion that the lens' stabilisation is disabled when mounted on the Olympus body however the number of sharpish shots acheived was just about a record, albeit that I was quite well braced when shooting and at fairly high speeds (1000 ish).</p>

<p>For anyone who has yet to try the anti-shock settings on long lenses I'd suggest giving it a try.<br>

Roy</p>

[Greg M]

<p>The only Panasonic lenses where OIS is automatically disabled when mounted on an Olympus body are the Panasonic lenses fitted with OIS, but with no OIS on/off button on the lens itself. On some of the lesser expensive lenses you have to turn the Mega OIS on and off using a control on the Panasonic body. No such control exists on an Olympus body. If you have a lens with an on/off switch and you turn OIS on, it will be on when mounted on an Olympus body.</p>

[Greg M]

<p>Duplicate post. Ignore.</p>