Image Stabilization Digital SLR Cameras

Page updated: April 2008

Image stabilization digital SLR cameras are great for two types of photographers: those with shaky hands and those who take photos in low light without flash.

The concept of image stabilization is nothing new: it's been available in Canon and Nikon lenses for years now.

But adding stabilization to the camera body is a recent development, and carries some significant advantages with it.

In the paragraphs that follow, I'll introduce you to image stabilization and will list the digital SLR cameras that use it.

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Introduction By Megapixels By Cost (Inexpensive) By Ratings (Top Rated) By Size (Smallest) By Speed (Fastest) By Special Features

How Image Stabilization Helps

The Problem

Another page of this web site talks at length about the concept of image stabilization (also commonly called anti-shake) so I won't go into a lot of the details here.

In a nutshell:

There are times when you want to take photos but can't use a flash
When you hold a camera in your hands (vs. attaching it to a tripod) it shakes
Longer focal length lenses (telephoto) magnify camera shake
Low-light conditions result in slow shutter speeds — slow shutter speeds result in blurry photos

Before image stabilization became a common feature of lenses, the only options available to photographers who worked in low-light environments was to use a lens with a wide maximum aperture or to use a very high ISO setting, so that the camera's sensor absorbed more light.

The Solution

So what's the best way to compensate for a shaky camera? Devise a system that counteracts the shake.

Welcome to the world of image stabilization digital SLR cameras.

As I mentioned above, Canon and Nikon created high-end lenses that include image stabilization. Canon calls their lenses IS (for Image Stabilization) while Nikon uses the term VR (Vibration Reduction).

If you're thinking about getting either a Canon or Nikon digital SLR camera, then the only way to get image stabilization is to buy one of these lenses.

In order to compete with these two camera giants, the other companies were forced to get creative.

Instead of including image stabilization in the lenses, these companies built the IS into their camera bodies. The digital sensor is placed in what looks like a gyroscope, so that even if the camera shakes, the sensor remains still.

The Benefits of Built-in Image Stabilization

Image stabilization digital SLR cameras are great for people who take a lot of photos where there's not a ton of light.

The most obvious example is travelers who enjoy taking photos inside museums, aquariums and other monuments where flash photography is not allowed.

In these cases, image stabilization helps you get clear photos even if you have to use slow shutter speeds.

Image Stabilization Digital SLR Cameras

Here are the latest camera models from the different manufacturers that include image stabilization (or built-in anti-shake).

Pentax K100D Super - Lowest Price

Release Date	August 2007
Key Features	6 megapixels, image stabilization, dust control
Uniqueness	Low cost
Great For	Travel and low-light
Level	Beginner
Avg. Kit Price	$550
Competitors	Canon Rebel XT, Nikon D40
The K100D Super represents several advancements over the older K100D model. While it still has the built-in anti-shake that's available on the K100D, the Super adds a dust control system, an 11-point wide area autofocus and is compatible with EVERY Pentax lens ever made. This makes the K100D Super a great transition camera for anyone with a large collection of Pentax film SLR lenses.
Compare Prices for the K100D Super at Amazon or Adorama

Olympus E-510

Release Date	July 2007
Key Features	10 megapixels, dust control, compact and light
Uniqueness	Live view
Great For	Travel and low-light
Level	Intermediate to advanced
Avg. Kit Price	$900
Identical to the E-410 in many ways, the E-510 includes one important enhancement: a built-in image stabilizer. The stabilizer will work with any Olympus lens that you attach to the camera, and will help when taking photos of still subjects in low light without flash.
Compare prices for the E-510 at Shopzilla, Amazon or Adorama

Olympus E-3

Release Date	November 2007
Key Features	10 megapixels, dust control, live view, built-in image stabilization, weather sealed
Uniqueness	Fast autofocus
Great For	Action and low light
Level	Intermediate to advanced
Avg. Kit Price	$1,700
Competitors	Canon 40D, Nikon D300, Sony DSLR-A700
The E-3 is the flagship Olympus digital SLR camera, designed with professional photographers in mind. Advanced amateurs with enough pocket change will benefit from the E-3's 5 photo per second shooting speed, dust control system, built-in image stabilization, live view LCD (that flips out from the camera body and rotates), weather sealing and an ultra-fast 11-point autofocus system. New accessories for the E-3 include the HLD-4 battery grip (for longer shooting) and two new flash units (FL-50R and FL-36R) that can be activated wirelessly from the E-3's main flash.
Compare prices for the E-3 at Shopzilla, Amazon or Adorama

Pentax K20D

Release Date	March 2008
Key Features	14.6 megapixels, image stabilization, dust control
Uniqueness	Most megapixels
Great For	Rugged travel
Level	Intermediate to Advanced
Avg. Kit Price	$1,300
Competitors	Canon 40D, Nikon D80
The K20D boasts one of the highest megapixel counts of the consumer-level digital SLR cameras. In addition to its dust control and built-in image stabilization, the K20D includes a live view mode (the only Pentax SLR with this feature), expanded dynamic range and an 11 point autofocus system all packaged in a weather a dust-resistant body.
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Sony ALPHA DSLR-A100

Release Date	July 2006
Key Features	10 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization
Uniqueness	First Sony DSLR
Great For	Travel and low-light
Level	Intermediate to advanced
Avg. Kit Price	$700
The A100 is the first digital SLR released by Sony, the result of their acquisition of the Konica Minolta company in 2006. The A100 has a lot of advanced features in addition to its 10 megapixels, including a dust control system, built-in image stabilization and eye-start autofocus. The drawbacks to this camera are a severe lack of customer support when the camera fails, and more image noise at high ISO than the competition.
Compare prices for the DSLR-A100 at Shopzilla, , Amazon or Adorama

Sony ALPHA DSLR-A200

Release Date	February 2008
Key Features	10 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization
Uniqueness	Enhanced Dynamic Range
Great For	Travel and low-light
Level	Beginner to intermediate
Avg. Kit Price	$700
Competitors	Canon Rebel xTi, Nikon D80, Pentax K10D
The A200 is the third digital SLR released by Sony and it benefits from many of the improvements that Sony has made since the release of the A100. The camera includes 10.2 megapixels, a dust control system, built-in image stabilization and eye-start autofocus.
Compare prices for the DSLR-A200 at Shopzilla, Amazon or Adorama

Sony ALPHA DSLR-A300

Release Date	May 2008
Key Features	10.2 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization, live view
Uniqueness	Flip-out LCD
Great For	High and low angle photos
Level	Beginner to intermediate
Avg. Kit Price	$800
Competitors	Canon Rebel XSi, Nikon D60, Pentax K200D, Olympus E-510
Previous digital SLR cameras from Sony did not include a live view LCD screen, but the DSLR-A300 does. In addition, the LCD screen is articulated, and can be pulled out from the camera body for easy viewing when composing photos from high and low angles. The live view mode on the DSLR-A300 allows for full use of the camera's autofocus system and continuous 3 photo per second shooting mode.
Compare prices for the DSLR-A300 at Shopzilla, Amazon or Adorama

Sony ALPHA DSLR-A350

Release Date	April 2008
Key Features	14.2 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization, live view
Uniqueness	Flip-out LCD
Great For	Enormous prints
Level	Beginner to intermediate
Avg. Kit Price	$900
Competitors	Canon Rebel XSi, Nikon D60, Pentax K20D, Olympus E-510
The DSLR-A350 is a lot like its sibling, the DSLR-A300: it includes a new live view mode (not available on other Sony SLRs), an LCD screen that flips out from the back of the camera, built-in image stabilization, dust control and Sony's dynamic range optimization (DRO) which increases shadow detail to produce more natural-looking images. The big difference between the two cameras is in the megapixels: the A350 has 14.2 while the A300 has 10.2.
Compare prices for the DSLR-A350 at Shopzilla, Amazon or Adorama

Sony ALPHA DSLR-A700

Release Date	October 2007
Key Features	12.2 megapixels, dust control, image stabilization
Uniqueness	High speed
Great For	Action
Level	Intermediate to advanced
Avg. Kit Price	$1,500
Competitors	Canon 40D, Nikon D300, Olympus E-3
The A700 is Sony's second digital SLR camera, and sports a larger sensor and a faster shooting rate than the A100 (5 photos per second). A new 11-point wide area autofocus is designed to focus quickly on any subject. The A700 includes the built in image stabilization and dust control that are also available on the A100. The camera body is dust and moisture resistant, and the magnesium alloy frame makes the camera lightweight but sturdy.
Compare prices for the DSLR-A700 at Shopzilla, Amazon or Adorama