| When you are first buying camera equipment you | | | | light to expose your picture. If it is the middle of a |
| see a lot of lenses that have the IS or VR | | | | bright day you are fine. If it is darker you might |
| designations on them. This is Image Stabilization or | | | | have to use a more sensitive film, but this will |
| Vibration Reduction. They mean the same thing | | | | cause your picture to be grainier. |
| except Canon uses the first term and Nikon uses | | | | Note: When you see expensive lenses with the |
| the second. These are mechanisms built into the | | | | same zoom capability as a cheaper lens, look at |
| camera lens to prevent "camera shake". I will | | | | the maximum aperture for this lens. Chances are |
| discuss how to get rid of camera shake and why | | | | it will be a lot larger than the cheaper one. F/2.8 is |
| I purchased a VR lens for myself. | | | | a common one. The lower the number, the larger |
| What is Camera Shake? | | | | the aperture can go. This means a lot more light |
| When you are holding your camera in your hands | | | | will get let in when you take the picture, so it will |
| and looking through the view finder to take your | | | | be able to have higher shutter speeds. |
| photo, your body is making slight movements. | | | | 2. Use a Tri-pod |
| This is a natural thing as your body is always | | | | This will always work. Now you can have the |
| correcting itself and your muscles move to help | | | | shutter open as long as your want and the image |
| maintain your balance. However, it causes slight | | | | won't have any blurring (this is assuming your |
| movements in your camera. When your camera | | | | subject isn't moving or is moving slowly). Tripods |
| is zoomed in on a subject that is a reasonable | | | | are cumbersome and annoying however. And |
| distance away, these slight movements become | | | | they definitely don't work in a lot of |
| more noticeable. | | | | circumstances, especially traveling. |
| For example. If your hand slightly shakes and | | | | 3. Use a Lens With Image Stabilization or Vibration |
| turns your camera 1 degree off its line of | | | | Reduction |
| direction and your subject is 15 feet away, this | | | | This is "meet in the middle" approach as you still |
| would correspond to 3.1 inches being added in the | | | | need a decent shutter speed, but you won't need |
| direction your camera turned. Now say that the | | | | a tripod and its cheaper than a fast lens. Inside |
| movement of your hand happened when you | | | | the camera there is a mechanism to adjust the |
| took your picture and while the shutter was open. | | | | glass lenses slightly to compensate for the |
| This would blur the image on film or on your digital | | | | movements of your hand. IS and VR will give you |
| image. | | | | a few shutter speed stops back. So if you can't |
| How Do I Prevent My Pictures From Blurring? | | | | quite get enough light to have 1/320 sec shutter |
| There are 3 ways to prevent this. | | | | speed as in the example above. VR will let you go |
| | | | down to 1/125 sec (4 full stops in ideal situations). |
| 1. Make sure you have a shutter speed fast | | | | A lot of times, this will give you enough light to |
| enough so that your hand movements don't | | | | properly expose your image. VR and IS will make |
| affect the picture. | | | | a lens cost extra, but they are still cheaper than |
| 2. Use a tripod. | | | | buying the fast lenses I spoke of above. Fast |
| 3. Have a lens with vibration reduction or image | | | | lenses don't usually have much zoom capability |
| stabilization. | | | | either (a limitation of having such a large aperture). |
| Each of these methods have their pros and | | | | The main article has an example of two images. |
| cons.1. Have a Fast Enough Shutter Speed | | | | One was taken without VR turned on and the |
| Ideally, you would want this situation every time. | | | | other had VR on. This is a picture in my home |
| The rule of thumb is that you need a shutter | | | | taken with my Nikon D70s with the Nikon |
| speed of 1 over the focal length your lens is set | | | | 18-200mm VR lens. |
| at. So if you are zoomed all the way in with your | | | | To summarize. The cheapest solution is to buy a |
| 300mm lens, you would want 1/300 second | | | | tripod, the second is to buy a lens with IS or VR, |
| shutter speed or better (so 1/320 on the | | | | and the most expensive is to buy "fast" lenses. I |
| standard camera). This will usually guarantee (for | | | | am a casual photographer and use it more for |
| the average user) the shutter won't be open long | | | | traveling so VR has been the best option for |
| enough to make your hand movements | | | | myself. If you find yourself with similar needs and |
| noticeable on the final image If you have steady | | | | want to eliminate camera shake from more of |
| hands you will be able to get away with a slower | | | | your photos, then I would definitely recommend |
| speed. The catch here is will you have enough | | | | looking at VR and IS lenses. |