Image Stabilization, also called Anti-Shake, Vibration Reduction is a technology present in more and more digital cameras these days. There’s a lot of confusion about what exactly you are buying and it makes me blow steam out my ears. Some vendors are using this confusion in consumer’s minds to push their products. Make sure you know what this is all about before you spend your money on a brand new digital camera.

Photoxels has a look at how IS and High ISO work, their advantages and disadvantages, and what consumers should really be looking for. Here’s a sample-

"Some readers may wonder, "What is all the fuss about? As long as the use of IS or High ISO results in images that are not blurred, why worry about the correct use of the term IS? Why worry at all which is being used? After all, doesn’t the average consumer only care about the final results, however they are achieved?

There are differences in these "similar use" products that are important enough that their respective industry requires that a distinction be made in their labelling.

Likewise, High ISO is not IS. High ISO is simply using a high ISO. This in turn may or may not result in the use of a shutter speed fast enough to eliminate the need for IS. But, in this writer’s opinion, it is not IS, does not replace IS, and should not be marketed as IS."

Read on…