Dueling Image Stabilization Comparison Lumix, Sony & Olympus
I found a very interesting video tonight that was shot by one of my colleagues at Panasonic, Matt Frazer. For those interested in comparing image stabilization in current models of cameras, this video shows a great deal. Based on in-lab comparisons, the new Lumix GX8 performs better than any of its competitors in the category of image stabilization. Matt takes us through Panasonic’s test lab in New Jersey to show how Panasonic US tests new products coming from Japan. It’ a great little video proving how much effort these guys are making to beat the competition.
I’ve been shooting the GX8 for several months now and I’m nearly done with a Blog post highlighting my experiences with this wonderful new camera. Something quite unique to the GX8 is the fact it has in-camera IS as well as in-lens IS that works in tandem to give what Lumix is calling Dual Image Stabilization. What’s interesting about this technology is this: when Olympus came out with in-camera image stabilization 2-3 years ago, my first thought was, I wonder if I put my Lumix lenses on the Olympus body, if the in-body IS would work with the Lumix lens IS. Guess what? It didn’t.
My amazing idea was shot down. However, I wasn’t the only one thinking about this concept. With the GX8 we now have what I hoped was possible, in-camera IS working in tandem with in-lens IS to give us concrete-like image stabilization that is hard to believe. You pull the GX8 up to your eye with the 35-100mm F/2.8 (70-200mm equivalent) and look through the viewfinder—you feel like somebody has dipped your feet in concrete and you’re a pillar with a camera sitting in your hands. It’s that stable.
Equally impressive is the fact that it took Panasonic only 1.5-2 years to best the competition by developing dual IS as opposed to simple in-body IS. This is what impresses me about Panasonic Lumix technology. Back in the late 80’s—1989 to be exact—Canon perfected autofocus with the introduction of the Canon EOS 1. It was a professional camera that took the sporting world by storm due to its impressive autofocus. Nikon had nothing to equal it in AF until the F5 came out in 1996. That’s seven full years before Nikon was able to catch Canon. When it comes to image stabilization, Canon had their first IS lens in 1995 and Nikon had their first VR lens in 2000. That’s another five years of being behind the competition. Understanding that five years today is an eternity is what made me jump on this Lumix bandwagon. Panasonic engineers make things happen fast! In the case of the GX8, they not only brought in-camera IS to the Lumix line, but they bettered it by adding the ability for the in-camera IS to work with the in-lens IS. That’s leadership, and that’s why I predict these guys will have a serious chunk of the market in the not too distant future.