IS Software

[Pixie]

In your opinion, at what zoom should a camera begin to include the image stabilization software to ensure good longer range shots?

[Rhys]

In your opinion, at what zoom should a camera begin to include the image stabilization software to ensure good longer range shots?

While IS helps a lot, it's generally recommended that photographers use something called a brain. I know it's out of style but...

I use 35mm and 120 film occasionally. My cameras do not have autofocus and some don't even have built-in lightmeters. With a little brain power, it's possible to focus and even to gauge exposure fairly accurately even without a meter.

I have taken some very nice 35mm photos handheld with 1 second exposure times.

[gary_hendricks]

For my FZ20, I reckon the IS should become necessary at zooms of 5X or more.

[ktixx]

In your opinion, at what zoom should a camera begin to include the image stabilization software to ensure good longer range shots?

IS really has everything to do with conditions and nothing to do with the amount of zoom. Basically on a perfect sunny day at maximum zoom IS will be very usefull. However, IS also can be usefull with no zoom at all. Basically if you are in a darker enviroment, whether indoors or outdoors on a gloomy day, you will need to use a slower shutter. Any shutter slower than 1/50 is difficult to handhold without getting a blurry picture, therefore IS is very usefull on those shots. So to answer your question, IS a valuable feature at any zoom. Hope this helps
Ken

[ktixx]

In your opinion, at what zoom should a camera begin to include the image stabilization software to ensure good longer range shots?

Just another little correction here, IS isn't software. Basically inside a lens equiped with image stabilization there is a floating lens elements and small gyro sensors which correct for the movement of your hand or "camera shake" which results in a much sharper image. This is why you are paying more for it.
Ken

[John_Reed]

IS really has everything to do with conditions and nothing to do with the amount of zoom. Basically on a perfect sunny day at maximum zoom IS will be very usefull. However, IS also can be usefull with no zoom at all. Basically if you are in a darker enviroment, whether indoors or outdoors on a gloomy day, you will need to use a slower shutter. Any shutter slower than 1/50 is difficult to handhold without getting a blurry picture, therefore IS is very usefull on those shots. So to answer your question, IS a valuable feature at any zoom. Hope this helps
KenIS does have something to do with amount of zoom. The more zoom you use, the higher your minimum shutter speed, with or without IS. Here's Panasonic's take on the relationship, measured from when the "jitter alert" comes on for my FZ15:
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/15304330-L.jpg
As you can see, Panasonic conservatively allows its users to run about two f-stops under the "1/focal length" rule for non-IS versus IS usage. I have many examples of sharp photos taken at four or five stops down, but it certainly does vary with zoom level, nonetheless.

[ktixx]

IS does have something to do with amount of zoom. The more zoom you use, the higher your minimum shutter speed, with or without IS. Here's Panasonic's take on the relationship, measured from when the "jitter alert" comes on for my FZ15:
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/15304330-L.jpg
As you can see, Panasonic conservatively allows its users to run about two f-stops under the "1/focal length" rule for non-IS versus IS usage. I have many examples of sharp photos taken at four or five stops down, but it certainly does vary with zoom level, nonetheless.

Thats pretty interesting. I do realize that zoom has something to do with IS, now I know that it has a lot to do with it :p . I guess I just used the wrong wording (IE: "nothing") In a nut shell, i was saying that it could be the high noon in a snowy setting and your pictures will come out sharp as a tac even at 12X, or it could be dark and gloomy day with low lighting in a church (with a zoom of 1x) The time the IS will be most helpfull will be in the dark situation with no zoom because a much slower shutter will be used. Never-the-less IS is helpfull in a lot of situations.
Ken

[John_Reed]

My experience with zoom & IS on the Panasonics has evolved as the cameras have. I was able to shoot down to 1/25 of a second at full zoom handheld with my FZ1, 1/15 at full zoom handheld with my FZ10, and now with my FZ15, it seems like I can sometimes shoot down to as low as 1/4 second and still get a useable shot. (I wouldn't say every time, but there's a good probability of sharpness there) I know I've benefited from IS even at low focal lengths indoors (for the FZ1 & FZ10, haven't taken the FZ15 to a museum yet), letting me take all kinds of handheld 1/6, 1/8, 1/10 second shots without flash and getting good sharp results. Here's an FZ10 shot at 1/6th of a second at the Corning Museum in NY:
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/5798501-M.jpg