In IBIS Shootout, Canon Gets Longest OK Exposure, Nikon the Longest ‘Very Good’

Testing image stabilization is somewhat subjective, as what constitutes “sharp” is in the eye of the beholder. But German photo magazine Photo Magazin (via Nikon Rumors) created a consistent methodology to test the major brands’ better bodies equipped with in-body image stabilization (IBIS) to give some relative comparisons. The results? The Canon R5 goes the longest for a full frame camera before an image is qualified as “unsharp” (2 seconds exposure), and the Nikon Z7 Mark II can go the longest while maintaining “very good” sharpness (0.6 seconds).

Olympus’s E-M1 III exceeded both Canon and Nikon by managing to shoot “Okay” 2 second exposures, although it tapped out at 1/6th of a second for “very good” sharpness, behind the Nikon and equal to the Canon.

Sony’s A9 Mark II notably performed more poorly, managing to reach only 1/50th of a second with a very good rating, and becoming unsharp at 1/6th of a second. The Panasonic S1R and Fujifilm X-T4 all did very similarly in the middle.

The results fit well with Camnostic staff experiences, having personally used the Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony models in the tests as primary shooters.

It should be noted that Sony’s newest flagship, the A1, addressed the firm’s IBIS deficit to some degree, but anecdotal reader reports and online reviews indicate it has not yet equaled that of the other brands.