Canon Invents IBIS Reset Function for HDR, Useful for Future In-Camera Stacking

A patent application (via Canon Watch) just published shows Canon isn’t completely satisfied with its pretty respectable in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system when it comes to shots that require multiple exposures. Because multi-shot photography requires a much longer time period during and between exposures, the IBIS system – if on the entire time – is easily rendered useless as the frame moves outside its small correctable range. With a single shot this is less of an issue, but with many milliseconds passing between multi-shot exposures, the small angle the sensor can move to correct for vibration is quickly overcome.

The contemplated Canon invention uses the camera’s brain to determine a common reference point with the first exposure, and upon being called to do a subsequent exposure, translates that reference point in the new image, essentially resetting the IBIS to maximize its range of correction while preventing frame shift as much as is possible.

While a nice idea in itself, the resetting feature could have particular application for a future camera that included a multi-frame, high-resolution mode that combined multiple shots into a super-hi-res image, as seen in the Panasonic Lumix cameras like the S1R. Having sharper photos from a reset IBIS system would be helpful, but it would be especially useful in encoding common reference points for an in-camera engine to then combine the data into a single file.