LX100 OIS Effectiveness

The Image Stabiliser  in the LX100 is not quite as effective as that in the FZ 1000 but it doesn’t need to be as the LX100 lens has a much shorter zoom reach.  It is still very useful however.

I ran tests using a subject with plenty of detail and a hand held camera at the wide end then the long end of the zoom range.  I photographed the subject at a range of shutter speeds with the OIS on then off.  I have steady hands.

I held the camera with my eye to the viewfinder and also while composing on the monitor.

Results

	Wide		Long
Actual Focal Length  mm	10.9		34
Full Frame Equivalent Focal Length   mm	24		75
1/EFL  Shutter Speed	1/25		1/80
	OIS  ON	OIS  OFF	OIS  ON	OIS  OFF
Monitor View Slowest sharp SS	1/8	1/30	1/30	1/125
OIS Benefit		2 EV Steps		2 EV Steps
EVF View Slowest sharp SS	1/8	1/30	1/30	1/60
OIS Benefit		2 EV Steps		1 EV Step

Notes  [1/EF/L shutter speed] refers to an old rule from the 35mm film days. This held that if the user held the camera steady the slowest shutter speed which could safely be hand held was the reciprocal of the focal length in millimetres.  

This rule worked well enough for film but the high pixel density of modern cameras might suggest that a more stringent rule be applied, perhaps the reciprocal of twice the focal length.

Comment  In my reasonably steady hands OIS on the LX100 confers a 2 EV step benefit except at the long end of the zoom with EVF view, where it is 1 EV step. I suspect that is because I  hold  the camera more steadily with EVF view than monitor view. 

When using the camera particularly at the long end of the zoom I can easily see by the steadiness of the preview image in the EVF whether OIS is on or not.  I have it on all the time for hand held photographs.