Anti shake CCD is here.

[dave milbut]

wow cool. in my tests while looking for a 3mp camera, the minoltas were my second choice behing the oly's (in my price range.) I'll have to give them another look when I go to 5mp +. especially if this makes in into their entire lineup eventually. thanks for the tip off mat!

[dave milbut]

So IMHO, you will still get a sharper picture mounting on a tripod.




of course you will, but that's not always possible. (or even likely for candids, which is 95% of what I take! <g>)

[r_harvey]

From the backgrounder PDF:

The camera’s new Anti-shake function minimizes the effect of camera shake,
a slight blurring of the image when the camera is handheld, to provide the
sharpest image possible. The Anti-shake system is valuable when shooting
at long focal lengths or in low-light conditions without a tripod. This
allows the camera to be handheld with exposures approximately eight times
longer than usual. When using the camera at the telephoto setting, approximately
90% of the images recorded will be sharp with a shutter speed of 1/25 second.
The Anti-shake button glows to indicate the function is active.

The Minolta method sounds better than previous methods (even Steadicam <http://www.steadicam.com/>), primarily because you are stabilizing less mass. Generally images look good with these methods, except in extreme situations, when it is limited by the coverage of the lens--you can get fall-off or vignetting if you give it a good shake, or tilt while you shake, and especially if its auto-focus continues to adapt during the exposure.

Imagine looking through slightly-wavy glass; the view looks good, unless you move your head. While an exagerated example, moving the film plane during exposure will have that effect because of lens aberrations.

It's only an f/2.8-3.5 lens; in a crunch, an Olympus with an f/1.8 lens would give you better than twice as fast of a shutter.

Assuming the lens is well corrected, and assuming I had $1300, I really want one.

[dave milbut]

The Anti-shake system is valuable when shooting at long focal lengths
or in low-light conditions




low light and/or flash off is where I have most of my problems. i'll wait til the prices come down a bit though. yikes! 1300 dollars for a camera. i'd get a used les paul before that! :)

[LenHewitt]

Mathias,

Carol has one, and has reported remarkable results with hand-held shots at
1/15 on a long lens! Shots that would have previously been impossible
without tripod have now become routine for her as hand-helds.

[Mathias Vejerslev]

Len,

Carol has one of these A1s? But they haven´t hit the shelves yet? She must be testing it then.. How many cameras does that women posess?? 1/15 at the long end sounds about right :-)

Dave,

I´ve spent in excess of $4000 on my Canon 10D + lenses so far. But stuff costs more in my neck of the woods. Still, its a helluva lotuv money.

[LenHewitt]

>>How many cameras does that women posess?? <<

Too many! <g>

Some women collect shoes, others handbags, Carol, well.......let's say Carol
is the Imelda Marcos of the Digital Camera world <g>

[Lawrence Hudetz]

I would like to see a comparison between hand-held and tripod, same settings.

I never travel without my tripod. The camera is on the 'pod and slung over my shoulder. I carried an 8x10 that way, so minature cameras like Hasselblad are a snap!

[r_harvey]

I would like to see a comparison between hand-held and tripod, same settings.




It would be subjective--factoring caffeine, immediacy, surprise. It's for the time you don't have a tripod; a bad picture you get, is better than a great one you don't.

The camera is on the 'pod and slung over my shoulder.




People who'll carry this little plastic camera likely wouldn't carry filters or a light meter, let-alone a tripod or beanbag.

I carried an 8x10 that way, so minature cameras like Hasselblad are a
snap!




As someone who once carried a 5x7 with tripod and film box, while being chased up a hill by a pack of wild beasties, I would appreciate the extra running speed afforded by the little Minolta.