In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) vs Digital Stabilization – Which One Do You Prefer?

Poll

by Johnnie BehiriFebruary 12^th, 2025

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We’ve all been in this situation before, where we want our footage to look “perfectly smooth”. Whether we are filming standing or moving, we fight to avoid micro-shakes, footsteps, or any other causes for shakiness (unless, however, it serves our storytelling :) ). Nowadays, many modern cameras offer In Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) while others rely on Digital stabilization to achieve the same goal. (Some offer a combination of both methods or even a way to take a stabilized lens into account, but let’s leave this aside for now). In today’s poll, we would like to find out what type of stabilization you prefer. IBIS or digital? Furthermore, does it even affect your decision when buying a camera?

I’m sure many of you will agree with me when I say that in many cases and shooting scenarios, working with a camera that can stabilize your footage is a godsend. Up until recently, working with a camera that has an IBIS was my preferred option. In my mind, digital stabilization, unlike optical, will always sacrifice some image quality because the camera has to crop slightly into the frame to stabilize the shot.

That said, IBIS has its own limitations, sometimes causing wobbly edges. Overall, I find digital stabilization less desirable for filming.

But our industry is evolving and some leading camera manufacturers are mentioning that digital stabilization for video can now compete with IBIS. Now, imagine that we can prove this statement is true, and digital stabilization does not noticeably reduce the quality of your footage, yet brings the same or even superior stabilization results. Would you reconsider, too?

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Please be kind enough to answer our poll and even better so, leave a comment below. Thank you!