Electronic IS and IBIS vs gimbal: how far can in-camera stabilisation carry you?

Canon is a pioneer of image stabilisation (IS) technology, having launched the world's first interchangeable SLR lens with IS in 1995, as well as introducing the first cameras with in-body IS (IBIS) delivering up to 8 stops of image stabilisation – the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6.

Video stabilisation technologies continue to evolve. Many of Canon's Cinema EOS pro video cameras feature 5-axis Electronic IS (EIS), while EOS R System hybrid cameras have Movie Digital IS.

All these stabilisation technologies – optical, IBIS and digital – can work together to bring a greatly improved level of steadiness when you're recording video footage, as the sample footage below (filmed on an EOS R6 Mark II) illustrates. So how does this advanced Canon image stabilisation make filmmakers' jobs easier? And does it really mean you can retire the gimbal?

Here, we explore the freedom that in-camera Electronic IS, IBIS and IS lenses are giving to Canon Ambassadors Francesca Tosarelli and Ulla Lohmann. Working across journalism and documentary filmmaking, Francesca produces features for broadcasters that can then be developed into character-driven, cinéma-vérité-style films, while Ulla is a photojournalist and filmmaker specialising in documentary, expeditions and adventure.

Both have used gimbals to capture smooth footage while on the move, but they routinely rely on the image stabilisation features built into their Canon cameras and lenses.

In-camera image stabilisation technologies have many advantages. They can stabilise your footage even when you're using lenses that aren't equipped with IS, and are more convenient and faster to set up than a gimbal. However, IBIS and in-camera Electronic IS work in different ways.

"If you have a camera with IBIS, it will physically shift the sensor ever so slightly to counteract movement," explains Canon Europe Product Specialist Aron Randhawa. "It's fantastic if you're a photographer and you're taking long exposure shots, where traditionally you've had to use a tripod."

Modern gimbals use motors, motion sensors and computer algorithms to stabilise a camera, with 3-axis models counteracting unintentional pitch (up-and-down), yaw (side-to-side) and roll (rotational) motion while you're shooting on the move.

Longer shots that require a lot of walking or running, as well as subjects that move erratically, are likely to benefit from the motion stabilisation afforded by a gimbal. This is why Francesca used a gimbal when filming a documentary that focused on football as a binding factor for a community of women in Ancona in Italy.

"I wanted to run alongside a very fast player who is the top scorer of her team," Francesca says. "Considering her exceptional speed, I needed to use a camera, lens and gimbal that offered the right balance of performance and weight. The combination of a Canon EOS R5 C camera, EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens and DJI RS 3 Pro gimbal proved to be the perfect setup for capturing footage that conveyed the sense of action."

In situations of this sort, a gimbal or Steadicam is the only option. While gimbals make it easy for single camera operators to capture smooth handheld footage, however, they do have some drawbacks. Chief of these is their extra weight, bulk and battery requirements. There's also the time it takes to manually balance the camera and lens – and the adjustments that need to be made if you change lenses or add additional accessories. Although you won't get professional results without a gimbal in extreme cases such as running alongside an athlete, it's much faster to get going and shoot with an image-stabilised camera and lens.

Francesca's reportage and documentary projects regularly require her to work alone, so she doesn't have time or capacity to attach a gimbal or other accessories to the camera body.

"Often, I have only a top handle to quickly grip the camera, with a shotgun mic and wireless mic attached," she says. "I frequently have to place the camera in any available location, including on debris on the ground. The action is always fast paced, so it's important for the entire video and audio setup to be as small and compact as possible.

"All of my films rely on Canon's image stabilisation technology for handheld shooting or, at most, on a quickly mountable and removable monopod. While filming a documentary on the protests of Iraqi youth environmentalists in Baghdad, I used the Canon EOS C300 Mark II handheld. This allowed me to be agile in Tahrir Square during clashes, and to use the same setup in intimate moments with one of the protagonists just minutes later if they wanted to speak about the situation.

"If some shots are not entirely smooth because I'm running, it is not necessarily a problem from a visual perspective," Francesca adds. "I deal with reality, and the narrative of a chaotic scene doesn't have to be aesthetically perfect for me. Otherwise, it's fiction."

Both Francesca and Ulla frequently shoot in environments where gimbals are impractical. "I don't even have my gimbal anymore – I've sold it," Ulla confesses. "I shoot a lot on expeditions, and there is no place for a gimbal when I'm working in caves, lava tunnels and volcanoes.

"It might add another one percent of perfection to my work, but it is so bulky to carry, and I get really good results with the in-camera image stabilisation."

It was during a trip to Mount Etna – Europe's most active volcano – that Ulla really got to push the IBIS and EIS capabilities of her Canon EOS R6 to the limit. "I was shooting very close to the lava flow," she explains, "so close, in fact, that I actually burnt my shoes.

"I was standing on lava that had just cooled down, so it was still hot underneath and unstable. In these situations you can't concentrate on moving very slowly from the hip and making nice movements with a camera. You're only able to stay a short time – you have to focus on where you're walking and just shoot. I had to use the camera handheld, and the image stabilisation worked perfectly."

While Francesca and Ulla frequently find themselves in extremely testing environments where a gimbal would be unworkable, these accessories still have a place – particularly when using heavier cameras and lenses, where uncompromising performance and resolution are required, or if you need to move the camera at speed. But the ability to keep your camera setup lightweight and shoot handheld more spontaneously is where the freedom, immediacy and creativity offered by Electronic IS, IBIS and optical lens IS truly shine.