Costco Connection

summer
recreation
Shake, rattle
and…shoot?
Tips for clear pictures in shaky times

Buyer’s pıck Chris Day Electronics Buyer

FRANCE FREEMAN

THERE’S NO LONGER any excuse for blurry, out-of-focus photos from a digital camera, because a very practical feature is showing up in most brands and price ranges. Called image stabilization (IS), it’s also known as anti-shake, vibration reduction or shake reduction, and this technology does exactly what its name suggests: It compensates for the shaky hands of the person taking the photo.

The idea of IS is neither new nor unique to digital cameras. It proved to be a successful feature in camcorders. Overly shaky video has been known to induce motion sickness for some viewers.

For still photos, there are several techniques used to stabilize the image. The most effective methods are referred to as optical IS. These employ additional hardware in the lens or camera body to compensate for shake, and produce effective results. Digital IS is less effective than optical.

Depending on the brand of your digital camera, you’ll likely find a menu entry for turning the IS feature on or off. Consult the camera manual for specific instructions.

Many photographers leave IS turned on all the time because it enhances all the types of shooting they do. You will definitely appreciate the benefits of IS if you:

• Shoot handheld still photos of people, animals or landscapes.

• Use a high zoom factor: The greater the zoom factor, the more the slightest shake is exaggerated.

• Use a slow shutter speed: The slower the shutter speed, the greater the chance that motion will throw off the focus.

• Shoot in low light when flash is not allowed or not desired (weddings, concerts, night scenes).

• Shoot extreme close-ups in the macro mode.

Switch off IS to prevent overcompensation when you shoot action such as sports events or when you use a tripod or monopod to steady the camera.—David Wight

B

DAVID SCHNEIDER

It’s easy to demonstrate the value of
image stabilization. These two shots
were taken seconds apart with a
handheld camera in the fading light
of late evening. The only difference
in settings was that image
stabilization was turned off
for photo A and on for photo B.

IF YOU’RE like me, capturing summer trips with a camera is one of the most important parts of the getaway experience. Costco is excited to offer a full range of digital cameras to help make this happen. Two hot models arriving this month are the Nikon D40X and the Canon A640 with the CP720 printer.

The Nikon is outstanding for several reasons, beginning with its size. It’s a full-featured digital SLR camera, loaded with programmable modes. But it’s slightly smaller than previous Nikons, which makes it easier to handle.

If you’ve been hesitant to consider a digital SLR because of its size and complexity, the D40X is the perfect answer. Costco is offering this model bundled with two lenses, a bag, battery and charger and lens caps.

The Canon A640 is a point-and-shoot camera that Costco is bundling with a photo printer. The camera packs plenty of punch, with 10 megapixels of memory and the latest Canon features to make capturing photos a snap. And printing 4 x 6 photos is as easy as plugging in a cable and pushing a button.