Stabilisation Guide
$10USDTripod, gimbal, handheld, slider. The right tool for the right shot, and how to keep motion intentional instead of accidental.
Overview
When you film handheld, every tiny movement gets recorded, footsteps, breathing, micro-tremors. Stabilisation smooths those out so your footage looks clean and controlled rather than shaky. The key thing to understand is that there are two completely different types: one that works physically in the camera hardware (OIS), and one that works digitally in software (EIS), and most modern cameras use both at once.
OIS (optical) physically moves the lens or sensor to cancel small vibrations with no crop and the most natural result. EIS (electronic) shifts, rotates and scales the image in software to handle bigger movements like walking, far more powerful, but it always crops your frame. The named modes in your menu (Gyroscope, Active, Standard, Off) are simply recipes for how aggressively to blend the two.
What's Inside
- OIS vs EIS: optical fixes small vibrations with no crop; electronic handles big movement but always crops the frame
- Gyroscope mode, maximum smoothness, ~15–20% crop: for action, sport and fast handheld walking
- Active mode, strong stabilisation, ~10–15% crop: the sweet spot for general handheld, interviews and lifestyle
- Standard mode, light smoothing, ~5% crop: for static shots, slow pans and tripod-free interviews
- Off, no correction, no crop: the right choice on a gimbal, tripod or slider
- Crop factor explained: EIS zooms in to leave room to correct, so heavier stabilisation means more lost frame
- Set your mode BEFORE framing, and never double-stabilise, turn camera IS off when using a gimbal
Format & Access
- One-page PDF reference, built clean and written tight
- Instant download link emailed the moment you pay
- Saved to your dashboard for re-download anytime
- Designed to print and pin to the wall
Delivery
Your download link is emailed instantly and also saved to your MD MEDIA dashboard. Sign in with the email you used at checkout to grab it again whenever you need it.
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