Sneaky Camera Marketing Tactics

Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com) is one of the most trusted camera information and review sites on the Internet (to me, they share the top spots with Steve's Digicams and Digital Camera Resource Page). They have a short post up titled "Stop misleading 'Image Stabilization' labels".

The post describes the tactics some companies take in labeling their cameras as having a "Image Stabilization" or "Anti-shake" feature when in fact, there is no actual physical anti-shake mechanism. Instead, these cameras perform their "image stabilization" by turning up the ISO for some shots. This allows you to take pictures in low-light and therefore, reduce the blurriness but the quality of the image goes way down.

I always wondered about this. I have a Canon 20D with an actual Image Stabilization lens and there are still many instances where it's hard to take a non-flash picture without the blur. The dpreview.com post backs up my suspicions when I see commercials where people are bouncing around the place taking razor-sharp pictures in a nightclub with a point & shoot camera.

Don't believe the hype.