The Buyers guide to...Which cameras have IBIS?

In-body images stabilisation (IBIS) is now an expected feature and although Canon has previously relied upon lens-based stabilisation, the EOS R5 has 5 axis IBIS.

It also steals the IS crown with a claimed shutter speed compensation of 8Ev. That’s the difference between 1/500 sec and 1.3sec!

The IBIS works in tandem with any lens stabilisation to deliver the best result possible. This is facilitated by the improved communication between the lens and camera body which is made possible by the RF mount’s 12-pin connection.

Read our Canon EOS R5 Review

Like the EOS R5, the new Canon EOS R6 also boasts in-body image stabilisation. The R6 is also Canon’s low-light maestro.

While the R5’s AF system is claimed to be sensitive down to -6EV, the R6’s AF system can function at down to -6.5EV. That’s incredibly low light and a new record for a Canon EOS camera.

Shooting in dim conditions can also necessitate slow shutter speeds, but that’s OK because the Canon R6 has 5-axis in-body image stabilisation built-in.

This works in harmony with the stabilisation in Canon’s IS lenses and is claimed to offer up to 8 stops of shutter speed compensation. That’s a new high for the photographic industry.

The autofocus and stabilisation specifications are extremely promising in this camera, and the Canon EOS R6 should prove extremely popular with photographers.

Read our Canon EOS R6 Review

The Canon EOS R3 has a 5-axis system that works in stills and movie mode. It can also work in harmony with stabilised Canon RF lenses to provide a shutter speed compensation of up to 8EV. That’s the difference between 1/250sec and 1sec.

Because the Canon R3’s image stabilisation system works in video mode as well as when shooting stills, it makes handheld footage rock-steady. In our tests, we found that our handheld footage looked like we had mounted the camera on a tripod.

Overall, the Canon EOS R3 is another significant stride forward in the development of mirrorless cameras, offering the type of features and build quality that will appeal to professional sports and news photographers. It’s expensive, but it’s a very powerful camera.

Read our Canon EOS R3 Review

The EOS R5 and R6 were the first of Canon’s cameras to offer in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) and now the R7 offers it too. Canon’s new flagship APS-C mirrorless camera corrects camera shake across 5 axis for video and stills and gives up to 8EV shutter speed compensation and with the new RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM kit lens it gives up to 7EV compensation.

The IBIS in the R7 also enables another neat trick, horizon correction. This is a feature that is activated via the menu and it uses the sensor’s ability to move to correct a sloping horizon. You can see its impact in the viewfinder and on the screen on the back of the camera.

Because Canon is pitching the R7 as a hybrid camera, the ability to handhold while you film should be a real advantage for vloggers and content creators.

Read our Canon EOS R7 Review

The Sony A7 IV makes a solid upgrade on the A7 III. In fact, it’s one of those rare cameras that makes a significant enough jump to warrant upgrading from one generation to the next.

Among its improvements over the A7 III, Sony claims a 5.5 EV shutter speed compensation factor for the A7 IV. This is a half-stop improvement.

Shooting with the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8GM lens mounted and at the 70mm end during our tests, we were able to get about 20% of our images completely sharp at 100% on a computer screen when using a shutter speed of 1-second. That’s a compensation factor of around 6EV.

Dropping to a shutter speed of 1/2-second raised our hit rate to about 40% while at 1/4-sec the hit rate was about 60-70%.

What’s more, the A7 IV also has an ‘Active Mode’ that is designed for use when shooting video and crops the image slightly.

Read our Sony A7 IV Review

The Sony A7 III is an impressive all-rounder camera. Among its impressive features is Sony’s 5-axis optical in-body image stabilisation, which gives a 5EV extension to your hand-holdable shutter speed.

In our tests we found the A7 III’s stabilisation was superb, allowing us to capture handheld shots that otherwise would have suffered from camera shake.

What’s more, its fast and silent shooting credentials, clever autofocusing and 4K video capability make it a great choice. It also produces high-quality results and Sony has a growing range of high-quality optics, adding to its appeal.

Read our Sony A7 III Review

The Sony A7R Mark IV’s 61-million-pixel 35mm sensor is a world first, which the company says delivers ‘medium format quality’.

The sensor is back-side illuminated, and it provides 15 stops of dynamic range. As well as 61-megapixel images, the Sony A7R Mark IV can also produce images with 26 million pixels in APS-C crop mode.

What’s more, its revampled Pixel Shift Multi-Shooting mode can produce images at 240-megapixel resolution. It does this by capturing 960 megapixels worth of data from 16 images, which it then composites together using Sony’s Imaging Edge software.

The A7R Mark IV boasts 567 phase-detection AF points in full-frame mode, which cover 74% of the frame. In the camera’s APS-C mode it has 325 AF points which then cover nearly the entire frame. There’s also Sony’s excellent AI-driven Real-time Eye AF (for humans and animals ins stills mode) and Real-time Tracking modes, which is invaluable for portrait, wedding, sport, pet and social photography.

Depsite its high resolution, the Sony A7R IV is also built for speed and can capture full-resolution 61-megapixel images in continuous shooting mode at up to 10fps, and up to 68 images per continuous burst.

Also among its key features is 5.5-stop, 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, wireless tethering capability, faster USB connection, 802.11ac Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth and studio lighting support.

It all adds up to make the Sony A7R IV one of the best cameras available right now.

Find the best deals on the Sony A7R IV at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Read our Sony A7R IV Review

Like the A7S II, the Sony A7S III has 5-axis image stabilisation built-in. This is claimed to offer up to 5.5EV shutter speed compensation when shooting stills. It’s also possible to activate digital stabilisation if it’s required. This is called SteadyShot Active and as you’d expect, using it results in a slight crop being applied to the framing.

The A7S III’s handling and control arrangement is also a major improvement upon the A7S II, but it’s also much better than any of Sony’s other cameras.

As good as the Sony A7S III is for experienced videographers, it’s good to see that it’s also capable of producing superb 4K video without using some of the advanced features. So if you don’t have an external monitor/recording device and you’re relatively new to grading Log files, you can still great great results.

Read our Sony A7S III Review

The Sony A6600 is Sony’s flagship APS-C format mirrorless camera and it’s aimed at enthusiast photographers and videographers who want to shoot in a variety of conditions. It features a 24.2MP Exmor CMOS image sensor, the BIONZ X image processor and a front-end LSI as is implemented in Sony’s full-frame cameras for better enhancements in still and video image quality.

Among the A6600’s impressive feature set is Sony’s innovative 5-axis in-body image stabilisation system that provides a 5.0-step shutter speed advantage.

The Alpha 6600 also delivers an autofocus acquisition time of just 0.02 seconds, with 425 phase-detection AF points covering approximately 84% of the image area and 425 contrast-detection AF points.

Also on-board is Sony’s ‘Real-time Tracking’ and ‘Real-time Eye AF’, the latest version of Sony’s Eye AF technology, which employs AI-based object recognition to detect and process eye data in real-time.

Real-time Eye AF promises improved accuracy, speed and tracking performance of Eye AF for both humans and animals, and allows the photographer to concentrate exclusively on composition. It’s a significant bonus for pet and portrait photography.

High-resolution internal 4K movie recording with full-pixel readout without pixel binning in Super 35mm format is also on-board. You’ll also find built-in interval shooting for time-lapse videos and a 180-degree tiltable, 3.0-type 921k-dot (approx.) LCD touch screen.

It may not have the same shape as the Sony A7 series of full-frame cameras, but the A 6600 has much of the same technology, enabling it to deliver impressive results with a wide range of subjects.

Read our Sony A6600 Review

Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Nikon Z9 which, by all accounts, looks to be a beast of a camera. Amongst its many features is a sensor-shifting 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) system that offers up to 6EV shutter speed compensation.

Once the Z9 is available for testing, we’ll update this section with some firsthand accounts of how it performs.

Read our Nikon Z9 Review

Although Nikon uses lens-based stabilisation (VR) for its DSLRs, it introduced 5-axis in-body stabilisation (VR) with the original Z6 and Z7. This continues with the Z6 II and there’s a claimed shutter speed compensation value of 5EV.

As the all-rounder of Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Z6 II has a lower resolution than the Z7 II, which means each pixel gathers more light. This means it is superb in low light conditions, and the in-body image stabilisation also aids this performance.

Read our Nikon Z6 II Review

Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras introduced a new in-camera stabilisation system for the company. This corrects for accidental movement around 5 axis and offers up to 5EV of shutter speed compensation. It also works with VR (vibration reduction) systems in Nikon F-mount lenses mounted via an adapter.

Like the Z6 II, the Nikon Z7 II also retains the same 5-Axis in-body VR which is superb in practice. In our review, we were able to shoot with it set to ‘Normal’ rather than ‘Sport’, with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S mounted and capture sharp hand-held images at shutter speeds around 5EV slower than normal with a hit rate of about 50%. That’s a significant bonus to anyone looking to shoot landscape or low-light images without carrying a tripod.

Read our Nikon Z7 II Review

In a break from Nikon tradition, the Z6 has a built-in 5-axis stabilisation system, which gives 5EV of shutter speed compensation.

Using in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) avoids having to put Nikon’s VR system in the S-line (or Nikkor Z) lenses, which helps keep size, weight and prices down.

Like the A7 III on this list of cameras with IBIS, the Nikon Z6 is a great all-rounder. IBIS is just one of its signature features, and since its launch Nikon has even provided a firmware update enabling the camera to shoot raw video.

In short, the Z6 is a great price for a full-frame camera with so many features. I think that it’s the camera that many Nikon photographers have been holding out for.

It combines the handling that you expect from a Nikon DSLR with some great mirrorless camera advantages. The electronic viewfinder is superb, coming as close to an optical viewfinder as you could wish for.

Read our Nikon Z6 Review

Nikon’s DSLRs use lens-based stabilisation, but its Z-series mirrorless cameras have it built into their bodies. It’s the 5 axis type and it’s designed to work with the VR in lenses mounted via an adapter.

In our tests – in both the Z7 and Z6 – we found the in-body image stabilisation to perform well and free you to shoot in situations when you’d normally need to use a tripod.

For instance, at the 70mm end of the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, we were able to get consistently sharp images when hand-holding the camera at around 1/8-1/6sec. Some are sharp at 1/5sec. That’s when examining images at 100% on-screen.

Nikon has still embedded phase detection pixels on the Z5’s sensor and the hybrid AF system has a total of 273 user-selectable autofocus (AF) points.

Enticingly, there’s also Eye-Detection AF that is programmed to lock on to human eyes and Animal-Detection AF for getting cats’ and dogs’ eyes sharp.

Read our Nikon Z5 Review

Panasonic has given the Lumix GH6 a new 5-axis gyro sensor with a new algorithm to deliver up to 7.5 stops of stabilisation by itself (Body I.S.) and Dual I.S.2.

The 5-axis Dual I.S. 2 applies appropriate compensation according to the type of movement by assessing the cause – panning, tilting, or hand-shake.

As usual, the Body.I.S. compensates for camera movement even when the mounted lens is not stabilised. In addition to the physical stabilisation system, the GH6 has digital stabilisation that can be used when recording video if you don’t mind a slight crop being applied to the framing.

The stabilisation system also enables a 100Mp High Resolution mode that can be used without a tripod.

When High Resolution mode is selected, the GH6 captures 8 images in succession while the sensor is shifted using the Body I.S. (Image Stabiliser) mechanism. These files are then composited into a 100Mp-equivalent (11552 x 8672-pixel) image that can be saved in raw and Jpeg format.

Read our Panasonic Lumix GH6 Review

Like the Panasonic GH5 it replaces, the Lumix GH5 Mark II has in-body image stabilisation (IBIS). However, the IBIS has been further developed and is said to enable a shutter speed compensation of up to 6.5EV.

The GH5 II also uses an adapted version of the stabilisation algorithm used by the Panasonic S1H, for smoother, more stable video.

Building on the GH5, the GH5 II can record C4K (4095×2160) or 4K (3840×2160) video at 60p 4:2:0 10-bit to a compatible SD card until the card is full or the battery expires. It can also simultaneously output 4K 4:2:2 10-bit video to an HDMI connected device.

Internal recording is possible at up to 4K 60p and 4:2:2 10-bit 30p and there are 4K/6K Anamorphic modes. What’s more, the GH5M2 uses its whole sensor area for capturing video, so the footage is uncropped.

In addition, the Panasonic GH5M2 can live stream Full HD 60p video wirelessly via the Lumix Sync smartphone app or by connecting directly to a Wi-Fi router. A firmware update that’s scheduled to arrive before the end of 2021 will also add RTP/RTSP wired IP streaming.

This camera has only just been announced, and we’ll update this section with our view on how its IBIS performs at the conclusion of our review.

Read our Panasonic Lumix GH5 II Review

No modern camera is complete without in-body image stabilisation, so naturally, the Panasonic S5 has IBIS. By itself, this is claimed to offer up to 5 stops of shutter speed compensation across 5 axes, but it can also work with lens-based IS to extend the compensation to up to 6.5EV.

What’s more, Panasonic has been generous with the Lumix S5 and given it a lengthy roster of features. In addition to its stabilisation and impressive video credentials, there are also some great stills features including a 96Mp High Resolution mode for raw and Jpeg images, and Live View Composite mode to help with long exposure images.

Impressively, the engineers at Panasonic have also managed to make the Panasonic S5 smaller than the Lumix GH5. That’s quite a feat given the difference in the sensor and mount sizes of the two cameras.

Read our Panasonic Lumix S5 Review

The Lumix S1 is aimed at professional and high-end enthusiast photographers and videographers. It’s a complex camera that offers lots of opportunities to customise it and make it work for you. It also has a dual-tilting screen, a first-rate viewfinder, excellent video specification, a fast AF system and a useful High Resolution mode that can produce 96Mp images.

Like the Panasonic G9 and S1R, the Lumix S1 has a High Resolution mode. When this is selected, the camera takes a sequence of shots in quick succession with the sensor moving by a tiny amount between each. The S1 then merges the images into a single raw file.

When the aspect ratio is set to 3:2, using High Resolution Mode results in 12,000 x 8,000-pixel images. That’s 96Mp. Thanks to the S1’s IBIS (in-body image stabilisation), its sensor can be moved by a tiny amount between shots in the High Resolution mode. This enables the camera to gather more information about the scene and create larger images.

When the image resolution is set to 300ppi, a standard 24Mp image produces prints that measure 20×13.3inches or 50.8×33.87cm. However, a 96Mp High Resolution mode image would make prints that measure 40×26.6 or 106.6×67.7cm. Each dimension is twice that of the standard image. That’s attractive to landscape, still life, macro and commercial photographers.

There are a few restrictions applied when you use High Resolution mode. For example, it automatically uses the electronic shutter, the minimum aperture is f/16 and the shutter speed can only be set from between 1 and 1/8000 of a second. Sensitivity can be set up to ISO 3200.

It’s the type of camera that takes some getting to know, but it’s also a camera that is worth getting to know.

As the lower-resolution of Panasonic’s two full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Panasonic S1 has a 24.2Mp full-frame sensor. Interestingly, this is a 23.8×35.6mm device whereas the S1R’s sensor is listed as 24x36mm. The total pixel count is 25.28Mp while the effective pixel count is 24.2million.

That sensor has a native aspect ratio of 3:2, but it’s also possible to shoot in 4:3, 1:1, 16: 9, 2:1 and 65:24.

The image sensor is paired with a new Venus Engine processor. This enables a maximum shooting rate of 6fps with continuous autofocusing. If you can do without C-AF, however, the rate can be pushed to 9fps. Alternatively, in 4K/6K Photo mode, it’s possible to shoot 4K images at 60fps or 6K images at 30fps.

Panasonic is aiming the Lumix S1 at creatives who want to be able to shoot both stills and video. On the video front, the headline feature is that the S1 can shoot 4K (3840×2160) at 60fps and 150Mbps. However, if you want to keep the full width of the sensor, the maximum frame rate for 4K video is 30fps.

There’s also an HEVC shooting option at 4:2:0 10-bit for internal recording. This option is missing from the Lumix S1R.

Helpfully, Panasonic’s Dual IS system is incorporated. This stabilises images and video.

In addition, Panasonic is going to introduce an optional (paid for) firmware update for the Lumix S1 to introduce full V-Log recording. This will also enable 4:2:2 10-bit 4K 24p/30p internal video recording and 4:2:2 10-bit 4K 60p HDMI output.

• Read our full Panasonic S1 review

The G9 boasts Dual IS, a system that can combine 5-axis sensor shifting-stabilisation and lens-based stabilisation. The lens based-stabilisation aspect is particularly important with long lenses.

In the G9, Panasonic’s impressive Dual IS delivers a correction of 6.5EV at all focal lengths, which puts it on a par with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. It also functions in both stills and video mode.

One aspect that impressed us straight away with the G9 was its autofocus system. When we directed it towards a low-light area with low contrast, it latched on to the subject very quickly, with no noticeable hesitation or indecision.

This proved very useful when photographing wildlife by torchlight or when it was heavily camouflaged by a dense thicket.

Panasonic introduced the GX9 to sit in the middle of its range as a “premium street photography camera”. With its small body size and flat rangefinder type design, it’s also ideally suited as a travel camera – especially if you already own another Micro Four Thirds camera.

It houses a 20.3 megapixel Four Thirds sensor, without an anti-aliasing filter for increased detail resolution.

It has a host of other appealing specifications, including a high-resolution tilting viewfinder, a tilting touch-sensitive LCD screen, 4K Photo and Video modes, and compatibility with the huge range of Micro Four Thirds lenses.

The look of the camera is also very stylish, without attracting too much attention when using it out and about, which is ideal. There’s a good mixture of buttons and dials on the camera, while the tilting screen is very handy for composing from awkward angles – I’m personally not too bothered about articulation for a camera like this (others may feel differently).

Overall image quality is very good, particularly in good or bright light. In lower light, watch out for a little loss of detail in places, and try to stick to as wide an aperture as possible. Colours are nicely reproduced, being natural while also vibrant, while focusing is generally quick and accurate.

Read our Panasonic Lumix GX9 Review

Inside the Fujifilm X-H2S is the 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS, the 5th generation of Fujifilm’s X-Trans CMOS sensor. It’s the first of these sensors to feature a stacked design and the change means that information can be read off the chip much more quickly than from previous X-Trans CMOS sensors or standard backside-illuminated (BSI) sensors. In fact, according to Fujifilm, the new sensor is 4x faster than its predecessor.

This sensor is paired with the 5th generation X Processor (X-Processor 5), which has twice the speed of the previous engine. Together the sensor and X-Processor 5 enable some impressive headline figures including a maximum continuous shooting rate of 40 frames per second (fps) at full-resolution with full autofocus (AF) capability, 6.2K video at 30p, 4K video at 120p, 120fps Live View and enhanced rolling shutter control with the full sensor being cleared in 1/151sec for stills and 1/180 sec when shooting video.

Thanks to the new processor and sensing control function, Fujifilm has updated the five-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) mechanism from its predecessor, the X-H1 (also on our list of which cameras have IBIS). It’s said to deliver up to 7.0-stop shutter speed compensation to the new processor and a new sensing control function.

Read our Fujifilm X-H2S Review

Like its sibling, the X-H2S, the Fujifilm X-H2 has 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, which provides up to 7 stops of shutter speed compensation. This should free photographers and videographers to shoot handheld in a number of situations where it might not normally be possible.

The X-H2’s IBIS is available in both stills and video mode, and Fujifilm says it has upgraded the shake detection.

Read our Fujifilm X-H2 Review

It may sit below the X-T4 in Fujifilm’s line up but the X-S10 has in-body image stabilisation (IBIS). Impressively, Fuji’s engineers have managed to make the IBIS unit 30% smaller than the one in the X-T4 but it still enables up to 6EV of shutter speed compensation. That puts it ahead of the Fujifilm X-H1 which gives a maximum compensation of 5EV but 0.5EV behind the X-T4 which can manage 6.5EV compensation with some lenses.

Fujifilm claims that the X-S10 is capable of compensating for shutter speeds that are up to 6EV slower than you can normally use hand-held. The degree of compensation varies depending upon the lens that you use and also from person to person.

Shooting with the XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS kit lens (which has a stabilisation system built-in) at the 55mm end, Angela was able to get around 50% of her images perfectly sharp at a shutter speed of 1/2-second. That’s a compensation factor of over 5EV.

The stabilisation also functions during video shooting, helping to take out some of the fine-tremor that you see when hand-holding a camera.

Read our Fujifilm X-S10 Review

While the Fujifilm GFX50S has the same 51.4Mp (43.8 x 32.9mm) sensor as the GFX50S, it’s paired with a more modern processing engine, the X Processor 4. This enables improved low light performance, boosted dynamic range, in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that gives up to 6.5EV of shutter speed compensation and high-resolution Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode.

In Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode the camera shoots 16 images in short succession with the sensor moving by a tiny amount between each capture. The images can then be composited on a computer running Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Combiner software to create a 205Mp image. The interval between each of the 16 shots can be set to the ‘shortest possible’ or 1, 2, 5 or 15 seconds.

Sure, a camera that costs more £3,000 has niche appeal, but Fujifilm has pared back some of the features to make a less complicated and more affordable camera that will make it attractive to a larger audience. Suddenly, digital medium format photography is looking like a viable alternative to full-frame-shooting for more of us.

Read our Fujifilm GFX 50S II Review

One of the most widely anticipated introductions made by the X-H1 is the 5-axis in-body image stabilisation system (IBIS). This is a first for the Fuji X-Series and it uses three axial accelerometers, three axial Gyro sensors, and a dual-processor arrangement to enable the hand-held shutter speed to be extended by a claimed maximum of 5.5 stops with the XF 35mm f/1.4 R mounted.

This was the first time we’ve seen in-body image stabilisation in a Fuji X-Series camera and it performs very well.

The X-H1 is a little harder to find these days, but if you can, you can often get it for a bargain. It still offers superb image quality and wonderful stabilisation.

Read our Fujifilm X-H1 Review

Like the GFX 100, the Fuji GFX 100S has IBIS (in-body image stabilisation). This operates across 5 axes and is claimed to give up to 6EV shutter speed compensation.

Following a firmware upgrade, the GFX 100 can use its IBIS to shift the sensor between each in a sequence of 16 images to create a 400Mp image. This same functionality, Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode, is available on the new Fuji GFX 100S from the outset.

Unsurprisingly, the images are composited on a computer running Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Combiner software rather than in-camera. Follow the link to read how to use Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode.

With the Fujifilm GFX100, Angela got a hit rate of around 40% when shooting handheld with the mechanical shutter and a shutter speed of 1/8sec with the GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR lens mounted. This rose to nearly 100% at 1/15sec. That’s an impressive degree of stabilisation for a medium format camera, which many people would consider has to be used on a tripod.

Fujifilm has decreased the size of the IBIS (in-body image stabilisation) unit in the GFX100S and it’s claimed to give up to 6EV shutter speed compensation. With the Fujinon GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR mounted, I was able to get consistently sharp results at the 64mm end (equivalent to around 51mm on a full-frame camera) at shutter speeds of /6 and 1/7sec, but using the Fujinon GF 120mm F4 R LM OIS WR Macro (equivalent to 95mm) at 1/9sec was a step too far.

Read our Fujifilm GFX100S Review

The Fujifilm GFX 100 is a medium format mirrorless camera with the Fujifilm G mount. It’s also the first medium format digital camera to have in-body image stabilisation (IBIS).

However, including a 5-axis stabilisation system means that it’s also bigger than the Fuji GFX 50S and GFX 50R. It also prompted Fuji to add a vertical grip. This means that the Fuji GFX 100 is the first medium format mirrorless digital camera to feature an integrated double grip design.

The Fujifilm GFX 100 uses a three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyro sensor and a dedicated dual processor to power its in-body image stabilisation (IBIS). This gives stabilisation across 5-axis with up to 5.5EV of shutter speed compensation when hand-holding the camera.

In her review, Angela was able to achieve a hit rate of approximately 40% at a shutter speed of 1/8sec and nearly 100% at 1/15sec when I used the GFX 100 with its mechanical shutter and the GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR lens.

Read our Fujifilm GFX 100 Review

There aren’t a whole lot of differences between the Pentax K-1 II and the K-1, but chief among them was an upgrade to Pentax’s Pixel Shift Resolution System. This is now called Pixel Shift Resolution System II and includes a Dynamic Pixel Shift Resolution mode, which is designed to record better colour and definition.

It works by moving the sensor by a pixel width between each of four shots which are then composited into one image. For the first time there are two modes for this.

The first being the one we have seen before that should only be used when the camera is on a tripod and with a motionless subject. A second new option is able to cope with moving subjects and the camera being hand-held. Pentax still recommends using a tripod for the best results though.

Pentax says Pixel Shift Resolution II obtains RGB colour data for each pixel to produce super-high-resolution images with finer details and more truthful colours than those produced by ordinary full-frame sensors.

In the new Dynamic Pixel Shift Resolution mode, which can be used during handheld shooting, this system can be used jointly with the camera’s shake-reduction mechanism, since it synthesizes the captured super-high-resolution images by detecting the slight fluctuations of the subject’s position during continuous shooting.

The camera also provides ON/OFF switching of the Motion Correction function, which detects moving elements of the continuously captured images to minimize the effect of movement during the image synthesizing process.

Naturally, the OM System OM-1 benefits from a range of features and technologies developed by Olympus. Live Composite mode, for example, is perfect for capturing images of traffic trails, fireworks and light painting as it enables a sequence of images to be captured with the ambient exposure being set by the first image and from then on only the new brighter areas are recorded.

This feature is also compatible with the the camera’s image stabilisation system, which is regarded as one of the best available, to enable handheld long exposure photography. The OM-1’s 5-axis IBIS provides up to 7EV shutter speed compensation, or 8EV when combined with lens IS.

Olympus’s image stabilisation system has a strong reputation and it delivers in the OM System OM1. With the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-45mm Pro mounted and used at the 12mm (24mm equivalent in 35mm terms), we were able to get sharp images with 1 second or longer exposures when hand-holding the camera. The stabilisation also works well in video mode.

Read our OM System OM-1 Review

Olympus’s image stabilisation (IS) is excellent and it was upgraded for the E-M1 Mark III to enable up to 7.5Ev of shutter speed compensation across 5 axis with a stabilised lens.

Even without a stabilised lens it’s said to enable up to 7Ev compensation. This has been achieved by using the same gyro as is in the E-M1X.

It’s the sensor-shifting power of the in-body image stabilisation system (IBIS) that enables the OM-D E-M1 III’s High Res Shot mode. The good news here is that in addition to the 80Mp Tripod High Res Shot mode, there’s also a 50Mp HandHeld version.

An option in the menu allows you to select Handheld or Tripod mode. Then all you need to do is set the camera to High Res Shot via the drive settings. One press of the shutter release triggers the camera to shoot a series of images each with the sensor in a slightly different location.

The images are then composited in-camera to create one larger picture (raw and/or Jpeg) with more detail.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Review

Need we keep saying it? Olympus’s 5-axis Image Stabiliser is the best around. It’s enabled us to use exposures of 2 or 3 seconds when hand-holding older models like the OM-D E-M1 II with a wide-angle lens.

However, the OM-D E-M1X introduced a new gyro sensor and this improved the IS performance. Olympus claims it gives 7.5EV shutter speed compensation with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO at a focal length of 100mm (35mm equivalent: 200mm).

Helpfully, the IS also works in video mode and you can also adjust the level of stabilisation that’s applied.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M1X Review

Technically the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III sits below the OM-D E-M1 Mark II in Olympus’s interchangeable lens camera line-up but it has an updated processor that gives its smaller body a slight edge for speed and AF performance.

It also produces nice images and the stabilisation system is incredible, enabling you to hand-hold the camera and get sharp images with exposures measured in whole seconds.

Incredibly, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III can deliver up to 5.5Ev with a non-stabilised lens and 6.5EV with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO at 100mm (200mm equivalent).

Olympus’s stabilisation system is the best around and it really delivers in the OM-D E-M5 Mark III. I shot a video while walking up and downstairs and the results are great. It almost makes a motorised gimbal pointless.

Meanwhile, in stills mode it can enable sharp images to be shot hand-held at shutter speeds measured in whole seconds. With the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 lens at the wider end, for example, I have perfectly sharp shots captured with exposure times longer than 3 seconds. With an elbow rest and careful breathing, I was even able to get sharp images with 8-second exposures.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Review

Olympus has given the E-M10 IV in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) which enables images to be captured at up to 4.5EV slower shutter speeds than normal. This system also operates in video mode and it can be augmented with digital stabilisation but using it results in a slight crop in the frame.

Olympus’s image stabilisation system is traditionally excellent and when Angela, our reviews editor, was shooting with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens mounted, which has an effective focal length of 120mm, she was able to get around 50% of her images sharp at shutter speeds as low as 1/13sec.

With the 14-42mm kit lens in action at the 42mm end (84mm effective), she got a hit rate of around 80% at a shutter speed of 1/10sec and 50% at 1/5sec. She was even able to get 2 or 3 images in every 10 or so completely sharp at 1sec. That’s without any form of support and hand holding the camera at waist-level. Using the viewfinder often makes the camera more stable because it’s braced against your face.

If you’re looking for a camera to carry everywhere that will get you great results and doesn’t need a tripod much of the time, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is a great choice.

Read our Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Review

The E-M1 II is a complex and versatile camera. It takes a while to get to discover all its features and understand some of its quirks, but it’s a rewarding experience.

Its stabilisation system is incredible and allows you to rethink how you shoot, leaving the tripod behind and avoiding high ISO settings. Olympus has also packed in the clever technology that we have come to expect with Live Bulb, Live Time and Live Composite mode making long exposure photography easy and in-camera focusing stacking enabling greater depth of field than is normally possible. In addition, High Res Shot mode turns this 20Mp camera into a 50Mp device – and you can use it for normal landscape photography with no concern about a breeze blowing through the trees.

High Res Shot mode has impressed us in the past with its ability to produce larger files with greater detail by combining a sequence of images in-camera. According to Olympus the latest version of the system in the OM-D E-M1 II produces images with resolution equivalent to 50Mp shots. It can also compensate for the slight movement in landscape scenes – leaves and grass etc.

Olympus’s Image Stabiliser (IS) is widely respected, but the latest version in the E-M1 II raised a few eyebrows at the launch event because it’s capable of extending the safe hand-holdable shutter speed by up to 6.5 stops with stabilised lenses like the new Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 IS Pro. That’s an incredible figure, higher than any other camera. It could produce some interesting creative opportunities that are only normally possible with a tripod.

Further good news is that the Olympus OM-D E-M 1 Mark II is capable of recording 4K footage at up to 30p. Combining this with the claimed IS performance could mean the OM-D E-M1 Mark II prove popular with run-and-gun shooters.

Add in a high-quality viewfinder and a vari-angle touch-screen that helps you shoot from more creative angles and you have a very attractive camera.

• Read our full Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II review