Nobody likes blurry images caused by camera shake, but sometimes we can’t help it and image stabilization can be a nice solution to that.
The Canon EOS 70D does not have in-body image stabilization, and most Canon DSLRs are the same.
Instead, Canon tends to rely on incorporating image stabilization within its lenses and not its camera bodies.
Although some of Canon’s more recent cameras from 2020 onwards do have image stabilization.
Luckily there are ways for you to get further image stabilization for your photographs and videos when using the Canon 70D.
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Use the Reciprocal Rule
One way to avoid shaky photos on your Canon EOS 70D (and any other camera) is to use the reciprocal rule.
The reciprocal rule is a general rule where you use the reciprocal of your focal length to avoid camera shake.
💡 Here’s an example to show you what we mean by this:
- The focal length is 80mm
- The reciprocal of 80 is 1/80
- So your shutter speed should be at least 1/80th of a second or faster
As you can see, the higher the focal length, the faster your shutter speed needs to be.
For example, if your focal length is 200mm then your shutter speed should be 1/200 or faster.
Since you are using the Canon EOS 70D, you have to remember that a crop factor of 1.6x is applied and you need to take this into account.
In the example above, the focal length is 80mm, but if you use an 80mm lens on the Canon 70D then the actual full-frame equivalent focal length becomes 128mm (1.6 x 80mm=128mm). So you would have to use a shutter speed of 1/128th of a second or faster.
By knowing this rule, you will also realize that, in general, wider angle lenses are easier to use without seeing any camera shake in your photos. This is because you can get away with using a slower shutter speed.
E.g. A 30mm focal length would require a shutter speed of 1/30 or faster but a 60mm focal length would require a shutter speed twice as fast at 1/60 or faster.
Once you know the reciprocal rule, you can eliminate most of the effects of camera shake but there are other things that can also help with image stabilization.
Lenses For Canon 70D With Image Stabilization
If you want to make sure that you have enough image stabilization then going for a lens that has image stabilization is a good solution.
This is where the lens itself tries to stabilize the image to counteract the camera shake. The lens does this by adjusting the positioning of some elements within the lens.
Below we’ve listed some of the best lenses for the Canon 70D that have image stabilization:
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens (best wide angle)
- Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens (best ultra wide angle)
- Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (most versatile and best for general purpose)
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens (best telephoto)
*The Tamron lens above has Vibration Compensation (VC) which is the name for the image stabilization technology used within the lens.
Out of the lenses above, if you could only get one, I would always recommend the 24-70mm Tamron lens because it gives you the best range of focal lengths to cover most scenarios unless you need to go ultra-wide or into the higher telephoto ranges.
It’s also got the added advantage that it has Tamron’s vibration compensation (VC), but the equivalent Canon lens does not have image stabilization.
It’s also a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Canon equivalent, but the Tamron 24-70mm is still an amazing lens. You can see more about this lens in the video below.
Gimbals For Canon 70D
Having image stabilization in your lens is nice, but sometimes it’s not enough. This is mainly true if you plan on taking videos.
If you are planning on doing more video than photography then using a gimbal along with an external microphone can turn the Canon EOS 70D into a great filmmaking camera.
Gimbals do a great job of making sure that your videos come out super smooth on your Canon 70D and we’ve listed some you should check out below:
- Dji Ronin S
- Moza Air 2
- Zhiyun Weebill S
- Dji Ronin SC (Top Choice)
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