Canon patent puts in-body image stabilization in a DSLR

(Image credit: Canon Watch)

Canon is registering quite a few interesting patents at the moment – and it bodes well for the future of camera tech.

Last week we saw the firm registering a patent for an always-on lens cap that also functioned as a lens hood – solving the problem of the lost lens cap once and for all.

In another good spot by the sharp-eyed folks at Canon Watch, it seems that Canon has also registered a patent in the US for including IBIS (in-body image stabilization) in the body of a DSLR.

Canon has hitherto relied on its lens-based system of stabilisation to achieve the same effect – there was speculation in the months before the release of the mirrorless EOS R and EOS RP that these cameras would come with in-body stabilization, however it didn’t quite pan out. According to the firm, they didn’t think the technology was ready.

Canon has hitherto relied on its lens-based system of stabilizzation to achieve the same effect – there was speculation in the months befor, and while Nikon stopped short of calling the camera a mirrorless hybrid, they did acknowledge that it will have what they referred to as “mirrorless features”. One of these, of course, was in-body stabilization.

They’ve been working on it though – in an interview with Amateur Photographer magazine back in February at CP+, Canon executives confirmed that the plan is for future versions of the EOS to have an IBIS system that works in tandem with lens-based IS. Based on this recent patent filing, it looks as though this feature is going to be extended to DSLRs as well.

It’s interesting to see another way that the gap between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is narrowing – specs for the Nikon D6 recently leaked, and while Nikon stopped short of calling the camera a mirrorless hybrid, they did acknowledge that it will have what they referred to as “mirrorless features”. One of these, of course, was in-body stabilisation.

So, whether you’re a mirrorless shooter or sticking with Canon DSLRs, it seems there’s a lot to look forward to in terms of in-body stabilization in future models!

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Jon Stapley

Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.  

An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.