puzzled by assign button number 1 for steadyshot
 

So I know about the difference between active steadyshot and regular steadyshot but I am confused by how the assignable button number 1 handles steadyshot.

For example, when I press the button one time, the little hand icon coms up with the letter A indicating ACTIVE STEADYSHOT. When I press the button again, the little hand icon remains but the letter A has disappeared and the word OFF appears (which could be interpreted two ways...any form of steadyshot has been turned off...OR...this is now the "regular" steadyshot mode because the hand icon is still up there and the word OFF refers to ACTIVE steadyshot.

If I press the button a third time, the little hand icon totally disappears....which tells me no steadyshot mode at all.

So is my assumption correct...that when I first press button 1, I'm getting ACTIVE steadyshot, and then I have to press a second time I get to regular steadyshot? And the OFF word refers to ACTIVE, not regular?

I will probably be using regular steadyshot more than active...so I'm surprised they didn't make "regular" steadyshot the first pick on the button.

Thanks for any help out there with this...John

Good question John, as I have wondered the same thing. Hopefully someone can help, I could not find it in the manual.

Ben

I think Steady shot is ON unless its selected as ACTIVE or OFF. So if there is nothing showing regular Steady Shot is operational. IF Off and the hand is there there is no Steady Shot , Active and hand is obvious. I came to this conclusion from page 73 of the manual in that there are three options. Active, Off( described as no steady shot for tripod use) and the third( not described as a position but with options for selection) which must be regular Steady shot. You can alter the order based on which one is set on the menu selection. Choose OFF first and the button will cycle through OFF on power up, Regular then Active etc. Can't alter the order just the one that is active on power up. Seems to work this way on mine.

Ron Evans

I gotta say, this was confusing the heck outta me too. Have been so busy shooting that I've not had time to post about it.

They should have retained the hand icon instead of just having nothing when regular steadyshot is activated -- just another one of the rather dumb interface design decisions Sony has made with this cam (another notable zinger is the distance indicator disappearing after a few secs of inactivity when you're in manual focus mode).

It's not entirely clear to me if customising your steadyshot options in the menu (e.g. hard, soft, standard etc.) has any effect on the steadyshot options activated when you hit the assign button.

Cheers

Adam

The options of hard, soft, wide angle etc are for both the normal steadyshot and separately for the active. They are what will be used when you select with the button.

Ron Evans

You guys have got me confused now, but here's how I see it.

I've programmed assign 2 (with the pip) for SS

1) no indication on screen is OIS SS

2) 'hand and ACT' is OIS and EIS

3) 'hand and off' is no OIS or EIS (ie no SS)

4) You cannot have just EIS

5) Observation - the slight loss of wide-angle and resolution is fine by me as the combined OIS and EIS helps hand-held footage dramatically. I'm impressed.

tom.

Tom that is correct though I think the active mode is great movement of the lens in OIS.

Ron Evans

As Ron mentioned, the NX5 doesn't actually use any form of EIS. The Active Steadyshot is just OIS, but with much greater lens travel available to compensate movement with. The reason that the image has to be zoomed in slightly is so that there is no vignetting (because the lens can travel so far).

Ron and Felix - is that right then? That Active SS is not EIS? Who'd have thought it, as all the original EIS systems (Mitsubishi, JVC etc in the early 90s) did this 'zoom in' and 'res loss' if you engaged EIS and I simply assumed that Sony were doing this on the NX.

Is your theory (that both Sony Steadyshots are OIS) documented anywhere?

I ask this because the OIS allows you to choose between Hard, Normal, Soft and Wide Converter. Are you guys saying Active is like a 'super-hard' position? And how come you can have OIS on 'wide converter' yet still add on the 'active' enhancement?

See what I'm driving at?

tom.

IIRC, it was a Sony rep that mentioned it, and I seem to have heard it more than once.

I will try and find the reference but the soft, mid, hard and wide settings refer to the lens response algorithms from the accelerometers. The normal and active refer to the range of allowed lens movement. With this active position the area used on the sensor is less hence the reduction in resolution. On the latest Sony consumer cameras this works the same way but the active also includes EIS to correct for rotation of the camera when hand held. At least that is how understand it works.

Ron Evans