Lumix and OMD "Mongrel" IS: Most OMD lenses have no IS so I use IBIS regardless of which brand of body I put them on. And Lumix lenses on Lumix bodies combine OIS and IBIS by design.

User ID

Most OMD lenses have no IS so I use IBIS regardless of which brand of body I put them on. And Lumix lenses on Lumix bodies combine OIS and IBIS by design.

The "mongrel" is Lumix lenses on OMD bodies. Both lens and body each has its own form of IS but the two brands are not specifically designed to cooperate.

Ive had no obvious or ruinous blurring from leaving both systems enabled on mongrel match ups, but I was getting vaguely suspicious and ran a few casual comparisons. Casual is the only way to go, cuz this is about hand held camera steadiness, for which theres no exact measurement method.

Inspecting matching shots from OMD bodies with the IBIS enabled, I *seem to* get slightly better fine detail if I disable OIS in the Lumix lens. So Im wondering if other users have noticed anything similar (or perhaps opposite ?).

I realize the pool of users for this is a small slice of the UHH pie.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I have no experience with OMD bodies. My (aging) Lumix GX8 and the long Lumix 100-400 lens surprise me every time I get a chance at real wildlife. When asked, I usually encourage not mixing of brands for this very reason. The lenses and bodies mate, but the stabilization systems are different.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

The OMD lenses have no image stabilization because it is already built into the cameras. I use some Panasonic lenses with my OM bodies and only one of my Panasonic lenses has built in IS. I have left it on to use with the IBIS of my cameras and I never experienced any issues.
That was done by me while testing, I usually keep the Panasonic lens IS off.

banjoboy Loc: Austin, TX

I believe from my experience with a Pana 35-100 f2.8 and OIS that when you enable the lens OIS on an Olympus body it disables the Oly IBIS. Turning the lens OIS off then re-enables the body IBIS (both cases assuming you have enabled IBIS on the body.). I found the OIS was marginally better on a tele lens while body IBIS won out on normal and wider focal lengths when mixing Pana lenses with Oly bodies.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

User ID wrote:

Most OMD lenses have no IS so I use IBIS regardles... (show quote)

If the lens is long (100/200 or greater) and the lens has high IS (3 stops or more), it is best to turn off the IBIS and leave the ILIS on. Otherwise, it is best with IBIS on and ILIS off.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

banjoboy wrote:

I believe from my experience with a Pana 35-100 f2.8 and OIS that when you enable the lens OIS on an Olympus body it disables the Oly IBIS. Turning the lens OIS off then re-enables the body IBIS (both cases assuming you have enabled IBIS on the body.). I found the OIS was marginally better on a tele lens while body IBIS won out on normal and wider focal lengths when mixing Pana lenses with Oly bodies.

My Panasonic lenses work fine on my Oly bodies.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

camerapapi wrote:

The OMD lenses have no image stabilization because it is already built into the cameras...

Watch out for generalizations, including this one, because they are often untrue. The Oly Pro IS lenses work with the IBIS in some of the Oly Bodies. IIRC, it is documented that other bodies that have IBIS are not designed to work with the stabilized Oly lenses, and that lenses from other manufacturers should have their stabilization turned off if used with Oly bodies.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

User ID wrote:

Most OMD lenses have no IS so I use IBIS regardles... (show quote)

My casual research over the years confirms your experience. Generally, when using Lumix lenses on OM/Olympus bodies, turning off lens OIS should produce better results when IBIS is enabled. The exception is at effective focal lengths longer than about 180mm. Then you may get better results with IBIS OFF and OIS ON.

That's because IBIS is better at focal lengths up to around 150-180mm (full frame equivalence). ILIS schemes like OIS are better at longer focal lengths. That's why Lumix uses both schemes together in recent bodies. OM Systems does, too, for their best longer tele lenses. But the two platforms don't communicate with each other's lenses for dual stabilization.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

User ID wrote:

Most OMD lenses have no IS so I use IBIS regardles... (show quote)

I currently shoot Olympus and have shot Lumix. With both systems the IBIS in the body will work in conjunction with the OIS in the same maker lenses that have it. For non-matched lenses you need to chose whether to use the IBIS or the OIS. I usually use IBIS except for some long lenses where in lens stabilization works better than IBIS.

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

Actually, quite a few OMD lenses have IS, which sync's with the IBIS and provides up to 7.5 stops stabilisation. I have three Olympus/OMS IS lenses: 300mm f4, 90mm f3.5 macro and a 12 - 100mm f4. The 150 - 400mm f4.5 also has IS.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Jerrin1 wrote:

Actually, quite a few OMD lenses have IS, which sync's with the IBIS and provides up to 7.5 stops stabilisation. I have three Olympus/OMS IS lenses: 300mm f4, 90mm f3.5 macro and a 12 - 100mm f4. The 150 - 400mm f4.5 also has IS.

Yep. Note that all of them are high magnification, either macro or telephoto. That's where in-lens stabilization works best.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

burkphoto wrote:

Yep. Note that all of them are high magnification, either macro or telephoto. That's where in-lens stabilization works best.

There are 4, with the 90mm macro and the 12-100mm zoom having the lowest magnification. The others are the 300mm and 150-400mm. That 12-100 only fits the high magnification in the upper reaches of its range.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

TheShoe wrote:

There are 4, with the 90mm macro and the 12-100mm zoom having the lowest magnification. The others are the 300mm and 150-400mm. That 12-100 only fits the high magnification in the upper reaches of its range.

The 100-400 also has it.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

TheShoe wrote:

There are 4, with the 90mm macro and the 12-100mm zoom having the lowest magnification. The others are the 300mm and 150-400mm. That 12-100 only fits the high magnification in the upper reaches of its range.

Macro lenses especially need the ILIS feature. Even my 30mm Lumix macro has OIS. It helps a LOT. The 75-100mm range on the 12-100 is where you get the most benefit from ILIS. That's 150-200 on full frame.

User ID

I simply mentioned the FACT that MOST Olympus lenses lack OIS. I didnt pose it as a question since an OM lens on an an OM body is not a "mongrel" mix. Three of my OM lenses DO have OIS (but acoarst most dont). Beats me why OM lenses became a discussion unto themselves ?

Thank you to those who did address the query about the mongrels. It seems my suspicion about the mongrel IS mixture matches the observations of other users, that for use on an IBIS enabled OM body, the OIS of any Lumix lens should always be disabled.