Holding steady
IBIS, the Tamron's VC, Active mode for video, and the shutter-speed rule that stabilization lets you bend.
- Explain what the a6700's 5-axis IBIS does and roughly how much it buys
- Decide how in-body and in-lens stabilization work together on each lens
- Apply the 1/(equivalent focal length) rule and know when IBIS lets you break it
Sharpness is often just steadiness. The a6700 gives you several ways to hold the image still, and knowing which is doing the work keeps your shots crisp.
In-body stabilization
The body has 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS), rated at around five stops. “Five stops” means, roughly, that a shutter speed you could barely hand-hold sharp becomes comfortable several stops slower — the difference between needing 1/125 and getting away with something much slower. It works with any lens mounted, including manual ones, because it moves the sensor rather than glass.
The Tamron adds its own
The Tamron 17-70mm has its own optical stabilization, VC. The Sony 10-20mm has none and leans entirely on IBIS — which is fine, because ultra-wide focal lengths hide shake well. When a lens has its own system, the body and lens coordinate; you do not have to choose manually. Leave stabilization on for handheld work and let them sort it out.
Active mode for video
For video, the a6700 offers a more aggressive Active stabilization mode that smooths out walking and handheld motion. It does this partly in software, so it crops in a little — you lose a small amount of the frame edge in exchange for noticeably steadier footage. On the ultra-wide 10-20mm that trade is easy to accept, which is why that lens makes such a good handheld video tool.
The rule stabilization lets you bend
Long before IBIS, the guideline for a sharp handheld frame was: shutter speed at least 1 over the equivalent focal length. On this body, remember the ×1.5 crop — so 70mm wants about 1/125, and 20mm about 1/30. That is the floor when you rely on technique alone.
IBIS lets you break it. With five stops in hand you can hold a wide lens sharp at surprisingly slow speeds — useful in blue hour or a dim interior. But two cautions: stabilization steadies the camera, not the subject, so a moving person still blurs; and the more you push, the more your keeper rate drops. Slow down on purpose, not by accident.
In the field
At blue hour, brace against a wall and shoot the same scene handheld at 1/60, 1/15, and 1/4 with a wide lens. Review at 100%. Find the slowest speed you can reliably hold — that is your personal limit, and it is probably slower than you expected.