-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
SX40 Super Zoom (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MichelleOhio
- Start date
Jaff
Registered Member
Nothing will ever beat digiscoping for reach, especially when using a camera in combination with the scope eyepiece rather than connecting a camera directly to the scope. This was taken from the same site, from a completely different year though (well it is a juvenile if you look!) but at a likewise massive distance (easily 100m or more) and is full frame with no sharpening but had to give it a quick tweak for exposure. Purple fringing is a problem because of the white sky and the fact I was scoping at 60x on my zoom but that just translates into an insane amount of magnification. Not easy to do though and requires patience and good technique as scoping at 20x is tricky enough in itself but even that will give more detail than most DSLR's with 500mm's when used correctly.
Obviously digiscoping has still got it's niche but there are many more limitations than the other options as to when it can be used effectively.
Obviously digiscoping has still got it's niche but there are many more limitations than the other options as to when it can be used effectively.
Attachments
Robert,
I've been shooting with several cameras at all possible video settings.The Sony DSC HX 9V,Canon G1 X,Nikon P7000 and Nikon V1 and now the Nikon D800. There are settings on the Sony 9V that most programs can't handle ie 1920 x 1080/50p , and Vimeo doesn't like them either.
The best compromise setting is 720x1280/30 or 25. Gives good resolution and doesn't take up too much space on cards or hard drives.
There is also an iFrame format that some cameras have which is 960x540. Doesn't take too much space and fast to process. Good for iphones and ipads.
I'm tending to shoot at the highest rez of the camera though as I want this video as a permanent record for the future so it should be as good as I can get. I'm shooting more video these days than stills.
It's still a learning curve for me.
Neil
Last edited:
Atricapilla
Still Wandering
You done well there Jaff with that sky and at 60x as well.
Robert L Jarvis
Robert L Jarvis
Bobcesme
I rarely do digiscoping now as there gets to a point where I am carrying too much gear around and as I am like Roy C getting on in years the weight can get a bit much.
As for the SX40 I agree with Roy that BIF shots would not be easy. I think the focus to slow and the viewfinder very small. In fact I do not use it at all but go for the lcd screen with mid image zoom in to check focus. These cameras are very good but there are areas where a DSLR cann ot be challenged.
I rarely do digiscoping now as there gets to a point where I am carrying too much gear around and as I am like Roy C getting on in years the weight can get a bit much.
As for the SX40 I agree with Roy that BIF shots would not be easy. I think the focus to slow and the viewfinder very small. In fact I do not use it at all but go for the lcd screen with mid image zoom in to check focus. These cameras are very good but there are areas where a DSLR cann ot be challenged.
Atricapilla
Still Wandering
Yes,I know exactly how you feel Robert,I am getting to the stage when I hear myself subconsciously saying things like "this hill seems a bit steeper today" or "I did'nt realise it was this far".
Never mind it's usually worth it when you get that shot of that special bird.
Last edited:
woody66
Member
This morning took this shot of a shellduck on a small island about 100 mtrs away , i used full zoom on my SX40 hs , by full zoom i mean the full 840 mm optical x 4 digital , to my surprise it turned out quite good , i didnt expect too much at that range especially using the x 4 digital as well , strangly the exif 150.5mm, anyway now i dont need to carry extra lenses anymore , this canon sx40 is one cool machine :t:
Attachments
Last edited:
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
Having never owned one of these super zooms I do not know much at all about them, am I correct in thinking that this shot would have been taken at 3360mm focal length equivalent (840 x 4)? If so then this must surely beat digiscoping hands down for ease of use and possibly IQ. In fact I would say it out resolves most DSLR tele's at this range (including some super teles costing many thousands of pounds).
woody66
Member
Hi roy well the proof is in the pics , heres another shot from the same sort of distance but a different day and cloudy skies , iso 200 and 1/125thsec , full; zoom . 5 years ago i went for a superzoom simply because i was fed up of carrying all the lenses and gear around , so i bought a Canon powershot S2 is , which had 5megapixals and a zoom from 36mm to 432mm and this could be multiplied by 4 times using the digital zoom , it was a brilliant tool up to the 432 mm , nice and sharp but when you utilised the 4x digital you tendered to get vignetting around everything , i tried a 2x converter with it but still had the same probs ,a short while ago i saw the SX40 with even more optical zoom x4 digital 12.1 megapixels and all the latest updated spec , which included a far better image stabilisation system need for the zooming , ive had this camera a couple of months now and it really is all that im going to need , and a superb replacement for my old one . :t:
Attachments
Last edited:
I posted these query on the Nikon forum but have yet to recieve a response. I wonder if any SX40 users have had the oppurtunity of comparing the two cameras or perhaps can advance a case for choosing the SX40?
"I am in the market for a "mega zoom" bridge camera and am struggling to decide between the Nikon P510 and the Canon SX40.
Factors like size, gps, battery life, number of features etc are not deal clinchers for me (although I do like the look of the P510's easy panarama function)
I am interested to know whether the extra x6 zoom of the P510 makes a significant difference in the field. Does the additional zoom come at the cost of a drop in image quality or focusing capabilitiy at full zoom?
I have read the comparison reviews of the two cameras but they don't realy address these issues.
I have to make a decision before a trip to Norfolk in early May. If anybody has had hands on experience with both cameras I would be interested to hear their views."
"I am in the market for a "mega zoom" bridge camera and am struggling to decide between the Nikon P510 and the Canon SX40.
Factors like size, gps, battery life, number of features etc are not deal clinchers for me (although I do like the look of the P510's easy panarama function)
I am interested to know whether the extra x6 zoom of the P510 makes a significant difference in the field. Does the additional zoom come at the cost of a drop in image quality or focusing capabilitiy at full zoom?
I have read the comparison reviews of the two cameras but they don't realy address these issues.
I have to make a decision before a trip to Norfolk in early May. If anybody has had hands on experience with both cameras I would be interested to hear their views."
Somehow, I have yet to see a happy Nikon Superzoom owner post on BF (I at least cannot remember any). Alternatives to Canon more come in Panasonic and Fuji from my impressions. (I still have a FZ18 which by now is an ancient superzoom, but have myself moved on to GH2 + 100-300)
Niels
crazyfingers
Well-known member
Former unhappy Nikon Superzoom user here. Now a happy Canon SX 40 user.
woody66
Member
I actualy tried a Fuji SX30 EXR , didnt like it at all , just wasnt quick enough focussing for wild bird shooting , being used to my 5 year old canon powershot made me look at the SX40 simply because i thought it was my old S2is beefed up with better zoom stabilisation i was wrong infact it s a totally mor superior camera alltogether , after trying it out i couldnt wait to buy one , the P500 which has more or less the same zoom as the SX40 was a dissapointment , didnt hold a candle to the SX40 having said that the new Nikon P510 looks good zoom wise but its got a long way to go to beat the canon , why not get down to the camera shop with a memory card and put one through its paces , if it can focus quickly and shoot at full zoom x the digital and come up with a sharp shot no vignetting then its worth buying
Does anybody know if it's possible to add a comment (voice or in written form) to a photo taken with the SX40? I'm asking because I try to learn the species at guided tours of plants and mushrooms and think it could be helpfull to assign the correct names to the images.
Steve
Steve
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
You could always assign the correct name to the image name (e.g. mushroom.jpg) or write some text on the image itself.
Robert L Jarvis
Robert L Jarvis
Hi Steve
It would be easier to add a title or caption when processing the image or editing the video. It cannot be done when you are taking a still but you can do a voice over when you are videoing. Problem is make sure you have the video settled, no wobbling or zooming when you speak because when you come to edit this part it may end up on the cutting room floor.
It would be easier to add a title or caption when processing the image or editing the video. It cannot be done when you are taking a still but you can do a voice over when you are videoing. Problem is make sure you have the video settled, no wobbling or zooming when you speak because when you come to edit this part it may end up on the cutting room floor.
crazyfingers
Well-known member
I haven't had much opportunity to do much birding recently but I've been taking the kids to a lot of museums recently. I continue to be very impressed by the SX40's ability to take photos without a flash in a museum or in dark areas. Not much zoom of course but not needed.
Here's a model of a ship taken from about 3 feet away inside a museum. And a photo from down in the lower deck of a 200+ year old sailing ship the USS Constitution.
Here's a model of a ship taken from about 3 feet away inside a museum. And a photo from down in the lower deck of a 200+ year old sailing ship the USS Constitution.
Attachments
I compared the Canon SX40 and the Nikon P510 head to head at a local store at full zoom. The P510 was smaller and easier in the hand. The additional zoom power of the P510 was suprisingly apparent in the few test shots I took.
I could not judge image quality based on looking at the lcd screen since the Nikon display has considerably more pixels. I did form the impression that the auto focus of the Canon was quicker and more reliable than that of the P510 but perhaps that was down to my handling.
Ultimately, I have opted for the SX40. I know that I will be aquiring a camera which many users are very satisfied with. I have also seen plenty of bird pictures and video which suggest that it will not dissapoint. I use a Canon ixus 300 HS for digiscoping which uses the same back lighing technology as the SX40.
Although I liked the look and feel of the P510, I was not prepared to take a punt on a product which has received remarkably little interest from BF users considering the fact that it has such a powerful zoom.
I could not judge image quality based on looking at the lcd screen since the Nikon display has considerably more pixels. I did form the impression that the auto focus of the Canon was quicker and more reliable than that of the P510 but perhaps that was down to my handling.
Ultimately, I have opted for the SX40. I know that I will be aquiring a camera which many users are very satisfied with. I have also seen plenty of bird pictures and video which suggest that it will not dissapoint. I use a Canon ixus 300 HS for digiscoping which uses the same back lighing technology as the SX40.
Although I liked the look and feel of the P510, I was not prepared to take a punt on a product which has received remarkably little interest from BF users considering the fact that it has such a powerful zoom.
