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Animal Photography with the Canon SX60HS (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter CalvinFold
- Start date
CalvinFold
Well-known member
Hey Calvin -
Guess what I got this week?
Will be some learning curve, but very impressed so far.
Congratulations! Yeah, getting "okay" photos is easy, really pushing the camera can be a bit of a learning curve. I didn't head out to take photos last weekend, but planning to go to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow. Their bird pamphlet gives my girlfriend and I hope to photograph some new species. Of course, that means more time to experiment with camera settings! |
|Have fun with your own SX60!
HenryA
"Experience is what you get, right after you need
Oh, and for the sake of the group, I was using a Nikon 82ED Scope, a Nikon 7900 Coolpix for digiscoping. Which was great when I would go short distances and set up in one spot for a while, armchair birding. I was at the point of upgrading the coolpix, but had to get a new bracket, camera, etc. Was thinking the 4/3 route, but decided to change to the superzoom and ditch the digiscope. I was leaning to the SX60 for a while, and Calvin's incredible shots he has posted in the gallery convinced me. The size and weight will make it much easier to carry on hikes, I am certain it will get more use than the digiscope. Lots of flexibility.
HenryA
"Experience is what you get, right after you need
Congratulations! Yeah, getting "okay" photos is easy, really pushing the camera can be a bit of a learning curve. I didn't head out to take photos last weekend, but planning to go to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow. Their bird pamphlet gives my girlfriend and I hope to photograph some new species. Of course, that means more time to experiment with camera settings! |
Have fun with your own SX60!
Well, it's been raining and overcast since I got it. Anxious to get out and play with some good lighting. I put in a 64Gb card, but my computer wouldn't read it, wanted me to format. Then the camera wouldn't read it. Finally figured out my reader wasn't good for the xd cards, and reading it off the camera until I can get a different reader. Did I mention learning curve?
kawwauser
Well-known member
hi henry a and welcome to the forum,im sure you will enjoy your new camera,we now have sunshine in Scotland but still have strong winds, I took the most pics I have taken on my sx 60 today, it will be tomorrow before I edit them, meanwhile here are some demonstrating the power of that awesome zoom, the first pic was taken at the car park hide at murton reserve in angus, the arrow points to a coots nest, the coot appeared and I zoomed in (1.6 converter on)out of curiosity, the 3 coot pics are uncropped and had no editing
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kawwauser
Well-known member
another 4 from yesterday, I have included a pic showing the distance I was shooting from,this is the balgavies reserve hide in angus,the woodpecker landed on the feeder with the suet,both pics are cropped, the yellowhammer was sitting in the tree to the left of the feeders and I had go full zoom for it (247 mm)and cropped
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CalvinFold
Well-known member
The photo of the coot (4th from left) shows-off the tendency of the SX60 to blow-out highlights without manual intervention (I tend to use exposure compensation).
Otherwise, the photos are nice!
Otherwise, the photos are nice!
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Glorious Shovelers looking glorious in the glorious sunshine this morning
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
My thumbnails?? They're certainly Shovelers when I click on them.....!
kawwauser
Well-known member
CalvinFold
Well-known member
Did a bunch of photography this past weekend, but I had the ISO set too high for the conditions, so the photos were a bit of a mess. If I can salvage any for my gallery, will let you know.
I'm still trying to use 1/1600 shutter speed, but I may have to come down to 1/1250 for more reliable results. 1/2000 proved to be too unreliable and finicky about the lighting.
My real goal is: how fast can I get the shutter speed and still make it easy to "set and forget" and just go take photos.
I have been fiddling with RAW here and there, and it's a nice option if I don't need burst mode. When I get the exposure close to correct, RAW is much better quality than JPEG.
I'm still trying to use 1/1600 shutter speed, but I may have to come down to 1/1250 for more reliable results. 1/2000 proved to be too unreliable and finicky about the lighting.
My real goal is: how fast can I get the shutter speed and still make it easy to "set and forget" and just go take photos.
I have been fiddling with RAW here and there, and it's a nice option if I don't need burst mode. When I get the exposure close to correct, RAW is much better quality than JPEG.
kawwauser
Well-known member
5 more pics from yesterday,i could do with using high shutter speeds myself as its still gale force winds here but we simply don't have the light,the first wagtail pic was taken in perfect conditions, the sun was shining and the bird was sheltered from the wind I also had the camera resting on a hide window ledge, only sharpening and resizing done, 1/400 iso 200 125.03 mm,the pipit was different the bird was out in the open and getting blown about and I had to lie on the ground to try and get stability, 1/500 iso 320 174.78 mm,the last wagtail pic was a nightmare,out in the open jumping in shadows and it wouldn,t stay still ,this was the best I could get
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CalvinFold
Well-known member
Well, despite overly-high ISO last weekend, and too much luminance noise as a result, it wasn't a total loss.
I'll start getting these and more into my gallery tomorrow.
Some key notes:
I'll start getting these and more into my gallery tomorrow.
Some key notes:
- The hummingbird image is from a RAW image at about 8m. Alot of trouble to post-process with Adobe Camera RAW, but well worth it for this type of shot.
- The song sparrow (4th image) is at about 15m.
- The other three birds were at about 7-10m.
- These are all 640 ISO, -2/3 EV, 1/1600 shutter speed. That ISO was really too high for bright sunlight and highlights on white birds were blown out badly. And ISO over 500 tends to be too noisy.
- No digital teleconverter (I only use that feature if desperate to get the extra range, and I generally try to use the tripod when doing it).
- Side note: the 5th image is the elusive and endangered Ridgway's Rail (formerly the California Clapper Rail).
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birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Some BiFs....the camera can do it! Yes, it needs good light but then all bridge cameras do and we all know that we're never gonna get close to the same results as a decent DSLR set-up. Fed up of reading about the IS probs with this camera on other threads - it only jumps about if you use it wrong! So, user error it is
CalvinFold
Well-known member
Never doubted it can do BiF...my gallery has proof, even in less-than-ideal light:
Of course, I get these images by forcing higher shutter speeds. I'm still trying to use 1/1600 but it's been giving me lackluster or unpredictable results.
I suspect I may back-down to 1/1250, as I was getting better, more consistent results even if it means being unable to freeze some higher-speed moments.
- Bufflehead
- Snowy Egret
- Mallards
- Northern Pintails
- Great Egret
- Red-Tailed Hawk
- Turkey Vulture
- Great Egret
Of course, I get these images by forcing higher shutter speeds. I'm still trying to use 1/1600 but it's been giving me lackluster or unpredictable results.
I suspect I may back-down to 1/1250, as I was getting better, more consistent results even if it means being unable to freeze some higher-speed moments.
Birdboy, you may have a point about user error with the SX60, I found it too hard to grapple with and never produced anything much worth keeping. Whether it was me or the camera I'll never know because I've called an end to the experiment. I bought the Nikon P900 and am glad to say user error has tailed right off; I'm over the moon and enjoying photography again. I turn it on, think about the shot, press the button and get really nice results, in contrast to the stress-ridden 6 month battle I had with the SX60
