Fujifilm HS50 EXR has arrived ! (4 Viewers)

[DavidT.]

Managed a few shots this afternoon and my results are still improving. Only general garden birds but I made an interesting discovery in that I'm getting much sharper results using a smaller aperture.

Being new to photography I assumed you'd always be best with as wide an aperture as possible? A bit of research suggests that a lens is often at it's sharpest about two stops down from it's smallest aperture (that would be f9 on the HS50 as I believe it goes up to f11, available in M mode).

This seems to be confirmed by results today, I was using A priority mode, in which the smallest Aperture available is F8. Anyway as the sun was out I was able to shoot at f8 (was using dynamic range 200, which automatically highers the ISO slightly) and have got by far my sharpest results yet.

I got many good results at close range on the feeder, but they are all shot in raw so not had time to PP them yet. Here are a couple, all shot at f8, Dunnock? ISO 320, 1/105, 160.5 FL, sparrow ISO 200, 1/800, 160.5 FL, Pigeon ISO 400, 1/120, 185FL.

Maybe this obvious stuff to a lot of people?, but if like me you're a beginner I'd definately recomend trying a smaller aperture.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

f6.4 for both of them, 1/105 shutter speed for the dipper and 1/110 for the owl

 

[DavidT.]

f6.4 for both of them, 1/105 shutter speed for the dipper and 1/110 for the owl

Thanks, I just wondered as you said you wasn't quite happy with your shots. They look good to me, but I've just bought lightroom 4 and it seems easier to get a more vibrant picture than it was using silkypix.

Don't take this the wrong way, (as I fully acknowledge I know very little about photography) it might be worth trying a smaller aperture and higher DR if you haven't already.

I appreciate your shots were over a greater distance but I got better results today using around f8, so will have a go with these settings over longer distance in the future.

 

[elkcub]

A video shot at maximum magnification this am.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aWN0zMajTg

Very nice, Jane. I'm planning to get into video after making more progress on my settings dilemma. What settings were you using for this video? It looks kinda windy? So, hand-held or tripod? My guess is the former.

Ed

 

[elkcub]

Thanks, I just wondered as you said you wasn't quite happy with your shots. They look good to me, but I've just bought lightroom 4 and it seems easier to get a more vibrant picture than it was using silkypix.

Ah, good. Why do you think that's so? Different software options, or the options work better in lightroom?

Ed

PS. Have you ever tried to make the identical manipulations in each package to see the difference? (I'm trying to settle in on my software.)

 

[Jane Turner]

Very nice, Jane. I'm planning to get into video after making more progress on my settings dilemma. What settings were you using for this video? It looks kinda windy? So, hand-held or tripod? My guess is the former.

Ed

Automatic and hand-held. You don't often get time to do anything other than point and shoot with a Grasshopper Warbler.

 

[DavidT.]

Ah, good. Why do you think that's so? Different software options, or the options work better in lightroom?

Ed

PS. Have you ever tried to make the identical manipulations in each package to see the difference? (I'm trying to settle in on my software.)

A combination of things, mainly a bit more user friendly and the tools like noise reduction seem to be more effective. Also simple sliders such as 'Vibrancy' where as silkypix more complicated.

I haven't compared them and I've also just bought a new computer and haven't really used silypix on it, it would be quicker now.

You can probably get the same results with silypix but more knowlege of what you're doing is needed.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

I must admit Silkypix isn't as intuitive as Lightroom, and the manual for Silkypix does leave a lot to be desired, so actually getting to grips with it is difficult. Adobe have some good video guides to using both Lightroom and Photoshop online so learning is much easier.
I will have a shot at downloading the same picture via both programs and seeing what differences I can spot.

A combination of things, mainly a bit more user friendly and the tools like noise reduction seem to be more effective. Also simple sliders such as 'Vibrancy' where as silkypix more complicated.

I haven't compared them and I've also just bought a new computer and haven't really used silypix on it, it would be quicker now.

You can probably get the same results with silypix but more knowlege of what you're doing is needed.

 

[PamDee]

Thank you for all the useful information on the settings you have been trying and all the examples, I've made notes to test after my first play sessions. Now all I need is the camera! Mine is due tomorrow, with card & lens protector unfortunately arriving a day later.

If anyone else is browsing with a view to buying, I found this review helpful
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/fujifilm_finepix_hs50exr_review/ but I probably learnt more from the folks here. :t:

I stumbled on your site looking for reviews, since I mainly take landscape and wildlife shots and I was intrigued to see what users thought of the zoom for bird photography. Thank you for unknowingly answering my questions, I read the entire thread and watched the videos Earlybird posted to YouTube as well!

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Here's one of my failures from Sunday.

Had the bird all nicely focussed in - stood on the mossy rock, pressed the shutter and the bird flew.

 

[elkcub]

Automatic and hand-held. You don't often get time to do anything other than point and shoot with a Grasshopper Warbler.

Actually, I'm finding that to be the case with most/many things I'm interested in shooting on the spot, so the automation makes a lot possible that might be lost. EXR includes auto scene mode, so I guess it's a matter of how much to trust that feature. It all comes down to focus, f-stop, speed, and ISO, however that comes about. |:S| And I'm inherently lazy besides.

Ed

 

[elkcub]

Thank you for all the useful information on the settings you have been trying and all the examples, I've made notes to test after my first play sessions. Now all I need is the camera! Mine is due tomorrow, with card & lens protector unfortunately arriving a day later.

If anyone else is browsing with a view to buying, I found this review helpful
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/fujifilm_finepix_hs50exr_review/ but I probably learnt more from the folks here. :t:

I stumbled on your site looking for reviews, since I mainly take landscape and wildlife shots and I was intrigued to see what users thought of the zoom for bird photography. Thank you for unknowingly answering my questions, I read the entire thread and watched the videos Earlybird posted to YouTube as well!

Thanks for the review reference. More complete than most I've seen. Prices are dropping well below $500 now, but I'm happy at $508 (for the moment).

Ed

 

[Joms]

Thanks for the review reference. More complete than most I've seen. Prices are dropping well below $500 now, but I'm happy at $508 (for the moment).

Ed

I have posted my review here against SX40.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3475589

I am not fond of giving awards so take it as a grain of salt but look at the comparisons and the tons of advantages of HS50 over SX40.

o

 

[Joms]

Thanks, I just wondered as you said you wasn't quite happy with your shots. They look good to me, but I've just bought lightroom 4 and it seems easier to get a more vibrant picture than it was using silkypix.

Don't take this the wrong way, (as I fully acknowledge I know very little about photography) it might be worth trying a smaller aperture and higher DR if you haven't already.

I appreciate your shots were over a greater distance but I got better results today using around f8, so will have a go with these settings over longer distance in the future.

From my experience, stopping down the aperture on these pinhead sensor cams does very little to almost nil difference in sharpness plus it will only cause diffraction and you will get slow shutter speed unless the subject is under blazing sunlight.

Setting the aperture to widest on A-Priority works best for me.

 

[DavidT.]

From my experience, stopping down the aperture on these pinhead sensor cams does very little to almost nil difference in sharpness plus it will only cause diffraction and you will get slow shutter speed unless the subject is under blazing sunlight.

Setting the aperture to widest on A-Priority works best for me.

Fair enough, although on the day I took several pictures, most at the normal f5.6 when zoomed in and none of them seemed to have quite the same detail as the ones shot at f7.1 and f8? The light was changeable and mainly bright though, which I said allowed me to use a smaller aperture.

I've read about diffraction and from what I read it was most apparent at more extreme apertures than f8 (most likely on dslrs though), but I don't even fully understand it so I guess I'll keep experimenting and having fun with this camera!

 

[Joms]

Fair enough, although on the day I took several pictures, most at the normal f5.6 when zoomed in and none of them seemed to have quite the same detail as the ones shot at f7.1 and f8? The light was changeable and mainly bright though, which I said allowed me to use a smaller aperture.

I've read about diffraction and from what I read it was most apparent at more extreme apertures than f8 (most likely on dslrs though), but I don't even fully understand it so I guess I'll keep experimenting and having fun with this camera!

You will have to conduct sharpness test using same subject at same light, same distance, same settings except aperture and shutterspeed of course and put the camera on a tripod with 10sec timer ON. Shoot multiple shots for each aperture then pick the best and compare.

 

[macfudge]

This is a quick post as I have a lot of of catching up to do and I am a bit slow just now.

In answer to previous comments/questions I do not photoshop at all. My images are straight out of camera except for resize and I shoot jpg not raw. I do not take photos to sit on a computer and play with images. If they are not up to scratch then my photos are dumped.

I am having to find my way round the HS50 after a month away but attached is one I took a little earlier. The light was variable and it's windy but I am happy with the outcome. (1/250 6.4 200 ISO 185mm)

I would like to say I hope this thread will become more about the camera and less about post processing which may belong in another thread.

Molly
Back to catching up with this thread.

 

[DavidT.]

You will have to conduct sharpness test using same subject at same light, same distance, same settings except aperture and shutterspeed of course and put the camera on a tripod with 10sec timer ON. Shoot multiple shots for each aperture then pick the best and compare.

No, I prefer to have fun with the camera.

 

[Joms]

No, I prefer to have fun with the camera.

That is right. I would strongly suggest though to take advantage of the f/5.6 aperture on the long-end-zoom as much as possible because really there is very minimal difference in sharpness by stopping down the aperture. In the world of wildlife photography, you'll gonna need light and shutterspeed as much as possible. I have had high hopes before that Fuji will give brighter lens to HS50 to help us birders take shots on the low-ISO as much as possible but then it did not happen. Good thing HS50 is one heck of a fast camera and has sharper and longer lens than previous HS cameras.

My Flickr gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joms_birding

 

[DavidT.]

That is right. I would strongly suggest though to take advantage of the f/5.6 aperture on the long-end-zoom as much as possible because really there is very minimal difference in sharpness by stopping down the aperture. In the world of wildlife photography, you'll gonna need light and shutterspeed as much as possible. I have had high hopes before that Fuji will give brighter lens to HS50 to help us birders take shots on the low-ISO as much as possible but then it did not happen. Good thing HS50 is one heck of a fast camera and has sharper and longer lens than previous HS cameras.

My Flickr gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joms_birding

Ok thanks, I agree as much light as possible/speed is what we need. But so far my nicest shots are still using the smaller aperture. This may have been luck, but I will keep experimenting.

Your gallery shows it's possible to some super shots/detail using f5.6 (and better speed/light) so it gives me something to aim for!