Olympus 550 results (1 Viewer)

David Smith · Mar 13, 2007

I have just taken these with my new camera. Please bare in mind my novice status.
They are all on full zoom, speed 1/650th. Squirrel is 100 ISO-all birds are 400 ISO. Non are re-touched or cropped. All are hand held.
I am posting for 2 reasons
1) I Thought others may be interested in the results.
2) I would appreciate any comments i.e. is ISO too high?.
Obviously I wouldn't try and compare to a full DSLR (which will be my next step after the learning curve). It can easily be frustrating if trying to compare with some of the results people show but who knows- maybe in the future??
As a novice I find the camera easy to use and navigate but I can't compare to a full DSLR as I have never even held one.
Any comments welcome and if anyone is jealous and would like a straight swap for their Canon or Nikon I might be persuaded

Mick Sway · Mar 13, 2007

Hi Dave
By the way you join quite a list of Dave Smith's that I'm aquainted with.
The photo's look pretty good to me, particularly for a point and shoot.
I got out with mine + 1.7 tele on Monday but was a bit disappointed as you
probably noticed on my earlier message.
However since i havn't got another £300 I'll have to keep trying.
Perhaps when the weather improves so will my images.

Best
Mick

QUOTE=David Smith]I have just taken these with my new camera. Please bare in mind my novice status.
They are all on full zoom, speed 1/650th. Squirrel is 100 ISO-all birds are 400 ISO. Non are re-touched or cropped. All are hand held.
I am posting for 2 reasons
1) I Thought others may be interested in the results.
2) I would appreciate any comments i.e. is ISO too high?.
Obviously I wouldn't try and compare to a full DSLR (which will be my next step after the learning curve). It can easily be frustrating if trying to compare with some of the results people show but who knows- maybe in the future??
As a novice I find the camera easy to use and navigate but I can't compare to a full DSLR as I have never even held one.
Any comments welcome and if anyone is jealous and would like a straight swap for their Canon or Nikon I might be persuaded[/QUOTE]

terryeyre · Mar 13, 2007

photos

David Smith said:
I have just taken these with my new camera. Please bare in mind my novice status.
They are all on full zoom, speed 1/650th. Squirrel is 100 ISO-all birds are 400 ISO. Non are re-touched or cropped. All are hand held.
I am posting for 2 reasons
1) I Thought others may be interested in the results.
2) I would appreciate any comments i.e. is ISO too high?.
Obviously I wouldn't try and compare to a full DSLR (which will be my next step after the learning curve). It can easily be frustrating if trying to compare with some of the results people show but who knows- maybe in the future??
As a novice I find the camera easy to use and navigate but I can't compare to a full DSLR as I have never even held one.
Any comments welcome and if anyone is jealous and would like a straight swap for their Canon or Nikon I might be persuaded

the photos look ok to me,i am no expert but you have done well ,just keep on taking the photos,practice is the best way to improve.

bkrownd · Mar 14, 2007

Well, it's pretty easy to get photos that don't look too bad when they're sitting out under the Sun at close range like that. To really find out the camera's limitations we need photos of small active birds hiding 50-100 feet up in the dim shady areas inside the trees, with bright sky and cloud shining through the surrounding leaves. That's when you find out whether it really cuts the mustard.

terryeyre · Mar 14, 2007

bkrownd said:
Well, it's pretty easy to get photos that don't look too bad when they're sitting out under the Sun at close range like that. To really find out the camera's limitations we need photos of small active birds hiding 50-100 feet up in the dim shady areas inside the trees, with bright sky and cloud shining through the surrounding leaves. That's when you find out whether it really cuts the mustard.

i agree with what you say, as a person who likes to walk and take photos of whatever birds that appear in trees and bushes and needs to point and shoot quickly, with no time to set up tripods and things.at the moment i have a konica minolta z3.but looking for a bit more distance and better in low light.

David Smith · Mar 14, 2007

bkround
I appreciate the comment but if you want to photograph small birds 100 feet away in the shade you won't be trying it with this camera.
No matter what you want to purchase, if your budget only allows for a point & shoot (which this basically is) then you must learn to work within it's constraints otherwise you will be permanently disappointed.
In my opinion, from the short time I have used it, this camera is only good for relatively close work (if photographing small birds)-all I am asking for is comments of comparrison and any advice for improvements

bkrownd · Mar 14, 2007

Getting nice photos out of these little superzooms in anything but ideal light takes persistence and luck. (Ideal light is brief in windward Hawai'i) It's unfortunate, since in many ways they have distinct advantages in handling and features over DSLRs. However, pile up enough frames on burst mode it a few will come out "OK". Plenty good for an ID shot at 100 feet in a trees shady nether regions. I love my little FZ-7, but after 6 months of purple fringing, sluggish focus, etc I reluctantly joined the ranks of impoverished DSLR owners.

RAH · Mar 14, 2007

Do you have image stabilization turned on? The squirrel is not in sharp focus and I suspect the reason is camera shake (not squirrel movement). If you are not using image stabilization (or even if you are!), even with a pretty fast speed of 1/650 you are apt to get shake at full zoom unless you are very steady. I guess what I'm saying is that for such extreme zoom shots you really should be using a tripod.

Folks sing the praises of DSLRs versus super-zooms, but frankly I would think it pretty odd to see a person shooting pics with a DSLR and a 500mm lens without using a tripod. Yes, DSLR zooms are heavier and longer, but a light camera like a super-zoom can be almost as hard to keep steady as a heavy one.

Mick Sway · Mar 14, 2007

Olympus 550

Of course your dead on!
However unfortunately, like many others, I don't have the £1500 to spare.
So we keep trying in the hope of getting the occasional good pic with our super zooms.
Can't say I'm particularly impressed with this model yet though.
Best
Mick

hornet · Mar 14, 2007

Over the last 14 months, I have learned to use my superzoom, a Panasonic FZ20, from scratch. The photos I take now are much much better than the ones I took in the first few months. And I am learning new tricks all the time.

Practice is everything, whether using a superzoom or a DSLR. A DSLR does not make you an instant photographer - I have seen plenty of people taking months (or even years) to get half-way decent results from their shiny DSLRs!

If I take the same care that the 'proper' photographers do - i.e. I use a tripod, a shutter release cable, I get close to the birds by rigging up hidden feeders close to a hide, and so on, I can get great results with my FZ20 (well, certainly good enough for me).

No camera will allow you to just turn up, point the camera at a bird and get great results. I think that there are a lot of unrealistic expectations out there about all photographic equipment - cameras are more technically advanced than ever, but they still require skill and practice to use them.

If you think it is the equipment that defines the best photographers, then I think you are bound to be disappointed - in the main it is ability, commitment and hard work.

terryeyre · Mar 14, 2007

practice makes perfect,or certainly leads to improvement,anyway much of the enjoyment of trying to take decent photos of wild birds is that it is not easy.

RAH · Mar 15, 2007

Mick Sway said:
I don't have the £1500 to spare.
So we keep trying in the hope of getting the occasional good pic with our super zooms.
Can't say I'm particularly impressed with this model yet though.

I also use a super-zoom and don't have the money for a DSLR. I brought up DSLRs to make a point which I didn't do very well. My point is that folks who use super-zooms seem to have a tendency to use them in a less "serious" way (e.g. they try to handhold for extreme zoom shots), and at the same time seem to expect too much from the camera.

I'm seeing a lot of reports of folks complaining that they are getting blurry shots from super-zooms, especially at full zoom, and blaming the camera, while you seldom see such reports from DSLR users with big lenses. Of course, some of the problem could be faulty auto-focus, but most of the time it is because the DSLR user is using it the right way (i.e. with a tripod).

These are the same points brought up very nicely above by hornet, but I just wanted to explain myself a little better.

greypoint · Mar 15, 2007

For those in the UK www.digitaldepot.co.uk have display model E-500 models for £279 including short zoom - add a 40-150 [usually some second hand on ebay around £100ish] and you'll have a very nice camera and pretty good zoom [80-300mm equiv] for not much more than you'd pay for a good quality superzoom. I've used plenty of compact/superzooms and admire anyone who can get good bird shots with them - as has been said it's not good equipment which makes a good photographer. Taking bird photos is for the most part easier with a DSLR that's all.

bestboat · Mar 15, 2007

The RIGHT Camera

David Smith said:
bkround
I appreciate the comment but if you want to photograph small birds 100 feet away in the shade you won't be trying it with this camera.
No matter what you want to purchase, if your budget only allows for a point & shoot (which this basically is) then you must learn to work within it's constraints otherwise you will be permanently disappointed.
In my opinion, from the short time I have used it, this camera is only good for relatively close work (if photographing small birds)-all I am asking for is comments of comparrison and any advice for improvements

The " Right" camera for you is the one which suits "your" needs, and is the most comfortable and convenient for you personally. Don't be disappointed if your initial response is one of disappointment or disillusion. Just keep trying,and things will fall into place.
I have just received my new Pentax K100D with Sigma 17-70mm, and 70-300mm lenses, bought to replace my faithful Minolta A1.
My initial response on trying the new camera was of disappointment--- the new DSLR is heavier, bulkier, less convenient, and doesn't seem to take better photos than my Minolta. But of course, it is not the camera taking the photos, it is ME, the photographer, and I realise that I have to learn a different technique to the one used over the past three and a half years.
Certainly, the increased focal length of 300mm [450mm equiv], and the physical size of the lens, makes it much more difficult to hand hold steadily, and I have to re-learn that all over again.
I find this Forum so very useful for we "Learners", when we realise that our problems are not unique to ourselves alone, and that most of them can be overcome with practice.
We may never produce " Magazine Quality" photos, but they are personal to us, a visual record of our lives, and provided that they give us pleasure, that is the main thing.
Keep up the good work Dave, and enjoy your new camera.

Mick Sway · Mar 17, 2007

550 - More Results

Hi all
Unlike the rest of the country apparently, the Staffordshire Moorlands were not basking in sunshine to day!
Unfortunately this meant that the light was very flat.
However I decided to set off and give the new camera a go + the 1.7 tele adaptor.
Most Photos are taken on a high shutter setting at ISO 200 FROM 15 - 20 M.
Most are cropped except the Mallard, which was about 5m away.
Results are still a little disapointing I'm afraid.
Still we'll see what happens when we get some sunshine.
Saw two Chiffchaff's to day, by the way.
Best
Mick

David Smith · Mar 17, 2007

Hi Mick
Big improvement. So long as we realise it's limitations, with some practice, we will improve. Like you I went out today but it was raining and quite dark. Took some of birds but they're only any good for i.d. Got some decent ones of a squirrel which shows camera is good so long as we don't expect too much.

Mick Sway · Mar 18, 2007

Squirrel

Cute photo's
Mick

David Smith said:
Hi Mick
Big improvement. So long as we realise it's limitations, with some practice, we will improve. Like you I went out today but it was raining and quite dark. Took some of birds but they're only any good for i.d. Got some decent ones of a squirrel which shows camera is good so long as we don't expect too much.

digitalbirdy · Mar 20, 2007

Dave your squirrel photos show the oly550 certainly has potential. - and Micks Long Tailed Tit (I think ?) show that with an add on teleconverter, this could be the setup to go for (for those who want to spend less than £2000/$4000).

I have seen some really good photos from the oly550 using a raynox2020pro 2.2x tele (equivalent of about 1200mm zoom - and with auto focus!) - and when used at iso100 the feather detail is really quite good - and more importantly, the image noise quite acceptable.

With practice you will find that your photos will get better and better and being small and light, no doubt you'll always have the camera with you ;o)

Adrian

RAH · Mar 20, 2007

I agree with you, Adrian. The early reviews of the SP550 have said that its noise is well controlled at up to ISO 200, and only just barely "unacceptable" at 400. This is quite good for a 7MP point-and-shoot, and similar to results from the earlier 3MP and 4MP C-730 and C-750 cameras. I think that folks who are put off by the bad noise results with the high ISOs offered by the SP550 are expecting too much from a point-and-shoot. You could argue that they shouldn't even include such high ISOs with a camera like this, but I guess it's good to have them in a pinch!

bkrownd · Mar 20, 2007

Mick Sway said:
...Most are cropped except the Mallard, which was about 5m away....
Best
Mick

#1 is a handsome bird - what is that?

Ouch, is that gorse in #5? Ech, that nasty stuff is growing like crazy here.

Olympus 550 results (1 Viewer)

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