pshute & J.D - I had high hopes for using the SX30 for BIF's (birds in flight) but as it turned out it's a big disappointment. It just cannot lock-in focus fast enough. I have much better results using a RDS (red dot sight) on my Panasonic FZ50 superzoom. Here is a GIF animation showing recent success using the FZ50 and RDS on a couple passing gulls. Not trying to aim and frame thru the narrow angle tunnel vision view of the EVF, the RDS helps at panning with the bird even when trees and blackout make it tough because you see with two eyes the whole scene. While the reach of a powerful telephoto is GREAT the very narrow view makes following animal action very challenging. During exposure both my FZ50 and SX30 blackout the EVF ... don't all digital still cameras do that? A TCON-17 tele extender was attached to the FZ50 for about a 720mm 35mm equiv. The SX30 is 840mm with no add-on lens.
Because of the SX30's small sensor and associated noise problems at higher ISO I seldom go above 200. Also, I've noticed with the SX30 that at 400 ISO and above there is added "lag" between shots. I guess it's processing the shot. Continuous mode is much slower which is another reason I seldom go above ISO 200. The SX30's continuous rate of about a frame per second is acceptable for the shooting I do. A faster rate would result in better shots, but I don't think I'd like the chore of weeding thru results from 5 frames per second. The FZ50 has about the same rate but it's also limited to five shot bursts which is sometimes a problem. I started using the SX30 with a 2G class 2 (I think) SD card. I didn't note any speed difference once I got the 8G class 6 cards. I'm not one to do testing, but my feeling as a user is the speed rating of the memory card may have more to do with video recording performance than still frame rate.
The GIF shows two separate sequences. One of four shots and the other of three. I was trying to shoot within the small view I have between trees. On one sequence the camera focused just before the bird went behind the branches and the shot was taken. Seven were sized down from full frame one was cropped and enhanced for contrast and sharpness to show the quality of focus.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7937/gulltreebif.gif
Here's a post I did when I first got the SX30 showing it with the RDS. While I've given up on the SX30 for BIFs I still like the sight for shooting BIB's ... birds in bushes! It's quite handy for letting me follow their random moving ways getting shots for IDing and occasionally one to show off in the bird group or forum.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1010&message=36683864
On the job for 20 years I carried heavy bags. Film camera bodies and lenses. Back then if you wanted quality you shot sheet film 4x5" or larger. BIG klunky bellows cameras and heavy tripods. For people on the move 35mm made more sense. My agency compromised so I shot a roll film Pentax 6x7 for B&W and Nikon 35mm for Kodachrome. For me weak in old age but wise in wisdom ... I choose to use light weight small sensor superzooms. They provide a LOT of bang for the buck ... or pound.
kenn3d posts some of the best small sensor bird shots I've ever seen. He's knowledgable about his backyard birding and photography and he is very helpful and articulate. If you want to learn more about the SX30 and how to get quality images of birds you would be well served to backtrack and read some of his posts in DP Review Canon Talk forum. I KNOW you will enjoy seeing his bird photos. Here's a link to one of Kenn's recent posts.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1010&thread=37590743
Oh, as for the SX30 and RAW there is a special software program placed on the SD memory card that is designed to access Canon camera inner workings to provide features way beyond what's normal like RAW, time exposures, wired shutter release, etc. It's called CHDK and you can read about it in Wiki. The fellow working on the new version for the SX30 is on vacation, but said he'd resume his effort some time in February and will return then to posting in the Canon Talk forum. His screen name there is "PhilM"
Because of the SX30's small sensor and associated noise problems at higher ISO I seldom go above 200. Also, I've noticed with the SX30 that at 400 ISO and above there is added "lag" between shots. I guess it's processing the shot. Continuous mode is much slower which is another reason I seldom go above ISO 200. The SX30's continuous rate of about a frame per second is acceptable for the shooting I do. A faster rate would result in better shots, but I don't think I'd like the chore of weeding thru results from 5 frames per second. The FZ50 has about the same rate but it's also limited to five shot bursts which is sometimes a problem. I started using the SX30 with a 2G class 2 (I think) SD card. I didn't note any speed difference once I got the 8G class 6 cards. I'm not one to do testing, but my feeling as a user is the speed rating of the memory card may have more to do with video recording performance than still frame rate.
The GIF shows two separate sequences. One of four shots and the other of three. I was trying to shoot within the small view I have between trees. On one sequence the camera focused just before the bird went behind the branches and the shot was taken. Seven were sized down from full frame one was cropped and enhanced for contrast and sharpness to show the quality of focus.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7937/gulltreebif.gif
Here's a post I did when I first got the SX30 showing it with the RDS. While I've given up on the SX30 for BIFs I still like the sight for shooting BIB's ... birds in bushes! It's quite handy for letting me follow their random moving ways getting shots for IDing and occasionally one to show off in the bird group or forum.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1010&message=36683864
On the job for 20 years I carried heavy bags. Film camera bodies and lenses. Back then if you wanted quality you shot sheet film 4x5" or larger. BIG klunky bellows cameras and heavy tripods. For people on the move 35mm made more sense. My agency compromised so I shot a roll film Pentax 6x7 for B&W and Nikon 35mm for Kodachrome. For me weak in old age but wise in wisdom ... I choose to use light weight small sensor superzooms. They provide a LOT of bang for the buck ... or pound.
kenn3d posts some of the best small sensor bird shots I've ever seen. He's knowledgable about his backyard birding and photography and he is very helpful and articulate. If you want to learn more about the SX30 and how to get quality images of birds you would be well served to backtrack and read some of his posts in DP Review Canon Talk forum. I KNOW you will enjoy seeing his bird photos. Here's a link to one of Kenn's recent posts.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1010&thread=37590743
Oh, as for the SX30 and RAW there is a special software program placed on the SD memory card that is designed to access Canon camera inner workings to provide features way beyond what's normal like RAW, time exposures, wired shutter release, etc. It's called CHDK and you can read about it in Wiki. The fellow working on the new version for the SX30 is on vacation, but said he'd resume his effort some time in February and will return then to posting in the Canon Talk forum. His screen name there is "PhilM"
