HS50 EXR settings for bird photography (1 Viewer)

[Amarillo]

Hi all,

Just bought myself a new HS50. After much deliberation I have ditched my Canon 7D and 400mm lens as it just doesn't suit my needs.

Very impressed from a quick play. First impressions are that the startup and focussing are very quick and I like the chunky DSLR like feel and manual zoom.

How do users have their camera set up for bird photography?

I tend to use aperture priority for birds and there don't seem to be many options for focus points, but are there any other settings I should play with to optimise results?

Many thanks in advance for any tips!!

 

[Amarillo]

hmmm guess there are not many users of this camera on here

Hope I have made the right choice!

 

[etudiant]

hmmm guess there are not many users of this camera on here

Hope I have made the right choice!

I'd not worry.
The most responsive bridge camera owners seem to be the Canon folks, after that it is slim pickings all around. Nothing to do with the camera, just the users.

 

[elkcub]

hmmm guess there are not many users of this camera on here

Hope I have made the right choice!

There are quite a few users and there has been quite a bit of discussion. Buried in THIS THREAD you will find advise about settings. There may be other threads that have it as well. It was a good choice, and you are not alone.

Ed

 

[Amarillo]

There are quite a few users and there has been quite a bit of discussion. Buried in THIS THREAD you will find advise about settings. There may be other threads that have it as well. It was a good choice, and you are not alone.

Ed

Thanks, I've skimmed through the thread and found a few things to try.

But basically it seems to be a case of A priority wide open and turn the noise reduction down to -2

 

[Bird_Huszar]

I bumped into a fellow birder yesterday who has this camera and I found it a very interesting camera. I might look into purchasing it.

But one word of warning, the camera seems to go bonkers once you get past the "frame" number limit...which is the camera's internal picture counter. I think the limit is 9999 pictures. After that you have to manually reset it, which I found weird because most cameras do an auto rest. My friend was very frustrated because he was not able to manually reset it. The camera did not offer the option for a "frame reset" as per online instructions.

So I recommend a "frame reset" before you get past that limit. Maybe every 5000 pictures or so, do a "frame rest" just in case.

Good luck...post some pics. How is it for small birds? I imagine it would be great for fast moving warblers with that quick manual focus.

 

[Amarillo]

Hi, thanks for the tip. To be honest I've barely used it - which was why I downgraded from a DSLR - so no danger of reaching that number yet....

To sum up my impressions of the camera is that in terms of speed, handling and the feel of the manual focus its brilliant. On the downside I haven't been overly impressed with the image quality. There don't seem to be many birders using the camera so its difficult to tell what its capable of in the right hands.

But I think we're getting closer to the near-perfect birding camera. All the manufacturers need to do is combine the manual focus of this Fuji with the image quality of the Canon SX40...

 

[earleybird]

Hi, thanks for the tip. To be honest I've barely used it - which was why I downgraded from a DSLR - so no danger of reaching that number yet....

To sum up my impressions of the camera is that in terms of speed, handling and the feel of the manual focus its brilliant. On the downside I haven't been overly impressed with the image quality. There don't seem to be many birders using the camera so its difficult to tell what its capable of in the right hands.

But I think we're getting closer to the near-perfect birding camera. All the manufacturers need to do is combine the manual focus of this Fuji with the image quality of the Canon SX40...

this is a pretty dead thread now but then the camera has been out for 2x years plus

if you have the time to read through the entire thread you will learn a lot about using the camera , settings and especially taking bird pictures.

You need to be aware that taking pictures at or near max zoom is going to require a sturdy tripod. Trying to take pictures of small fast moving birds at 1000mm focal length in relatively low light will defeat the lens IS and is beyond any cameras capabilities. The internal software will process your jpeg images and soften the edges of your subject to compensate for the camera shake ,blurring and softening your images.

Try holding a pair of 25x binoculars steady on a small bird and you start to get an idea of what you are expecting your camera to achieve.Then bear in mind that the HS50 lens has a maximum focal length of 42mm and you can see why the image quality is likely to be less than satisfactory.

To get an idea of the image quality this camera is capable of take a look at my Flickr photostream or look at my youtube videos and still images (link in this thread)

If you wish you may apply to join my HS50 Flickr group but even if you don't you might find something of interest in the discussion section under the title ' A Aperture for Birding'
https://www.flickr.com/groups/2155651@N24/

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks very much for sharing. Some amazing photos there.

In criticising the image quality I'm not expecting miracles, but it seems that compared to a direct competitor the canon SX40 the images are softer on the Fuji.

 

[earleybird]

Thanks very much for sharing. Some amazing photos there.

In criticising the image quality I'm not expecting miracles, but it seems that compared to a direct competitor the canon SX40 the images are softer on the Fuji.

there is no comparison that could be made between the Fuji HS50 and the Canon SX40.

The two cameras are so different that they are in no way comparable.

You need to compare the features and performance specifications

 

[Amarillo]

there is no comparison that could be made between the Fuji HS50 and the Canon SX40.

The two cameras are so different that they are in no way comparable.

You need to compare the features and performance specifications

Not quite sure what you mean by that. They are different of course, but still comparable, in fact these were the two I narrowed it down to when I bought my HS50.

 

[earleybird]

not sure how one would compare a camera that has a manual zoom lens and manual focus .....with a camera that has a motorised zoom lens and no manual focus.?

Many believe that image quality is all about the camera . Its really isn't !
Its about how well we understand photography and how cameras work and how to use the cameras modes and settings to best achieve the images we want to capture.

Its also about choosing the camera that best suits the sort of photography that we intend to do

For example if you were predominantly a wildlife and bird photographer or a sports photographer,then the Canon SX40 with its slow motor lens would be completely useless, far to slow to be a practical choice.

However if you intended to do a lot of video recording then the Canon SX40 with its smooth motor lens would be the only choice.


What subjects do you predominantly photograph and which manual mode do you use ? If you could post one of your images withan image quality you are not happy with I'll look at the exif data and see if I can make some helpful suggestions to improve image quality .

 

[Amarillo]

For example if you were predominantly a wildlife and bird photographer or a sports photographer,then the Canon SX40 with its slow motor lens would be completely useless, far to slow to be a practical choice.

Yet this camera is overwhelmingly the bridge camera of choice for birders. I haven't used it myself, but there must be a reason for that. My impression is from looking at lots of pics in the gallery on here that its because it produces very good images - better than what I have seen from the Fuji.

What subjects do you predominantly photograph and which manual mode do you use ? If you could post one of your images withan image quality you are not happy with I'll look at the exif data and see if I can make some helpful suggestions to improve image quality .

For me personally I shoot anything and everything and I like the Fuji a lot primarily because it feels like a proper camera. For birds/wildlife I tend to use A priority. When I get a chance to go out and have another play I will upload some...

 

[earleybird]

Yet this camera is overwhelmingly the bridge camera of choice for birders.
:eek!: where have you sourced that infomation ? it would only be
I haven't used it myself, but there must be a reason for that. My impression is from looking at lots of pics in the gallery on here that its because it produces very good images - better than what I have seen from the Fuji.

..

where have you sourced the infomation that a Canon SX40 would be the bridge camera of choice amongst the birding fraternity ?


By the time you have switched the camera on waited until its ready to take a picture and then press the zoom motor button and wait until the lens has slowly wound its way out any bird would long have flown off.
It has a totally inadequate LCD and EVF resolution of 230k which is pitiful. It has no RAW option ! and poor manual control .
Its basically a PAS for those that shoot primarily in AUTO mode

 

[Amarillo]

where have you sourced the infomation that a Canon SX40 would be the bridge camera of choice amongst the birding fraternity ?

Sorry I think I meant SX50. That appears to be the favourite on this forum.

 

[passion4birds]

I bumped into a fellow birder yesterday who has this camera and I found it a very interesting camera. I might look into purchasing it. But one word of warning, the camera seems to go bonkers once you get past the "frame" number limit...which is the camera's internal picture counter. I think the limit is 9999 pictures.

I purchased my camera in 2014 & absolutely love it with the manual zoom. In 2016 the "modes" would automatically rotate on its own and I would miss shots. Fuji has a great customer service dept. They fixed it and it was great up until recently. Since the camera is old, they do not have parts for it. I'm heartbroken as I'm not a big fan of an "electronic zoom." I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I did a "custom reset. " Thanks a bunch.

 

[earleybird]

I bumped into a fellow birder yesterday who has this camera and I found it a very interesting camera. I might look into purchasing it. But one word of warning, the camera seems to go bonkers once you get past the "frame" number limit...which is the camera's internal picture counter. I think the limit is 9999 pictures.

I purchased my camera in 2014 & absolutely love it with the manual zoom. In 2016 the "modes" would automatically rotate on its own and I would miss shots. Fuji has a great customer service dept. They fixed it and it was great up until recently. Since the camera is old, they do not have parts for it. I'm heartbroken as I'm not a big fan of an "electronic zoom." I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I did a "custom reset. " Thanks a bunch.

My HS50 has had the same rotating mode issue for about 4 years now. I partially stripped it but could find no obvious problem. I still use it daily because there simply isn't a better camera on the market for me after all these years. its a real pita but I just wait until it stops rotating. I have bought 3x faulty HS50 cameras over the years and intend to make one working camera out of them . If I ever find the solution I'll post back:t: