Peter Audrain
Consummate Indoorsman
I’ve never used a camera while birdwatching, and am considering a very gingerly first dip of the toe into this area. I wouldn’t care very much about taking artistic pictures. I would care about:
Capturing accurate reference shots, minimum weight and bulk, simplicity of operation, autofocus speed, and whether continuous shooting refocuses between shots, having the most useful zoom size for birding that allows for minimum weight and bulk, and having some hope of capturing images of birds in flight or overhead.
I can’t use anything as bulky as a bridge camera.
I’ve guessed, very tentatively, that a 30x optical zoom point-and-shoot would be all right as an introduction to using a camera in the field, depending on its focusing controls, speed, and ease of use.
I’m looking first at Sony, simply because they seem to have the best bridge cameras for birding, and because the HX99 (and, in Europe, HX95) are in the headlines as new releases.
How well would Sony HX-series cameras serve my purpose? Do you have any thoughts about the differences between these—and perhaps other—compact models? Their similarities seem overwhelming.
Capturing accurate reference shots, minimum weight and bulk, simplicity of operation, autofocus speed, and whether continuous shooting refocuses between shots, having the most useful zoom size for birding that allows for minimum weight and bulk, and having some hope of capturing images of birds in flight or overhead.
I can’t use anything as bulky as a bridge camera.
I’ve guessed, very tentatively, that a 30x optical zoom point-and-shoot would be all right as an introduction to using a camera in the field, depending on its focusing controls, speed, and ease of use.
I’m looking first at Sony, simply because they seem to have the best bridge cameras for birding, and because the HX99 (and, in Europe, HX95) are in the headlines as new releases.
How well would Sony HX-series cameras serve my purpose? Do you have any thoughts about the differences between these—and perhaps other—compact models? Their similarities seem overwhelming.