SX40 Super Zoom (1 Viewer)

[lobas]

Have had this camera for a couple of weeks now, and have to say am very happy with the results. Couple of Wheatear shots from earlier in the week, Dragonfly and Redstart.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ytOQa8hqFTzXQdK_FQQg0GcevycTMScgYLDy0_151bQ?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MSQr1mE7KG0moE3Mu2WP4GcevycTMScgYLDy0_151bQ?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bYwxdjzk9MJqmiG4MoSGE2cevycTMScgYLDy0_151bQ?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fvjnv-D-9dw8samE2aCLRGcevycTMScgYLDy0_151bQ?feat=directlink

 

[draycotebirding]

A few more from yesterday.

Regards

John

 

[Digbert Doobrey]

I'm very tempted on buying this camera. Just wondered, as now Nikon have the 42 x zoom P510, how long before Canon bring out an upgrade. Would it be worth hanging on for a newer model?

 

[AndyM]

I'm very tempted on buying this camera. Just wondered, as now Nikon have the 42 x zoom P510, how long before Canon bring out an upgrade. Would it be worth hanging on for a newer model?

That's really up to you to wrestle with. Very little these days is future proof and I guess it all boils done to whether you want to take pictures right now, with something that you know exists, or in the future with something that is yet to materialise (and probably materialise at a considerably higher price)...

AndyM

 

[miketoll]

I'm very tempted on buying this camera. Just wondered, as now Nikon have the 42 x zoom P510, how long before Canon bring out an upgrade. Would it be worth hanging on for a newer model?

Well the replacement has been announced today, the SX50.
24- 1200 optical zoom, shoots RAW, faster focussing etc.

 

[AndyM]

Well the replacement has been announced today, the SX50.
24- 1200 optical zoom, shoots RAW, faster focussing etc.

I guess it is worth waiting for after all despite what I said earlier.. |8.|

 

[Neil]

I'm very tempted on buying this camera. Just wondered, as now Nikon have the 42 x zoom P510, how long before Canon bring out an upgrade. Would it be worth hanging on for a newer model?

It looks like you were wise to wait
http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_sx50hs
50x zoom sounds very impressive.
Neil.

 

[Roy C]

WEX pre-order price for SX50 is £449

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

Was to be expected especially with the inclusion of raw. But optical 50X surely means tripod job and still only 2.2 fps per Dpreview but actually in high speed HQ mode it is 13fps for 10 shots, but was not that the same for 40?.

I wonder with 50x optical zoom, has the glass been improved?

 

[Roy C]

Was to be expected especially with the inclusion of raw. But optical 50X surely means tripod job and still only 2.2 fps per Dpreview but actually in high speed HQ mode it is 13fps for 10 shots, but was not that the same for 40?.

I wonder with 50x optical zoom, has the glass been improved?

RAW is only really a firmware fix Robert but one assumed they have increased the buffer size as RAW on the SX40 is almost a non starter for continuous shooting as it took several seconds to clear just one shot. The SX40 HQ mode is 10fps for 8 shots I believe.

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

Hardly a gigantic leap in the camera world, Roy.

I wonder how much in camera development is purely down to tinkering with software?

 

[Mackem George]

SX50 could be an interesting one 1200 zoom could sit nicely on a monopod easier to get around,this could be a good estuary job for ROY especially in his neck of the woods.

 

[Digbert Doobrey]

Well there you go. Think maybe I'll wait for that sx50 then.

50x zoom. A bit mind boggling really. I've had an Olympus 26x zoom for a few years which I've had a lot of fun with but its a bit hit and miss and does have obvious limitations. I'm thinking of going down the SLR and telephoto lense route although I'm only an amateur who doesn't get out birding as much as I'd like to but I'd love to see what a 50x zoom could do. Where will it end? 100x zoom? 200x zoom?

 

[bob freeman]

South China Sea

A few shots from today taken with the SX40,birds starting to move South out here in the South China Sea,constant flow of Egret,Heron,swallow etc.
A few that stopped for a breather on our Helideck.
Egret head shot taken with 1.5x on.

 

[Roy C]

A few shots from today taken with the SX40,birds starting to move South out here in the South China Sea,constant flow of Egret,Heron,swallow etc.
A few that stopped for a breather on our Helideck.
Egret head shot taken with 1.5x on.

Three superb shots Bob, especially the Egret shots :t::t::t:
Are these cropped at all or are they more or less the full frames???

 

[bob freeman]

South China Sea

Three superb shots Bob, especially the Egret shots :t::t::t:
Are these cropped at all or are they more or less the full frames???

Thanks Roy,all shots cropped and slightly sharpened but thats about it.
Birds were between 6-10 metre away when shots were taken so pretty close

 

[Roy C]

Thanks Roy,all shots cropped and slightly sharpened but thats about it.
Birds were between 6-10 metre away when shots were taken so pretty close

I thought you must have been pretty close to get that detail Bob. I have had some reasonable shots of garden birds when I have gotten near to them but as soon as you have to start cropping a fair bit then detail is just not there for things like birds IMHO.
In this respect I have found for web size images that the SX40 at 840mm does not give me the effective reach of a 400mm DSLR lens on a 1.6 crop camera like the 7D (640mm) if you want fine detail. With the DSLR set-up you can crop a lot heavier and still retain useful detail.
The SX40 is a good value for money lightweight, versatile walkabout but for any bird photographer who thinks it is a cheap way to longer focal lengths then they will be disappointed IMO. It is great for record shots though.

The attached examples of shots taken with a 400mm DSLR lens (the original and a massive crop) to hopefully illustrate what I mean

 

[Malcolm Stewart]

...
The SX40 is a good value for money lightweight, versatile walkabout but for any bird photographer who thinks it is a cheap way to longer focal lengths then they will be disappointed IMO. It is great for record shots though.

...

I've had varying success with mine - sometimes the results at max zoom have been excellent, even when hand held. At other times, I've noticed weird artefacts which I guess are from sharpening in the camera, and I'm unsure as to what controls this, as I rarely vary the ISO from the 200 to 400 range.

 

[Roy C]

I've had varying success with mine - sometimes the results at max zoom have been excellent, even when hand held. At other times, I've noticed weird artefacts which I guess are from sharpening in the camera, and I'm unsure as to what controls this, as I rarely vary the ISO from the 200 to 400 range.

I have no problems with shooting the SX40 at full zoom hand-held providing you can get near enough to avoid cropping. My point is that when you have to crop the fine detail disappears rapidly compared to a DSLR. As far as ISO goes I find it fine up to ISO 800 But again, only if you do not have to crop much.

The attached shots were all taken at full zoom and hand held BUT are more or less the full frame (just cropped for compo). The Swallow shot was at ISO 800.

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

The SX40 is a good value for money lightweight, versatile walkabout but for any bird photographer who thinks it is a cheap way to longer focal lengths then they will be disappointed IMO.

Is exactly why I thinkm the Sx50 with a 50x zoom will be no better.