Those bald eagle shots are spectacular! Nicely done.

Oooh, yes please!

I had a Kowa Super 66 medium-format film camera for a while. They had an available fish-eye lens which was about 4 feet long, and the objective end kinda boomed outwards like a giant mushroom. There was enough glass on the end of that puppy to cover a tv set! It cost something silly like 8 thousand pounds - in the 70s! - and I never did find out just what it weighed. You would probably need an assistant, just to hold up the front of the lens! My feeling was always, like, really? For a shot you will maybe use once or twice a year?

Well, I drive a nissan versa, the 1600cc base model. My previous camera was a Canon powershot 1300 IS - about as basic as they come. I am not sure where I would fit in your scenario...

I have never seen the panasonic. I was impressed with some of the sx50 pics posted here, plus I had a chance to feel one out in wallmart, of all places. They actually had a battery in it, so I could check out the zoom.

I *had* been thinking of a refurb T3i, plus whatever lenses I could afford when I finally took the plunge. To get the telephoto performance of the sx, I would have had to spend a whole heap of money on glass.

Is it perfect? No, of course not. The body is a bit small for someone with 'normal-sized' hands, as has been discussed in many threads on here. It is very easy to inadvertantly switch various things on and off with the base of your right thumb. I expect to get used to that in time. It isn't as fast as most dslrs, and the sensor is quite a bit smaller than the 5D mk III. The price is also smaller, by a factor of about 7 or 8, not counting lenses.

The panasonic may well be a great camera, and I have no wish to disparage it. There are others out there too... I happened to catch part of a QVC (I think...) show the other day, which had a very similar camera on, but I can't remember what make it was. The zoom was only (only! ha!) 42x, but some of the other features were better than the sx. It was also selling for $250...! If I hadn't already bought my canon, I might well have jumped at it. If canon *do* produce the rumoured sx60 in the next few months, I might regret my haste at jumping for the sx50. That's an ever-present possibility with any consumer electronics purchase, however.

I think what I am trying to say, in a not-very-succinct-way, is that any of the similar cameras are likely to be a great buy. To someone like me, who last dabbled in 'serious' photography in the ancient days of 35mm film, the sx50 seriously blows my mind! If someone really feels the need, and wants to donate in my direction a 5D mk III and a few of those pretty white lenses, I could probably be prepared to move on, without kicking and screaming *too* much...

Very, very strange... They *do* manage to match the arms with the bird's expression pretty well... I like the photographer!

It made me laugh that 2 different people posted link to reviews, with diametrically opposite results! I would be interested to know which company pays the most for advertising on those sites... Of course, I am a cynic!

I am a new sx50 owner, and I love the camera. That lens really lets you reach out and touch someone! The size of the camera is an issue, though. I am still getting used to it, but it is true that this is a very small camera with as many buttons/knobs/control dohickeys as a full size slr. It is difficult to avoid hitting the wrong button occasionally, especially with the right thumb. I have put about 500 shots through mine, and I think I am getting used to the size, but no doubt I will still turn on the delay every now and again.

I don't know anything about the panasonic, so I can't really comment there. Isn't it funny how we all take sides when these regular questions come up?

I have to disagree with almost everyone else here, and say that I like the original. The expanse of sky above the trees turns it from a picture of trees, into a landscape. It gives the photo 'depth', in my mind at least.

Most here are much better critics than I am, of course. To quote the old axiom, I just know what I like!

This is the best of them so far...

Not in writing... The deal still required a one-year subscription, though. I spoke to their sales support people, and he told me that, while most other plans were expected to go up after a year, the plan was to keep the photographer's special to $9.99 indefinitely. I hope this is true, and I also hope that they apply it to the *new* $9.99 plan!

I too bought a copy of CS3, only to find it was an educational version and didn't qualify. If they *do* hike the price next year, I may just by a copy of LR and go back to CS3. It is fun to actually have access to a current version for the first time!

I find the opposite problem - I tend to keep *everything*, just in case I might want that shot later. Now that I am shooting a lot more, and using RAW, I need to start getting rid of the ones which just don't cut it! I have to be strict with myself...

Yeah, they say on the website that the HDR filter will not work with any version of PSE. Needs LR or PS CS4+

Wish I had known about this site before I had mine printed - Staples charged me $35, although this is full-size.
I don't understand why anyone would buy the pdf file from them, however. That can be downloaded free from Canon. I downloaded mine before I ever ordered the camera, so I could check it out.

I had an A1 for years... Great camera; also had the databack and powerwinder for it. Sold it to raise money for the move to the US, back in 1990.

Probably nothing if you are only talking VHS. I needed the camera to get my miniDV tapes onto the PC so I could use a disk.

I long for British winter weather again... It was 12 degrees here this morning, and that's fahrenheit! This is not a part of the US where we expect extremes of temperature, like the masochists who live in places like Minnesota, but we do get much greater extremes than the UK. We are not expected to climb above freezing for the rest of this week - and this is just November!

Oh, did I mention - I hate winter!

Neat! Nice to put a face to the name...