You SX50 users out there may already be aware of this, but for those who don't, be aware that using a hot shoe protector on this camera may disable the in-camera flash.

It seems a bit strange that something as benign as a generic plastic hot shoe protector could do that but it does. I'm trying to find if Canon makes a hot shoe cap for this camera that will not interfere with the built-in flash operation, but no luck so far. There's nothing the manual that I can find that cautions the user about this.

Stan

Wind Turbines... meaning those three blade fans that generate electricity with the blowing of the wind???

The greatest spectacle of them in the midwest is near Van Wert, OH.

One in northern Michigan near McBain came apart in a 100 + mph wind and destroyed itself.

Question: given man's proclivity to "screw things up environmentally:" given that what causes them to spin is resistance to air flow an the predominately westerly wind airflow, are the ultimately slowing the rotation of the earth??? Just asking.

That certainly shows you can't trust what you read on TripAdvisor and it always pays to double check by contacting the venue itself. Those who answered the question on TripAdvisor either clearly didn't know what they were talking about or they were very old posts and there was a subsequent policy change. The latter seems unlikely though. I'm guessing most of the misinformation on photography at the Biltmore was passed from person to person via heresay with no one actually taking the effort to check the facts. Even the one supposedly from a staff member could be a phony posted by someone who dislikes all the cellphone users crowding around to take selfies.

I just copied the following from the Biltmore's website:

"Photo Policy
Thank you for helping us preserve the integrity of the Biltmore name and image by cooperating with the following policies.
]
Inside Biltmore House:
Taking photographs by cell phone or cameras, without flash, is permitted on the self-guided tour for personal use only. No commercial photography is allowed. Photography is not permitted on specialty tours inside Biltmore House.

Video cameras, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, or any other photography equipment are not allowed inside Biltmore House. For the safety and convenience of all guests, group photos must be taken outside of Biltmore House.

Outside Biltmore House:
Taking photographs of the exterior of Biltmore House and grounds or sketching images of the house or estate grounds is permitted for personal use only. Set up must be minimal, requiring no more than two pieces of equipment. The following are not permitted for personal photography or sketching: changing of clothing, hair or make-up styling, lighting set-up or disruption of guest areas. For wedding photography, see policy below. All commercial uses are prohibited without express written consent. Recording, filming, photography, or taping of any concert is strictly prohibited.
Drones & Aerial Photography:
Use of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones while on Biltmore property is prohibited. Aerial photography of Biltmore House is prohibited without written consent.

Commercial Photography:
All commercial uses of photography or video is prohibited without written permission.
Wedding Photography:
Taking wedding photography or portraits on the property is prohibited without previous written permission.

The image, logo, and name of Biltmore are registered trademarks and cannot be used by outside parties without permission from The Biltmore Company. If you would like to publish one of our images, please complete our online image request form.
Biltmore prides itself on its professionalism and experience in working with production companies. To discuss your next project, please contact us."

I viewed the downloaded pictures in Irfanview:
AI-600 - @100x
AI-400 - @150x
AI-200 - @300x
Original - @550x
so that the resultant views were very nearly the same size. All three of the AI pictures were substantially sharper and with less noise than the original; interestingly, the AI-400 looked a slight bit the best to me!

I had tried the same thing yesterday, but with incomplete results. My desktop computer has a fast processor, but only 16 Gigs of RAM, and an (apparently unsupported) NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 card with 2 Gigs. Any attempt to process at 400 or 600 resulted in the program shutting down after about a minute of processing.

I compared results starting with scans (including Box Brownie B&W), an old nondescript cellphone, an iPhone (not mine), a Sony DSCF 717, Canon Elph 330, Canon Elph 170, Canon G16, Canon 70D and Canon 5D Mark II. Results were fairly similar across the board – sharper, and considerably less noise – but did appear to depend significantly on the starting picture. Subsequent processing in some other post processing program improved on those factors needing it, but additional sharpening hurt rather than helped.

One further note – don’t be in a hurry for results as the software processes calculations in the multi-trillions. My trials took the better part of a day, with the time for a process varying between one and thirty minutes.

In order to derive a meaningful evaluation, results from a computer with the recommended components should be compared with the best sharpening/enlarging software otherwise available.

Loren – Baguio City