ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM
Sep 23, 2011 13:59:57 #
The Canon PowerShot SX30 IS is the best little camera I've ever had for tromping around out in the bush -- which I do a lot of. It'll fit handily in a fanny-pack, it does an excellent job in the Macro setting, and it has a powerful image stabilization. But most impressive to me is it's 35x optical zoom, allowing a person to get up close and personal with skittish wildlife. And if you REALLY want to get cozy with a critter, this camera will go digital zoom all the way out to 140x and still look pretty darn good job. Below are three examples beginning with an as-is shot across a pond toward the dam, a 35x shot of the stork, and ending with a 140x zoom to the unsuspecting bird that was well over a hundred yards away. I believe the SX30 IS has now been surplanted by an SX40 that can be seen on Canon's web site. Costs vary at around $400, and well worth the money. Get an extra battery while you're at it.
Where's the Stork?
Ah, there it is, on the dam (35x Optical Zoom)
Is that a fish scale on its bill? (140x Digital Zoom)
Sep 23, 2011 14:16:00 #
pretty impressive for a pocket digicam! Great Blue Herons can be skittish at times, so it's nice if you can visually "sneak up on 'em" without having to actually get close!
Sep 23, 2011 14:28:55 #
That's what that thing is... a Great Blue Heron? Thanks, I thought it was a stork of some kind. I'm not very bird-savy, name-wise. Well, yes, it is nice having a lighter-weight compact camera that doesn't require an ox-cart to lug around, but still has really great capabilities. The Nikon D80 and its assortment of lens pretty much stay at home anymore, rarely used.
Sep 23, 2011 15:54:45 #
By golly, I think you made your point. Would you like me to send it into Canon and see if I can't get you a little something out of it. Nice job. Canon ought to be payin' ya. :-)
Sep 23, 2011 16:02:04 #
Thanks for the thumbs-up. Coming from you, I consider it a compliment of the highest order. Your opinions and evaluations are of considerable interest on this site. Keep them coming, sir.
Sep 23, 2011 16:14:57 #
gizzy.whicker wrote:
Thanks for the thumbs-up. Coming from you, I consider it a compliment of the highest order. Your opinions and evaluations are of considerable interest on this site. Keep them coming, sir.
I'm humbled. I'll try not to let anyone down as I mostly try to defer to the real experts on here. I know they can't be everywhere and I've got some time on my hands right now, so... Thank you.
Sep 24, 2011 23:41:22 #
I had that camera for two weeks; all the time allowed to try it out. I tried every way I could to get a decent shot, but all of my photos looked as if they were sprinkled with dandruf.I put in on a tripod at a fast ss in good light & as low an iso as possible to get the shot, but I still had blur & dandruf. Maybe if I could have tried it for a while longer I could have figured out what I was doing wrong.Someone mentioned that the memory card might have been the problem. guess I'll never know. Happy shooting with yours.
Sep 24, 2011 23:44:30 #
cameranut wrote:
I had that camera for two weeks; all the time allo... (show quote)
Did you try washing it with Head and Shoulders? Sounds like you might have been working with something that had been bounced on the sidewalk somewhere.
Sep 25, 2011 00:14:06 #
[quote=gessman]
Did you try washing it with Head and Shoulders? Sounds like you might have been working with something that had been bounced on the sidewalk somewhere.[/quote
:shock: I used the wrong shampoo on it. Dang!
cameranut wrote:
I had that camera for two weeks; all the time allo... (show quote)
Did you try washing it with Head and Shoulders? Sounds like you might have been working with something that had been bounced on the sidewalk somewhere.[/quote
:shock: I used the wrong shampoo on it. Dang!
Sep 25, 2011 01:16:37 #
Love the pictures, thanks for sharing. I have a Cannon Powershot SX120 and love it- am still learning all of it's features.
Sep 25, 2011 09:41:54 #
You guys are fun and interesting to read. Keep it up. That's what makes this site what it is. I do spend quite a bit of time out in the bush, in wildly different conditions. Most of the little spots on my photos have been caused by itsy-bitsy dust particles and/or moisture, and then shooting a back-lighted subject. In a side pocket of your over-sized fanny-pack camera case should be some quality lens cleaning stuff. Use it often when you're out in the field.
Sep 25, 2011 17:00:23 #
I never thought to use a lens cleaning wipe but the specks were on the very first shot I took. I wish I could have tried it a while longer without being commited to buy. I have sent the only one I kept but even with some tweaking on Zoombrowzer it still has some noise visible on the dogs' neck fur & softening every where else. I just ordered the Nikon P500 a few min. ago. Can't wait to see what it can do.About the same zoom as Canons 35x. Oops, I deleted that one. This is the one I kept. Not too bad but not what I want.
Sep 25, 2011 19:38:40 #
How about posting one of the photos you say are badly spotted for the rest of us to see, and also tell us more about the settings you're using. Are you using the max quality JPEG setting? If all other factors have been checked out and accounted for, then quite possibly your camera has a defective sensor in it. Anything's possible.
Sep 25, 2011 19:42:01 #
I also meant to mention I wouldn't advise using a lens wipe until after you've blown the lens off first with an air-duster... you know, the kind with a little rubber squeeze-bulb and brush on the end. If you use a lens wipe first, you might possible have grit on the lens and that could scratch it.
Sep 25, 2011 20:10:22 #
gizzy.whicker wrote:
I also meant to mention I wouldn't advise using a lens wipe until after you've blown the lens off first with an air-duster... you know, the kind with a little rubber squeeze-bulb and brush on the end. If you use a lens wipe first, you might possible have grit on the lens and that could scratch it.
Man, I sure wish you'd have thought of that when you posted that last comment. I've probably already scratched six or seven lens. Dang! :)
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