Lots of helpful suggestions from others here, and I'll add two more.

One is to put the camera into continuous shooting mode, rather than single shot mode. Then press the shutter and listen to it click off 3 shots. Often the first shot is just fine, but if I've jiggled the camera while pressing the shutter release, my hand will be steady again during the next two shots and I have two back ups to choose from that are likely to be better. I use this more frequently for a dark interior at fairly wide angle, though I've also used it outdoors. This is somewhat similar to the suggestion made earlier about shooting in High-speed Burst HQ in the Scene mode, but in that case the camera takes over and uses automatic settings if that matters to you.

The second solution is one I use outdoors at extreme zoom, where a secondary problem is that the slightest movement of the camera can dramatically alter the framing of a shot, sometimes cutting off part that you might have wanted to retain. Set the self-timer to 2-second delay. Then when you press the shutter release, you have 2 seconds--a perfect amount of time--to reframe the shot if it got messed up, stop breathing, brace yourself, and let the camera take the shot while you're holding steady. Needless to say, this works better with architectural details than it does with birds in flight.

I have the SX50, but these suggestions would presumably work with any super zoom.

Lots of helpful suggestions from others here, and I'll add two more.

One is to put the camera into continuous shooting mode, rather than single shot mode. Then press the shutter and listen to it click off 3 shots. Often the first shot is just fine, but if I've jiggled the camera while pressing the shutter release, my hand will be steady again during the next two shots and I have two back ups to choose from that are likely to be better. I use this more frequently for a dark interior at fairly wide angle, though I've also used it outdoors. This is somewhat similar to the suggestion made earlier about shooting in High-speed Burst HQ in the Scene mode, but in that case the camera takes over and uses automatic settings if that matters to you.

The second solution is one I use outdoors at extreme zoom, where a secondary problem is that the slightest movement of the camera can dramatically alter the framing of a shot, sometimes cutting off part that you might have wanted to retain. Set the self-timer to 2-second delay. Then when you press the shutter release, you have 2 seconds--a perfect amount of time--to reframe the shot if it got messed up, stop breathing, brace yourself, and let the camera take the shot while you're holding steady. Needless to say, this works better with architectural details than it does with birds in flight.

I have the SX50, but these suggestions would presumably work with any super zoom.

Having had this camera about a year, I have had plenty of time to experiment with it. The key to getting the sharpest images is to use the fastest shutter speed and to minimize camera shake. To this end, I Put in camera's ISO setting on 400. Any lower and it will be hard to get the fast higher shutter speeds. Any higher and excessive noise will ruin the image. I also shoot in aperture priority setting and stop it down 1 setting from full open. Too small an opening and the shutter will be too slow. Open all the way, and you risk chromatic aberations (purple fringing) and getting your subject out of focus. (The smaller the lens opening, the greater the depth of field. I also like putting the timer on the 2 second setting. Hold your breath and press the shutter. This gives you two seconds to steady the camera after pushing the button

There are dozens of happy SX50 users on UHH - including me :)

It can take some getting used to and trials with various settings, before you are likely to see your best work. Try not to go into the digital zoom realm; you'll see better results if you stay within the optical zoom (to 50x).

And keep in mind with a camera that is zooming that far, the slightest movement on your part will show up as an unsharp image. I've gotten some good results with the "burst" mode, which shoots several images in one second.

I think this is a common problem when your starting out with the sx50...I know I experienced it and so did my wife who has taken over that camera...

The long zoom is terribly sensitive to movement...you have to picture yourself shooting with a real live 1200mm lens...would you shoot without a tripod?

My wife's sx50 lives on a tripod...and shoots 90% of her long shots with a remote release. Check out her posts ---sleepydrdr---That being said there are lots of folks here that can shoot a the long side of the zoom hand held. I just ain't one of them...

Your going to hear that you cant get dslr quality pictures with the sx50...and in extreme situations you cant. But overall the little camera is capable of taking exceptional pictures with a little practice.

Having had this camera about a year, I have had plenty of time to experiment with it. The key to getting the sharpest images is to use the fastest shutter speed and to minimize camera shake. To this end, I Put in camera's ISO setting on 400. Any lower and it will be hard to get the fast higher shutter speeds. Any higher and excessive noise will ruin the image. I also shoot in aperture priority setting and stop it down 1 setting from full open. Too small an opening and the shutter will be too slow. Open all the way, and you risk chromatic aberations (purple fringing) and getting your subject out of focus. (The smaller the lens opening, the greater the depth of field. I also like putting the timer on the 2 second setting. Hold your breath and press the shutter. This gives you two seconds to steady the camera after pushing the button