Canon SX50HS or Nikon CoolpixP600 HELP! (Page 5): I have been to the Arctic (and the Antarctic, bobbing around on those zodiacs on both trips) and despite the weight was really glad to...

Louisawill Loc: Boston

I have been to the Arctic (and the Antarctic, bobbing around on those zodiacs on both trips) and despite the weight was really glad to have my Canon digital SLR with 70-300 lens. A point and shoot would have been handy and much lighter, but I never could have steadied it well enough to get decent shots, esp in those zodiacs.
Also just returned from Ireland, where I took my Canon t3i and my husband shot with a Canon SX510HS (which I know is not exactly the camera you're considering). His photos are good, sometimes great, but as a whole mine are crisper and better.
Whatever you decide, take extra batteries. They run out quickly in cold temps.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

Wahawk wrote:

BIF is Bird In Flight

Duh! How dumb is me?

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

photobugger wrote:

Purchase the "Dummy" series on your cameras. They go int great detail.

The main advice is: time. Take plenty of it to learn your equipment.

James

To which post are you replying?

Photo Girl Loc: SE Pasco County, FL

James56 (on our UHH Forum) uses a Sony HX300 and shoots remarkable shots with it. It has a 50x zoom and a digital. He has posted a moon shot, with no cropping, and it fills the frame and is extremely sharp. Camera also has a Zeiss lens. Sony has recently come out with the HX400 50 x zoom with a Zeiss lens. It has a new sensor and looks to be a great camera. Check out James56's photos for a good comparison.

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

MadMikeOne wrote:

My spouse and I are heading for a trip to the Arctic (Greenland, Iceland, Norway) in September, and I am having major angst about what camera(s) and equipment to take with me.
I have a Nikon D5200 with a 55-300 zoom that I will take, but that lens will probably not be long enough. We will be out on the water in Zodiaks probably quite a distance from the life on shore. I do not want to miss any great photo ops. I considered a bridge camera but decided to try something else first.
Sooo - I got myself a Sony Cybershot HX50V. Great little point and shoot with lots of tweaking available that goes out to around 720 mm - perfect or so I thought. BIG problem is - no viewfinder. I took it out to our local bird observatory (right on the Altantic Ocean) and lost so many shots of birds in flight due to no viewfinder. No matter what I do, I cannot view what I need to on the LCD - turned it up as bright as it will go, tried a hood - no good.
Now I seem to be back to a bridge camera to get the viewfinder, but still keep the equipment I need to keep very accessible and on my body. When I first started this research, I got it down to the Canon SX50HS and the Nikon Coolpix P600. I have no allegiance to either brand, so let's not go down that road.
I am leaning toward the Canon ONLY because I want to be able to put filters on the lens. I was told by a tech at a big camera shop in NYC that the Nikon would accept filters but not a hood. This is definitely not so. I actually looked at one and what appear to be threads on the lens are not. The store I was in had the correct size filter so I tried it out. It does not screw on. The Canon will take a filter but and adaptor is needed - no problem there. And the Canon will take a hood. Just cannot use the hood with a filter on. Good grief! I really don't know if I will really need a hood and a filter at the same time. Keep in mind, there will be lots of light reflected off the snow and the water. My readings indicate that an ND filter and/or a polarizing filter will be needed.
I don't want to lug around lots of equipment; but I don't want to miss good shots, either. Also, I am new to DSLR photography and am trying to learn my way around the menus, etc. and I do not PP at this time.
Thoughts, comments? The view finder in combination with a long zoom are the critical considerations.
All input is welcome. My brain is fried and my head is spinning. Thanks.

My spouse and I are heading for a trip to the Arct... (show quote)

Mike,
I think you should add one other camera to your list of possibilities. It's the Fujifilm HS50EXR. I have one myself and am VERY happy with it. First of all, you'll have no problem using it since you're already used to your D5200 because the lens on the HS50 is manual, giving you that DSLR feel. Second, it comes with a hood and it also has threads for attaching any 58mm filter that you want. I have a polarizer AND the hood on my camera and do not experience any problems at all. Third, the color that this camera has is Fuji's own award-winning VELVIA color and I get outstanding results with it. Fourth, as soon as you turn on the camera it is ready to shoot which means you can quickly get to that image that will very soon go away. It's a good-size camera but not too big and the weight of the camera shouldn't burden you. I am getting about 900 shots on one charge of the battery but with your trip, I would definitely recommend a backup.
Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this camera and I'm sure that most other people who have this camera feel the same. But....it's always Canon and Nikon that get the ink! The cameras you're considering should do adequately for you but, in defense of the Fuji, if you're using your D5200 and then suddenly realize you need the extra zoom, the Fuji will be much more user friendly to you because of the manual zoom which you're already accustomed to because the Canon and the Sony have auto-focus which will require a slight learning curve in getting used to the speed of its AF. Yes, after all is said and done, I believe the Fuji HS50EXR will meet and exceed your expectations more than any other superzoom. Have a great trip!

aginzu

An important thing to look for in a super zoom is how well the image stabilization works. I tried out the Fuji HS50EXR and Nikon P520 at full zoom before going with the SX50 because I found that SX50 stabilization more often produced a shake-free image. I don't know if that's due to the stabilization mechanism or that for some reason I was able to grip the SX50 more solidly because it was a better fit for my hands. If possible, you should try these cameras out before making a decision.

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

aginzu wrote:

An important thing to look for in a super zoom is how well the image stabilization works. I tried out the Fuji HS50EXR and Nikon P520 at full zoom before going with the SX50 because I found that SX50 stabilization more often produced a shake-free image. I don't know if that's due to the stabilization mechanism or that for some reason I was able to grip the SX50 more solidly because it was a better fit for my hands. If possible, you should try these cameras out before making a decision.

I'm not sure if this is acceptable but I've taken hand-held shots with my Fuji HS50EXR at just 1/13 of a second with absolutely NO camera shake at all....pretty good in my opinion. So, Mike, add this additional feature to the ones I already mentioned.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

Thank you to all who pitched in with their expertise to help me figure this out. For what it's worth, I have definitely ruled out the nikon P600 - does not check a couple of must- hve boxes. The Canon is still in the running and I hve lso added the Panasonic fz200 and the Leica v lux 4 as possibilities.
Soooooo - I started with 2 possible cameras, knocked out 1, and added 2 more for a total of 3 contenders. Oy veh!
Thank you fellow UHH members. Your input gave me lots more to add to the mix.

Maryle12 Loc: Bonita Springs, Fl. & Harbor Springs, MI.

I had the same problem but here is the answer. There is a little button on the top, right side of the camera which says LCH/finder. Click on that and you have your viewfinder! It is a great camera and you can zoom like crazy in Greenland!
Maryle

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

Maryle12 wrote:

I had the same problem but here is the answer. There is a little button on the top, right side of the camera which says LCH/finder. Click on that and you have your viewfinder! It is a great camera and you can zoom like crazy in Greenland!
Maryle

On the Sony DSC-HX50V? I can't find it on mine and I do not find mention of it in the manual.

Maryle12 Loc: Bonita Springs, Fl. & Harbor Springs, MI.

Sorry It says: Finder/LCD on my Sony Cyber DSC-HX 50
Do you see the tiny button on the top of the camera?

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

Maryle12 wrote:

Sorry It says: Finder/LCD on my Sony Cyber DSC-HX 50
Do you see the tiny button on the top of the camera?

I need a viewfinder. This camera does not have one.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

Photo Girl wrote:

James56 (on our UHH Forum) uses a Sony HX300 and shoots remarkable shots with it. It has a 50x zoom and a digital. He has posted a moon shot, with no cropping, and it fills the frame and is extremely sharp. Camera also has a Zeiss lens. Sony has recently come out with the HX400 50 x zoom with a Zeiss lens. It has a new sensor and looks to be a great camera. Check out James56's photos for a good comparison.

Thank you. I actually had this model in my hands and ruled it out right away. It felt very awkward in my hand.

Ctrclckws

I would skip the leica, an fz200 by another name is still an fz200.

Now to add to the mix:
Fuji Finepix S1
Not sure about all the features, but it is weather sealed...

rhadams824 Loc: Arkansas

tramsey wrote:

Take a look at what a comparison site has to say about the two cameras.

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-PowerShot-SX50-HS-vs-Nikon-Coolpix-P600

I have a problem with how Snapshot compares and rates cameras. When you look at the comparison scores they should only rate the cameras on technical specifications. Yet they use popularity (100 vs 35) which is not objective but weighted higher than image quality and other important features. When you subtract popularity from each score the Nikon score is higher.
If they don't have data for an entry they don't try to obtain the information (such as overall image quality - e.g., Canon 13.6, Nikon 0). A zero means nothing. Also just how good is an overall image quality of 13.6. Without having a comparison of image quality you have nothing. I see cameras being rated higher that aren't really better.

Really how do we know by these ratings?

I would like others to comment on Snapshot. I hope I am not the only one that questions their ratings.