Old Boots,

Suggestion: Become a hunter with a camera, use the same instincts you would with a .22 single shot rifle.

Turn off Digital Zoom, use only Optical Zoom, and get as close as possible to your target. Your camera can only guess as to what you intend on capturing, your digital editing software can control the effects of digital zoom by your mouse movements.

You might practice on some of your animals on the ranch, and don't be shy on using the shaded side of the barn for a background.

Michael G

Hi Lee. I have lots of experience of pushing the sensor of the SX50 beyond its limits :)

I checked the exif and yep, you were all the way to 100x + you cropped about 2/3 of it so this heron must have been a loooong way off :)

Using just the optical zoom (50x) will give you best results. You can turn off the digital zoom, or just be aware of where you are by noticing the change in color of the bar in the viewfinder/LCD.

If you are shooting in a mode other than auto or RAW, you can access the in-camera teleconverter. That seems to give a bit better result than the digital zoom. You can choose 1.5x (equiv 75x) or 2x (equiv 100x).

If you'd like to see a comparison, I can post a heron photo that was taken at 1.5x and cropped slightly.

Sense I quit hunting with my handguns 20 years ago I haven't seen one this nice. Unfortunately someone hit it with their vehicle and left it. I found it laying in the weeds off a dirt road I go down at times and had to call the State Police to have it put down. I couldn't leave him there suffering. fortunately the trooper that came out was a hunter and she agreed with me.

Here is one of the photos I took while waiting for the trooper. One of the first photos taken using a new Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro lens.

C&C welcome as usual. Do with it as you please.

Jim D

Folks, I think this is the age old question we ask ourselves as we age. The weather has been so cold and gloomy...my creative juices are stirring, so I came up with this. The image is one I took at a church function. This gentlemen seemed to be deep in thought about something. So I added my version of this odd poem to it. It seems to fit what he is thinking. I can't remember who originally wrote the poem. I ran across it years ago, and it has been stuck in my mind all these years. What is written here are just pieces I can remember. I wonder will you still like me with my bad memory (ha)?
I may disagree with you on what he is thinking. To me he is saying I told you how, why aren't you doing the way I told you? These kids just don't listen!
Enjoy friends...
ps, you may need to download it to read it (sorry).