Robin,
Yes, your second point is exactly what I was trying to express when I used the incorrect term "shutter speed". For my purposes the speed that matters most is the amount of time it takes between pressing down the button and capturing the image. Also the LCD viewfinder on my old Fuji Finepix was very user-friendly and had few glare issues, so I don't think it's a lot to ask for any newer camera that's truly "birder-friendly" (and in the $400-$500 range) to have one at least as good as the budget digital I bought 10 years ago.
Sean Smith
From: Robin R Robinson
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 7:40 PM
Subject: RE: [Maine-birds] mega zoom cameras - long review
HoodMan makes a 'loupe' for LCD's that blocks out the peripheral light and enlarges the image for about $50, a 'must' if one really wants to use the LCD to 'see' what one has captured while still in the field. Perhaps most importantly in considering a point and shoot camera is the delay time between when the shutter is depressed and the image captured is imperative for photographing any moving subject. It can be maddening to press the shutter and have a delay while the bird is zooming away, in the hand or the bush.
RRR
From: therefromhere168@gmail.com
To: maine-birds@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] mega zoom cameras - long review
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 13:02:26 -0500
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From: therefromhere168@gmail.com
To: maine-birds@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] mega zoom cameras - long review
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 13:02:26 -0500
I caution potential buyers to carefully sort through consumer reviews re. digital cameras. Several years ago I purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-F27 with 12x optical zoom... at the time pretty high-powered. The reviews were glowing and numerous (something like 4.5 out of 5 stars on average as I recall), but it's the worst birding camera imaginable. For me the single most important feature on a digital camera, for birding, is a viewfinder that's large and easy to use...so that for example a warbler hopping around in a bush can quickly be differentiated from its surroundings and caught in frame before it zips away. Zoomed image quality, followed by shutter speed are other important things to consider. While the Lumix I bought had great reviews on Amazon in general, I probably should have taken into consideration that very few were from birders and most were by people who use their cameras for other purposes. The camera was just lousy on all these points and is practically useless for taking photos of birds (thus I feel extremely lucky whenever I get a decent bird photo with it). It takes wonderful clear shots of still scenery, but that's not why I bought it.
Thanks, Peter, for the information. It may be helpful in finding a replacement camera that I can actually use for photographing birds.
Sean Smith
From: Peter Vickery
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:39 AM
To: Maine Birds
Subject: [Maine-birds] mega zoom cameras - long review
High quality, but fairly inexpensive ($400 - 500) small cameras now zoom to 50 and 60 power and apparently deliver good pics. I haven't used one personally.
I pulled this from the Massbird site and thought it might be of interest to Maine birders. Paul Roberts, a seriously afflicted hawk enthusiast and expert wrote the piece.
Best, Peter
The December 2014 issue of Bird Observer contained an article I wrote
entitled, ŒThe Rise of the Megazoom Camera: A New Era in Birding. Or ŒHoney
Do We Really Need a Scope?¹ The article described how the recent development
of the megazoom digital Œbridge¹ camera (esp. 30X optical and above) changed
what I could photograph and how I birded. I no longer carry a large digital
SLR camera with a 300 mm digital lens with me. I now carry only a 1.25 lb
Nikon Coolpix P510 with a 42X optical lens (24-1000 mm) and a 100X digital
zoom and am able to take photos of eagles a quarter mile or more away. Or
take photos when it is too dark for me to be able to identify individual
hawks I¹m tracking, but I can photograph them, blow up the images on the LCD
screen, and identify the birds easily.
I love my P510, which has dramatically affected how I bird. The article also
described the Canon SX50, introduced about half a year after the P510. The
SX50 has a 50X optical zoom (1200 mm), a better view finder, and a better
screen than the P510. Those features are why it is now probably the most
popular megazoom in Massachusetts.
I¹ve received a number of inquiries about purchasing megazooms since the
article appeared and, as I indicated in the piece, the megazoom market is
changing quickly and dramatically. For anyone interested in acquiring a
megazoom, this week Nikon is shipping the 42X (optical) P530, marketed as a
significantly improved version of the P510 for $450 list. Of far greater
interest to me, Nikon has also introduced the P600 60X optical (24-1440 mm)
lens with an ED glass element, lens-shift image stabilization, a larger LCD
screen, and an improved electronic view finder for $500. Both new models
have brand new ³Bird Mode² control, which tells you how popular the cameras
are becoming with the birding community worldwide.
Sony has the 50X Cyber-shot H300, which recently dropped from $500 to $400
because Sony announced the 63X Cyber-shot H400, which should begin shipping
in April. Canon has not yet announced a successor to the SX50 ($430 list).
In the second half of 2013 Panasonic Lumix came out with a 60X optical zoom
(1200 mm equivalent), the DMC-FZ70. Lumix has an enviable reputation, but
the reviews of this model have been mixed, especially regarding the quality
of images at high magnification. This model has not had time to form a
reliable user base like the P510 and SX50, so check out the camera and
reviews carefully before buying. Panasonic also has an older model, the
LUMIX FZ200 12.1 megapixel camera. The camera¹s optical zoom is ³only² 24X
(600 mm) but it has a fast F2.8 aperture across the entire zoom range. At
least one photographic professional recommends this as her favorite
³megazoom² because of the aperture and the quality of the lens. She believes
it provides the closest megazoom experience to a high-end professional DSLR
because you can shoot at 24X and crop more extensively to yield a better,
higher quality image than you might achieve with larger optical zooms by
other manufacturers. The camera, listing at $599, is somewhat more expensive
than most megazooms.
One other model might be worth examining. At the January 2014 Consumer
Electronics Show, Samsung introduced a 60X (1200 mm) 16 megapixel WB2200F
megazoom for $499. The camera, which will begin shipping in about a month,
has received favorable industry reviews. (Earlier models of the same basic
camera with lower optical zooms have been well received.)
I would encourage anyone interested in a megazoom camera to buy or borrow a
copy of the December Bird Observer to read how the cameras can change your
birding experience and to review descriptions of some of the other megazooms
on the market. I am not a photographic expert, but if I was going to buy a
new megazoom a month ago, I would have purchased the SX50. However, I am
really excited about the new P600 with 60X and will look at it very
carefully.
Whatever, I would encourage anyone interested in megazooms to examine user
reviews online. I read reviews for two years while the field evolved until I
was confident the new P510 was an extraordinary bridge camera. Upgrades can
drive manufacturers to make significant tradeoffs that you should carefully
evaluate before you buy.
Best,
Paul
- See more at: http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=633899&MLID=MASS&MLNM=Massachusetts#sthash.z60Uqs0x.dpuf
entitled, ŒThe Rise of the Megazoom Camera: A New Era in Birding. Or ŒHoney
Do We Really Need a Scope?¹ The article described how the recent development
of the megazoom digital Œbridge¹ camera (esp. 30X optical and above) changed
what I could photograph and how I birded. I no longer carry a large digital
SLR camera with a 300 mm digital lens with me. I now carry only a 1.25 lb
Nikon Coolpix P510 with a 42X optical lens (24-1000 mm) and a 100X digital
zoom and am able to take photos of eagles a quarter mile or more away. Or
take photos when it is too dark for me to be able to identify individual
hawks I¹m tracking, but I can photograph them, blow up the images on the LCD
screen, and identify the birds easily.
I love my P510, which has dramatically affected how I bird. The article also
described the Canon SX50, introduced about half a year after the P510. The
SX50 has a 50X optical zoom (1200 mm), a better view finder, and a better
screen than the P510. Those features are why it is now probably the most
popular megazoom in Massachusetts.
I¹ve received a number of inquiries about purchasing megazooms since the
article appeared and, as I indicated in the piece, the megazoom market is
changing quickly and dramatically. For anyone interested in acquiring a
megazoom, this week Nikon is shipping the 42X (optical) P530, marketed as a
significantly improved version of the P510 for $450 list. Of far greater
interest to me, Nikon has also introduced the P600 60X optical (24-1440 mm)
lens with an ED glass element, lens-shift image stabilization, a larger LCD
screen, and an improved electronic view finder for $500. Both new models
have brand new ³Bird Mode² control, which tells you how popular the cameras
are becoming with the birding community worldwide.
Sony has the 50X Cyber-shot H300, which recently dropped from $500 to $400
because Sony announced the 63X Cyber-shot H400, which should begin shipping
in April. Canon has not yet announced a successor to the SX50 ($430 list).
In the second half of 2013 Panasonic Lumix came out with a 60X optical zoom
(1200 mm equivalent), the DMC-FZ70. Lumix has an enviable reputation, but
the reviews of this model have been mixed, especially regarding the quality
of images at high magnification. This model has not had time to form a
reliable user base like the P510 and SX50, so check out the camera and
reviews carefully before buying. Panasonic also has an older model, the
LUMIX FZ200 12.1 megapixel camera. The camera¹s optical zoom is ³only² 24X
(600 mm) but it has a fast F2.8 aperture across the entire zoom range. At
least one photographic professional recommends this as her favorite
³megazoom² because of the aperture and the quality of the lens. She believes
it provides the closest megazoom experience to a high-end professional DSLR
because you can shoot at 24X and crop more extensively to yield a better,
higher quality image than you might achieve with larger optical zooms by
other manufacturers. The camera, listing at $599, is somewhat more expensive
than most megazooms.
One other model might be worth examining. At the January 2014 Consumer
Electronics Show, Samsung introduced a 60X (1200 mm) 16 megapixel WB2200F
megazoom for $499. The camera, which will begin shipping in about a month,
has received favorable industry reviews. (Earlier models of the same basic
camera with lower optical zooms have been well received.)
I would encourage anyone interested in a megazoom camera to buy or borrow a
copy of the December Bird Observer to read how the cameras can change your
birding experience and to review descriptions of some of the other megazooms
on the market. I am not a photographic expert, but if I was going to buy a
new megazoom a month ago, I would have purchased the SX50. However, I am
really excited about the new P600 with 60X and will look at it very
carefully.
Whatever, I would encourage anyone interested in megazooms to examine user
reviews online. I read reviews for two years while the field evolved until I
was confident the new P510 was an extraordinary bridge camera. Upgrades can
drive manufacturers to make significant tradeoffs that you should carefully
evaluate before you buy.
Best,
Paul
- See more at: http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=633899&MLID=MASS&MLNM=Massachusetts#sthash.z60Uqs0x.dpuf
Maine birds mailing list
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http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds
https://sites.google.com/site/birding207
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