Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Quality

[philperry]

Is there a concensus on whether the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS (24 to 1200mm re 35mm equivalent) when taking RAW pictures will produce TIFFs of sufficient quality for Commercial Photo Agencies ? As age advances the thought of an all-in-one camera is very tempting for overseas trips where kit weight is a major problem. Any opinions/thoughts would be welcome.

[arash_hazeghi]

Phil,

A lens with 50X :eek3: zoom range is almost guaranteed to give you very poor results, you would be better off using a digi-scope or even digitally blowing up the image. commercial-quality with a cheap tiny sensor camera and a super zoom lens is expecting too much.

[Joe Murphy]

Phil, take a look here for info & what king of images the SX50 is capable of, pretty impressive for a bridge camera - http://kenn3d.wordpress.com/

[philperry]

Thanks guys. Amazed at the photos on the backyard birding blog. I have to say they are very impressive. On my 24" screen they look excellent. I guess photo agencies might prefer DSLR photos. But I use a lot of my photos in books, magazines, apps and on websites. And mostly only ever using JPEGs. And certainly the SX 50 JPEGs on the backyard blog looked well up to that standard. I may just try the camera to see how good it is. I would also like an all-in-one camera so that I can always carry it with me to take advantage of those one-off sightings. Thanks for the input.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Phil, see my elaborate advocacy for a superzoom bridge camera here, a few threads below (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/110548-Point-and-shoot-for-birds) and my website, www.jerryvandijk.com, for examples. I've started photography with a Panasonic superzoom and was very happy with the IQ. Many of my photographs have been printed in a magazine, for which I am one of the regular photographers, and I have never had any complaints about the IQ. Do note that manual focussing is possible but clumsy, AF is quite slow compared to a DSLR and usually there is considerable shutter lag, lower response time and much lower burst rates, i.e. no BIF. Also, it will be difficult to shoot in low light conditions because of the noise produced by these cameras. With my older model, ISO-400 already gave unusable results for commercial work. Do note I've been using a much older model than the new Canon and Panasonic models, so I imagine that some of these issues may have improved over time.

[John Chardine]

Hi Phil- Theory totally aside, the proof of the pudding here is the quality of images this camera appears to be capable of producing. I am very impressed with the images posted on the link provided by Joe above. There will likely be other issues such as AF speed that may be a deal-breakers but based on IQ alone, this camera looks like a winner. I am sure there are other offerings out there as well, that would be comparable.

Since moving into the compact camera world myself with the acquisition of the Sigma DP2 Merrill it has become clear to me that R&D in the compact camera realm has far outstripped that in DSLRs. DSLRs (I own two and use them everyday) are virtual dinosaurs compared to the latest compact offerings and it's high time DSLRs catch up.

[philperry]

Jerry/John Thanks for the input. I must agree. Was so pleased to get the Kenn & Temple link as it really shows what quality photos the PowerShot can produce. Lovely feather detail (a what a garden they must have). Obviously there are disadvantages such as focussing speed, reaction time, picture noise and quality drop off in poor light. But even a DSLR takes its best photos in good conditions. I like the idea of being able to carry it with me even on local shopping trips and other errands to take pictures of interesting subjects along the way. At the price I think it is well worth experimenting with. And I agree the R&D spent in bridge cameras does seem to be the highest. I have also been very disappointed in the 4/3 cameras (esp Olympus - I started out with an OM-1 - great camera in its day) as they still have no large lenses. I have a non-photography trip coming up in the fall and I think everyone's comments have convinced me to give the PowerShot a go. As, let's face it, no trip should be a non-photography' trip !

[Chris Brennan]

Phil -

Since you're considering the SX-50, you should also consider the Panasonic FZ200... Although a smaller zoom range (25mm -600mm equivalent), the aperture of f2.8 is constant through the range...

[philperry]

Thanks Chris. I did see a South African photographer in the Masai Mara using a Panasonic. And the f2.8 sounds great. He loved it for the broadcast quality movies. But will probably stick with Canon as I am more interested in photography and the Panasonic seemed a bit complicated when I looked at the brochure.

[kenn threed]

Jerry/John Thanks for the input. I must agree. Was so pleased to get the Kenn & Temple link as it really shows what quality photos the PowerShot can produce. Lovely feather detail (a what a garden they must have). Obviously there are disadvantages such as focussing speed, reaction time, picture noise and quality drop off in poor light. But even a DSLR takes its best photos in good conditions. I like the idea of being able to carry it with me even on local shopping trips and other errands to take pictures of interesting subjects along the way. At the price I think it is well worth experimenting with. And I agree the R&D spent in bridge cameras does seem to be the highest. I have also been very disappointed in the 4/3 cameras (esp Olympus - I started out with an OM-1 - great camera in its day) as they still have no large lenses. I have a non-photography trip coming up in the fall and I think everyone's comments have convinced me to give the PowerShot a go. As, let's face it, no trip should be a non-photography' trip !

Hi Phil, (...and anybody who may still be reading this thread). Sorry for not responding until now, and thanks to Joe Murphy for the reference link to our blog.

Ari's comments are sure understandable and no doubt based on his experience and skill using high-end gear. His galleries are filled with exquisite in-flight work and beautiful images of a caliber few photographers will achieve even using the best of equipment. No compact superzoom will be up to the task for that kind of work imo.

The SX50 is indeed an inexpensive superzoom with a tiny sensor and won't replace DSLR/Lglass rigs for demanding wildlife photography. But it can produce worthy images at moderate distances when shot to its strengths. This means base ISOs in good light, and primarily passerine or other stationary subjects. It does offer some very $ignificant advantages over big kits for this kind of work though... Extraordinary reach (1200mm EFL) and excellent IS that can be hand-held with surprisingly good results under ideal conditions, and even when using slow shutter speeds. And it's a lot easier to carry wherever you will use it.

I prefer to shoot it in Manual mode, at or near maximum optical focal length, and mostly RAW. Continuous drive in RAW is slow however. AF speed is about average for a compact (very slow compared to any DSLR), but it focuses sharply and reliably with good contrast targets. Pixel-level IQ and DR can't compare with APS-C of course, but it is state of the art for this size sensor. We've used many different superzooms of several brands, and critically pixel-peeped them all... I'd say the SX50 is the most cropable 1/2.3" currently available.

http://kenn3d.smugmug.com/photos/i-Zqvk4mM/0/X3/i-Zqvk4mM-X3.jpg
See also:
http://kenn3d.smugmug.com/photos/i-xXPBqJN/0/X3/i-xXPBqJN-X3.jpg
http://kenn3d.smugmug.com/photos/i-R6hmWFB/0/X3/i-R6hmWFB-X3.jpg
SX50 Gallery (http://kenn3d.smugmug.com/Nature/SX50/26958224_MRBrRB#!)

So, most wildlife shooters will probably be well-advised to keep their DSLR gear. But some might appreciate having an SX50 in the bag as well. We make no attempt to sell our work, although some of our Smugmug visitors do purchase prints, and several of our images have been published in both magazines and books. Whether agencies will accept SX50 output or not, will likely depend more on the user than the camera I think.

Hope this is helpful, and good shooting everybody.

Kenn

[philperry]

Kenn Thanks so much for your comments. I agree with what you say. I certainly will hang on to my DSLR - but for some trips and even home use I will try out the SX50. The zoom range is just too good to miss. I have a trip coming up in a couple of months time. Its not really a photo trip - but I want to take some pics while I am there and the SX50 will be coming with me so I can give it a good workout.