I am often amazed at some of the bird pictures that my twelve year old daughter takes with her Kodak PS camera. What features would you want to have in a P&S camera for bird photography? I know for sure I would want it to have at least a 10x zoom or bigger. It would also have to have very little shutter lag. But how much can you get away with?
Your thouhts would be appreciated.
Hi Chris, upon switching from an analog SLR to digital, I deliberately decided to go for an advanced P&S mainly because of the weight. I'm currently using a Panasonic DMC-FZ18 with a Leica zoomlens with the equivalent of 28-500 mm, which serves most purposes and makes great quality pictures. I recently also purchased a 1.7 TC which I can fit in front of the regular lens without losing any stops. I also have some close up screw on lenses which render great macro-photos. Note that not all cameras have the optioin to screw on additional lenses and filters!
The most important advice I would give you is to get one which can shoot RAW (like my Panasonic). The CCD sensors usually used in these camera's are rather sensitive to noise. I try to avoid shooting at more than ISO-100 because of the noise, which basically means that you can only shoot quickly moving subjects when there is a lot of light. When you shoot in RAW, however, you can use the whole bunch of advanced NR options in PP, which are much better than the in-camera NR and maybe increase ISO levels. By the way, Canon has recently presented it's new Powershot (20x zoom) with a CMOS sensor in Europe. I think this will be the new trend, so if you have the time, I'd suggest you wait a year. They probably all have one by then.
When shooting in RAW, my camera takes quite some time to write the image and continue to the next. This might be a problem when shooting quick birds. This may be solved by using faster memory cards. In JPEG, however, I even have a continuous burst mode (3 frames/sec).
Most of the advanced "P&S" more or less have the same functions as a DSLR, including image stabiliser, exposure compensation, bracketing and full manual control of aperture, shutter speed and focus (although you have to use a joystick). I can also get the histogram and compositional gridlines (ROT) in the display, aiding exposure and composition. AF is rather quick and accurate, but usually there's no AF servo mode for following a moving subject. I can instruct the camera to give priority to focus on subjects in the FG (macro-mode). Shutter lag is not an issue with my camera.
I would also advise you to pay attention to the resolution of the electronic viewfinder. Mine is horrible. I prefer to use the EVF instead of the LCD when shooting moving subjects, but that's a matter of personal taste. If you shoot waterfowl and want that low angle without getting flat on your face, you'll want one of those flip-out LCD screens.
If you use flash a lot or are interested in macro photography using a ring flash unit, note that not all P&S cameras have a hotshoe (mine doesn't).
In summary, get a camera with a minimum of 18x zoom, shoots RAW, has high res EVF, flippable LCD and a hotshoe. Be sure to compare image quality on the numerous camera review sites on the web. I can recommend http://www.dcresource.com/ and http://www.imaging-resource.com/.
That's all I could think of right now. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to drop me a message.
Last edited by Jerry van Dijk; 01-17-2009 at 02:26 PM.
I have an Olympus sp-570UZ, which I bought originally to ease my way into digital after using film for many years and as an alternative to my current heavy black-and-white photography gear. My wife has had a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ7 (the Leica lens is impressive), and I liked it, but was looking for something more powerful and "slr-like." I also wanted a powerful zoom (26 to 520mm, 20x optical and 30x digital), a macro lens, and the ability to control functions manually if I wanted to (aperture, exposure, etc.). Plus it's light and easy to transport--perfect for informal photography. I also liked the freedom to use AA batteries OR a charger; the IS technology; and well-designed white-balance presets. It's a bit slow to respond, but the lens-ring zoom control feels right in the hand.
I started using it for birds and wildlife only more recently, and although it has limitations, I have not yet explored all of its possibilities--I am particularly impressed with the ability to "pre-shoot" (as they call it), which is simply to gather rapid-fire photos in a sequence of some dozen or so shots. And I can do RAW, which is important. Am still looking for the kind of amazing results others get with their supertelephotos, but you can look for my posts (in avian, family and friends, wildlife, and flowers/macro) and see the results--I think it's a great learning tool and love the freedom to take 100 bad shots and throw them away. So far, flaws in my photos are due to my own lack of technique and not to the camera.
Hi Chris
My first digital camera was a Canon Powershot S2IS which is extremely versatile with a 12X zoom.
Good for action BIF, As now have a digital SLR I seldom use the S2 now except for convenience of lightweight and also have a teleconverter for it.
Only drawback is the noise factor but this would probably be sustantially reduced with the latest Canon SX 10 IS with 10MP and 20x Zoom.
Here is a url:http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/SX10IS/SX10ISA.HTM
Now what could I get as a trade in ? LOL.
Cheers: Ian Mc
Advice on Features for Point & Shoot
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