This review is from: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS Digital Camera – Black (12.1MP, Super Wide Angle, 35x Optical Zoom) 2.7 inch Vari-Angle LCD (Electronics)
I previously owned the SX20. I often used it for bird photography. I loved it but at 20x it was easy to lose the subject of the shot; it was then necessary to zoom out to find the subject, then zoom in again. This has been solved in the SX40. After zooming up to 35x you can click a button to show the full field of view [with a central frame] – release it and you are back on full zoom. Superb for small birds or for flying birds. In this context the 10 fps in a burst shot is very good. The 2 customer settings are very useful. For birds I call up one of these and immediately I am on full zoom, at ISO800, spot focussing and exposure, and set to take 2-3 fps continuously.
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS Digital Camera – Black (12.1MP, Super Wide Angle, 35x Optical Zoom) 2.7 inch Vari-Angle LCD (Electronics)
I can honestly say that this is the first camera, of any sort, that I have bought that I am completely satified with. First of all the 35x zoom is a joy to use. It is perfect for bird photography allowing me to fill the frame from a long way off. Even hand held there is no sign of shake at full zoom (in daylight conditions)the image stabilisation is that good. Navigating around all the available functions is made so much easier with the helpful hints, and builds user confidence to try new things. Photos are clear with the autofocus being spot on, and the colours are natural. SO glad I chose this camera!
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS Digital Camera – Black (12.1MP, Super Wide Angle, 35x Optical Zoom) 2.7 inch Vari-Angle LCD (Electronics)
I was looking for an SLR camera having had one in my young days, but found the price was too high with the zoom that I wanted. I plumped for the sx40 having read reviews that indicated that the images produced from this camera were generally good. I am very pleased with the camera having owned it several weeks. I have experimented with as many features as I can, and have found the auto setting to be very good at producing natural looking images, which are generally fairly sharp with very good colour reproduction. Do not expect SLR sharpness as the sensor on this camera is just not capable of this given its size limitation. Having said this, the image can be sharpened with any basic photo software. The zoom on this camera is very good and the lens is really all you need for any situation. This was a major reason for my purchase of this camera. I am especially impressed with the nightshot feature which can produce some very good results with very little available light. I think this may be assisted by the backlit cmos sensor. There are numerous scene functions, and you can perform all the manual functions that you would get on a SLR. The only niggle that I have found is that the mamual focus can be a bit fiddly, as it involves turning of a wheel that also has other functions on it. It is very easy to enable these inadvertently whilst trying to focus. All in all, if you are looking for a bridge camera, I think this is one of the best. I have only given 4 stars due to the focussing issues.
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Zoom is a joy to use,
I previously owned the SX20. I often used it for bird photography. I loved it but at 20x it was easy to lose the subject of the shot; it was then necessary to zoom out to find the subject, then zoom in again. This has been solved in the SX40. After zooming up to 35x you can click a button to show the full field of view [with a central frame] – release it and you are back on full zoom. Superb for small birds or for flying birds. In this context the 10 fps in a burst shot is very good. The 2 customer settings are very useful. For birds I call up one of these and immediately I am on full zoom, at ISO800, spot focussing and exposure, and set to take 2-3 fps continuously.
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|Outstanding!,
I can honestly say that this is the first camera, of any sort, that I have bought that I am completely satified with. First of all the 35x zoom is a joy to use. It is perfect for bird photography allowing me to fill the frame from a long way off. Even hand held there is no sign of shake at full zoom (in daylight conditions)the image stabilisation is that good.
Navigating around all the available functions is made so much easier with the helpful hints, and builds user confidence to try new things.
Photos are clear with the autofocus being spot on, and the colours are natural.
SO glad I chose this camera!
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|good camera with many features,
I was looking for an SLR camera having had one in my young days, but found the price was too high with the zoom that I wanted. I plumped for the sx40 having read reviews that indicated that the images produced from this camera were generally good. I am very pleased with the camera having owned it several weeks. I have experimented with as many features as I can, and have found the auto setting to be very good at producing natural looking images, which are generally fairly sharp with very good colour reproduction. Do not expect SLR sharpness as the sensor on this camera is just not capable of this given its size limitation. Having said this, the image can be sharpened with any basic photo software. The zoom on this camera is very good and the lens is really all you need for any situation. This was a major reason for my purchase of this camera.
I am especially impressed with the nightshot feature which can produce some very good results with very little available light. I think this may be assisted by the backlit cmos sensor. There are numerous scene functions, and you can perform all the manual functions that you would get on a SLR. The only niggle that I have found is that the mamual focus can be a bit fiddly, as it involves turning of a wheel that also has other functions on it. It is very easy to enable these inadvertently whilst trying to focus.
All in all, if you are looking for a bridge camera, I think this is one of the best.
I have only given 4 stars due to the focussing issues.
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