I’ve had the new Canon SX40 HS camera for over a couple of weeks now and I am still getting used to all the features. This camera is just enough different from the old PowerShot that I have to think about how to operate it.
One thing I like a lot is the camera’s ability to zoom in on distant objects and get a clear image even though the camera is not on a tripod. The cottontail in the image above was sitting under a cholla about 25 yards up the wash behind our house. The red-eyed black bird was a bit closer, about 10 yards up in a mesquite tree across the road.
The viewfinder is sort of interesting; it’s not optics but rather there is an LCD display monitor behind the eyepiece. It acts as though it were a viewfinder on an SLR like Damsel’s Canon XTi. It takes a little getting used to it, but it works OK. If you open the flat panel display, it becomes active and the viewfinder is disabled.
Later this week, we’re going to take a trip across the Arizona Outback and head to some friends that live on the Colorado River near Parker, AZ. I plan to take a lot of pictures during the excursion. It will be our first trip in the new mobile home.
Click on the image above to enlarge.
Having a lens that’s optically stabilized works wonders for getting a clear picture when you’re zoomed out.
My 80~400mm zoom has the Nikon “VR” system, and it’s pretty good at canceling out minor shakes.
Yep – this one seems to be an order of magnitude better than my canon 710 IS. I also have a pair of binoculars with the IS feature. They work OK but I bet the new stuff is better.
Which IS binoculars to you have? I’ve always wanted to get a pair to take with me at-sea.
I bought a pair of Canon 10×30 IS binoculars about ten years ago. They are still going strong.