Show us your Best with the SX20 is

[Jon]

CPLs are recommended because they're generally more readily available. CPLs are needed when there's another polarizing element in the light path; if your lens elements were to introduce any polarization into the light path you wouldn't need a polarizer of any kind. It's the partially-reflective mirror in the SLR's mirror box that causes DSLRs to need CPLs.

[Vincent_G]

haha ..you sound like my doctor :) ..should I buy circular or linear?

[Jon]

If you aren't going to get a DSLR down the road, might as well get a linear and save some money.

[Vincent_G]

thanks Jon ..and Dennis

cheers..

[pillainp]

A mantis having a meal in my garden. Please forgive the missed focus (body instead of head). This was a handheld shot in good wind. Cropped from centre of frame.

Notice the passenger(s).

[canoncreate]

If you aren't going to get a DSLR down the road, might as well get a linear and save some money.

Thanks everyone.I will certainly get a dslr sometime in the future.The cpl it is then.

[Sittingshooter]

A couple from last week.

[canoncreate]

An attempt at a super macro

[exwintech]

CanonCreate - That's a good start - but the SX20 (same lens setup as the SX10) - can do better IF you tell it how to...

If the wee critters will co-operate - and usually don't! - you can use a tripod, or a good rest - and the Timer, to let any vibes settle.

Otherwise, you can use Focus Bracketing. That's Page 89 in the SX20 Manual.

(SX30 folk note that it also has Focus Bracketing, though Super and Std Macro have been combined.)

You can preset Contrast, Sharpness and Saturation to better suit Macro modes - there's 5 levels on each of those. Manual Page 77. (SX30, Page 80.) Try some test shots with combinations first.

You can use the Timer with both modes of Macro, MF and Focus Bracketing. For still or slow targets and tripod - a Custom Timer of 5-sec gives a bit more time for vibes from shutter pressing to subside.

Hand-held - use the 2-sec Timer - you need to hold the camera very steady while it does the 3 Focus Bracketing shots, so a 2-sec delay lets you press the shutter and brace for that.

With the Focus Bracketing - you'll see on Manual Page 89 - that it has 3 "distances" of further-nearer focus than the manual setting - you might try the middle one (suits the SX10, but the SX20 is 12Mpix, not 10Mpix, so might differ slightly.)

Regards, Dave.

[canoncreate]

Thanks a lot Dave

[Vincent_G]

not sure if the SX20 has this option, but an extra tip is to increase the 'digital zoom' in 'menu' to it's maximum setting

[exwintech]

Vincent_G - Digital zoom in nearly any mode will "pixelise" and reduce IQ

With my SX10 and a friend's SX20, you can use small amounts of digital in 640 x 480 video mode, before quality drops. With the SX20's 1280 x 720 it isn't usable.

With still images, some cameras have 'Teleconverter' or 'Enhanced' zoom modes, where the camera can generate interpolated images by processing optical and digital together.

The SX10 TC mode has 1.4x and 2.3x - the 1.4x takes the 20x optical to an interpolated "28x". Back-off a bit to an "indicated 25x" - and the images are "usable" if you reduce the display size to about 1200 x 900 or lower. Not for printing! The 2.3x is "hopeful but useless" - other than being quite nifty for "looking at things".

The SX20 has TC at 1.5x and 2.0x - the 1.5x has similar effects to the SX10's 1.4x, but needs to be dropped-back a bit more, as it's applying the 1.5x to 12Mpix - while the SX10 is using 1.4x with 10Mpix.

Your SX30 has TC at 1.7x and 2.1x - and at 14Mpix (I haven't used an SX30) - I suspect that the "1.7x-zoom" would need to be dropped back more, to retain usable-display reduced-size images. It's a pity they increased the SX10's 1.4x TC mode in both later cameras.

As a sort-of coincidence - your 35x zoom x 1.7x TC is "59.5x" - and my Fuji HS10's interpolated 30x zoom x 2x 'enhanced' is "60x" - so about "the same claim".

The HS10 uses a 10Mpix BSI-CMOS sensor - and 'enhanced' images at "45x" apparent zoom are quite display-usable - but the "interpolation drop" at "60x" is more noticeable.

It'd be interesting to see what the 14Mpix SX30 in 1.7x TC mode does at "45x" and "60x". You might give that a go, sometime.

Regards, Dave.

[Kedleson]

A daisy in my yard....
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6094193929_be3700f383.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kedleson/6094193929/)
daisy in front yard (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kedleson/6094193929/)

[Gyrv37]

SX20is
http://fotkidepo.ru/?id=user:567102

[canoncreate]

Has any one used the uv filter attachment from lensmate.com? I just asked my cousin in the US to get me the ir lens as well.Thanks in advance. Ajay

[exwintech]

Canoncreate - Yes, I've had the Lensmate filter adaptor for over 2 years with my SX10. I'm not sure why, but I thought it'd be metal, so when it arrived - plastic - I was a bit surprised...

However - over 2 years and many, many "On-and-Offs" later - I can report, no problems at all...

Plastic it might be - but the sort body-armour, etc, is made from....! :D

I'm using Hoya's midrange 58mm PL-CIR with it, which works pretty well.

A year or so ago I bought a "bundle deal" on our local "Gumtree" net auction site, with a 1970s Pentax SLR body, and several good Takumar lenses, including the SMC 55mm f/1.8 and the 135mm f/2.5 6/6....

In the quite usable camera bag were also over a dozen filters, several at 58mm - including a very good quality "built like a brick" metal "Hoya 58mm PL Japan" (not Philippines like my CPL.)

This Linear Polariser mounts well with the Lensmate (also on my Fuji HS10, luckily 58mm, threaded Fujinon, no adapter needed) - and while it certainly 'works' with these bridge-zooms - the polarising effect is very much stronger than the modern CPL.

It cuts through glass-angle glare (into shop windows, etc), and down into water, quite sharp-strongly. But on colours - bushes, flowers, bright clothing - it's rather garish. With the SX10 it needs Contrast and Saturation (I usually have 1 notch up, with Sharpness) - pulled back to default, then is quite effective.

The Linear can also be turned about 90-degrees from the polarising effect, and has a darkening / dimming effect.

And if you like "El-Weirdo" fun-effects - just stack those two polarisers - and tweak the angles of both... :rolleyes: :lol:

Regards, Dave.

[canoncreate]

Thanks exwintech.I had asked a professional photographer about the infrared filter and he said he has never used one and didn't know if the sensor could read it.I tried to photograph my tv remote and that light gets photographed quite well.Any thoughts on this?
Regards Ajay

[Jon]

IR can give you some quite interesting effects, but you'd better resign yourself to doing some serious post-processing and setting a custom white balance off some vegetation. You're correct though that if you can photograph a TV remote you're probably going to be able to do infrared photography reasonably well. DSLRs have an anti-IR filter over the sensor and when you try to shoot IR with them you can expect very long exposures.

[canoncreate]

Thanks for the information Jon

Rgards

Ajay

[canoncreate]

A cormorant which has surprisingly selected my garden.

[Jon]

Probably a bittern (http://www.iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-birds/bittern/index.html), not a cormorant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Cormorant). Nice capture, though.

[Vincent_G]

..or a Heron
http://www.iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-birds/heron/index.html

http://www.iloveindia.com/wildlife/pics/indian-heron.jpg

[canoncreate]

Yes Vincent_G Heron is right my mistake.Its what we would call a Bagula in Hindi.

[canoncreate]

Sorry the last picture does not seem to have gone through

[kukulkan]

Hello, new to the forum here are some of my collection critics would be nice
Thanks
First is 1/500 at f/5.7 iso 100
second 1/320 at /8 iso 200

[canoncreate]

Its a flowering cactus.I had never seen this before.

[snipe523]

While I no longer have my SX20 I was impressed with it while I had it. Here are two videos I shot at a concert last year.

http://youtu.be/d84YEj_TS5U?hd=1

http://youtu.be/u1yb0qwPn1s?hd=1

[canoncreate]

A small candle can look quite beautiful.Shot on Diwali evening.

[canoncreate]

Just got my uv lens and the adapter.Even though its a cloudy day the colours are certainly more vibrant.

[dabirk23]

From the Fall 2011 Slimey Crud Run
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6237/6367211317_8897622576_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636926@N05/6367211317/)

[Pagman]

Hi all,

I'm new on here and have previously had many different cameras from a Zenith B to a Praktica BC1 with assorted lenses, and i have experimented with Autofocus from my beloved Canon Eos 650(80s) fast accurate focusing to my Minolta models, and more recently a Nikon D40 my first DSLR.
But i am now looking forward to purchasing my next baby SX20 second hand in a few days and it will be great to compare the picture taking ability of this camera to my previous babies.........

[jciswild30]

Good luck with your second hand camera. I still have my SX20 and I still love it! Have a wonderful holiday and wishing you a Happy New Year!



Hi all,

I'm new on here and have previously had many different cameras from a Zenith B to a Praktica BC1 with assorted lenses, and i have experimented with Autofocus from my beloved Canon Eos 650(80s) fast accurate focusing to my Minolta models, and more recently a Nikon D40 my first DSLR.
But i am now looking forward to purchasing my next baby SX20 second hand in a few days and it will be great to compare the picture taking ability of this camera to my previous babies.........

[Pagman]

Good luck with your second hand camera. I still have my SX20 and I still love it! Have a wonderful holiday and wishing you a Happy New Year!



Thank you (And the same to you)

I have my new toy now:) and waiting on my new Enelopes and charger to start really letting this baby sing, as I said earlier I have had many an SLR but just a handfull of Digi's but I think my fave Film camera was my old EOS 650 superb camera - mind you I have also had a Nikon D40 but although very good with bags of sharp detail I prefered canons Evaluative metering over matrix

[Pagman]

I hope this post isnt like "shutting the gate after the horse has bolted" but i have not long had my sx20 and i have a few questions about its performance, firstly i understand its limitation in picture quality is down to its lack of Fine on a 12mp sensor, so if i drop the image size down to 8mp's would this improve the image ?.

Also would the picture quality (Depth and Richness in colours etc) be improved by manualy upping the Colours control or leaving it at - Normal auto colours setting ?.

And finaly im intending to use Enelope 2000 re-chargeables without screan use roughtly how many pictures can i take with thease?

Hope this post has'nt been disscussed many times before as i said im new to my sx20 and getting use to its capabilities........:oops:

[Pagman]

Happy New Year.......Just thought I would post my first attemts strait out the camera with just a little sharpening etc.........

[Pagman]

Took thease today first nice clear sky of the year....

[Pagman]

And thease...........

[Pagman]

I thought I would post this - I had camera on wrong setting av mode tried for long dof with 80-100 iso but light was bad and when used with fitted flash it underexposed so i had a dull dark pic, but with a bit of post proccess in windows live photo edit suit i was able to pip up the whole thing - not a bad end result:D

[turkeytamer41]

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad227/turkeytamer41/IMG_3222.jpg

[jciswild30]

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad227/turkeytamer41/IMG_3222.jpg

Oh Wow, That is beautiful! Great job!:)

[Pagman]

Took this in a local park and it is SOOC

[ChromeLibrarian]

My Double Yellow-head Amazon parrot in a bad mood. She was in need of a serious time out.


http://i926.photobucket.com/albums/ad101/chromelibrarian01/Birds/IMG_3640a-small.jpg

[Stargazerfrank]

767-300 passing in front of the new international terminal at ATL.
http://images60.fotki.com/v367/photos/1/1257462/5646454/IMG_0019NA763-vi.jpg

[Pagman]

Took thease as the heicopter came over me at about 800 feet......

[Meanderer]

I've had my SX20is for a couple of years. Use it a lot. Almost everyday now!! I'm pretty much a Newbie but have been doing a lot of reading, and of course taking as many experimental photos JUST to improve.
I've loved my SX20 but want to move up to a 60D as soon as I can BUT it won't happen for maybe a year yet .... $$$.
I'm getting a lot better at "M" mode and rarely use anything else other than Av or Tv.
This is my first post and adding a Pic to go with it. :)
Rick
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7002019837_bdabff7be0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/75394140@N06/7002019837/)
IMG_3771-b&c2r (http://www.flickr.com/photos/75394140@N06/7002019837/) by Meanderer48 (http://www.flickr.com/people/75394140@N06/), on Flickr

[canoncreate]

Hey please keep them coming it is quite a good camera. Waiting for the money to come in before I go for a g1x