Birds Near and Far with the SX30

Kenn,
I have to ask, are those the images as taken, or did you do any post processing to the images. They have super detail and sharpness that would rival any DSLR with an expensive tele lense.
Thanks,
Conrad

andrewhuxman wrote in post #11855720
Excellent series Kenn, your making that camera sing beautifully.....

Thanks Andrew, we are sure pleased with this little camera.

dbriz wrote in post #11855758
I love them all Kenn, but particularly the Mockingbird composition... that belongs on a cover... lovely work... I am creeping ever so slowly to the "short lens" season when my warblers and sparrows return...

db

Thank you Dave, that mocker strikes a lot of nice poses for us, and this one in the budding maple tree is a recent favorite. I'm looking forward to your warblers and sparrows too.

txcanon wrote in post #11855840
Great shooting Kenn. An interesting collection of near and far shots. My favorite is the second Mockingbird shot.

Thanks Brad, we love to photograph them up close, but it's sure nice when the longer shots come out too.

dgraham329 wrote in post #11856010
super shots, Kenn - that is one sharp lens

Thanks Dean, We are getting sharper and more detailed images with the SX30 than we have with our Sx-IS cameras. It sometimes amazes us how sharply it can focus at the long-end.

L.J.G. wrote in post #11856419
Wow, so clear and so sharp, you have that camera nailed very well!

Thanks L.J.G., Looking back at our first shots with it, I feel we are getting better results now after a few months shooting with it.

Shar824 wrote in post #11856692
Great shots Kenn, love the ones of the bluebirds

Thanks Sharon, and again best luck to you and your Blues this season.

sparker1 wrote in post #11857011
Kenn, you continue to amaze me with the quality you achieve with that type camera. I recently recommended this camera based strictly on your results. I realize your skills are part of the overall results.

Hi Stan, and thanks. We've had a lot of practice shooting our yardbirds with these small superzoom cams. They all sure have their limitations I think, but the SX30 can sure take a nice bird photo.

kmunroe wrote in post #11857345
awesome shots Kenn

Thanks Ken

Harvey_G wrote in post #11857355
What an awesome collection of images, Kenn. Each and every one is outstanding. You have done amazing work here. Very impressive.

Hey thanks Harvey, We admire your work, and always appreciate your encouragment.

hTr wrote in post #11857379
Nice Stuff Kenn!!

Hi Gary, thanks for looking in on us.

Stargazerfrank wrote in post #11857450
Amazing Pics.. The Mockingbird my Fav

Thank you Frank.

Silverfox1 wrote in post #11858172
Very nice series !

I know i used to get some nice captures with the then popular SX10. Their great little P&S cameras.

Thanks. I've also seen some real good shots from the SX10. I think most of these compact superzooms can take pretty good bird photos in the right conditions and with sufficient patience and practice.

aligater wrote in post #11859596
Stunning set there Kenn, fantastic detail.

Thanks Carlton

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #11860357
Terrific series, Kenn. Andrew is right: you do make that camera sing... My favourite is the mockingbird: a great pose showing so much character. Plus I'm very impressed by the IQ after having been cropped that severely. But great work all around.

Thanks a lot Levina, That Mockingbird portrait shot was a surprise to me also... I never crop THAT deep for fear to see the results of so few pixels on the bird, but... sometimes this little camera does better than we expect it to. And btw, that was an early morning shot in fairly low-light... taken with a 1/40 shutter!

Thanks again to all who commented... we love to share our birds here.

Kenn

preeng2 wrote in post #11861598
Kenn,
I have to ask, are those the images as taken, or did you do any post processing to the images. They have super detail and sharpness that would rival any DSLR with an expensive tele lense.
Thanks,
Conrad

Hi Conrad, and thanks for your comment. I missed this earlier.

Yes, I process all the images we post online, with Photoshop.
We have set the in-camera processing on all our cameras to minimum sharpening, reduced contrast, and neutral saturation. None of our cameras save RAW, and these settings give me better control in post.
Here's a sample slide showing the "detuned" jpeg sooc in the left pane, and the processed image in the right pane:

Kenn,
Thanks, very helpful.

Conrad

Excellent shots