In the backyard with the SX30 and SX40

Hi all,

Here's another set taken from this week's efforts in the backyard with our SX30 and SX40.

Baby boy Downy: (SX40)

Beautiful shots Kenn, they're all great......I'm partial to your BB's especially the 1st baby in this thread...what a cutie.

Stunnig series!

You never fail to impress Kenn

excellent set Kenn

You do miracles with those bodies, Kenn, well shot!

Excellent variety again Kenn, beautiful shots... with the Bluebirds stealing the show ... amazed to see the baby woodpecker since ours are just nesting... slow here on the "frozen tundra."

Dave

Another set of super shots Kenn, you amazes us with shots with the gear you have

Another impressive set Kenn, well done.

Excellent shots, Kenn. My wife got an SX40 about 3 months ago. She was wondering if you could describe how you got these shots.

Regards, Jim

Thanks everybody, we sure appreciate all your comments.

jimi60d wrote in post #14430684
Excellent shots, Kenn. My wife got an SX40 about 3 months ago. She was wondering if you could describe how you got these shots.

Jim - Here is the exif data for the first shot above (Downy fledgling). I've highlighted a few settings in bold, which may be of particular interest:

File Name sx40 219.JPG
Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Shooting Date/Time 5/9/2012 9:04:46 AM
Shooting Mode Manual
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/500
Av (Aperture Value) 5.8
Light Metering Spot
ISO Speed 100
Lens 4.3 - 150.5 mm
Focal Length 150.5 mm (840mm equivalent)
Digital Zoom None
Image Size 4000x3000
Image Quality Fine
Flash Off
White Balance Day Light
AF Mode Continuous AF
Custom Color
Parameters:
Contrast -1
Sharpness -2
Saturation -1
Color Space sRGB
File Size 2641 KB
Drive Mode Continuous shooting

In summary: We generally shoot close (the Downy is a full-frame uncropped shot taken from @14ft, and with 840mm even the portrait shots often don't require deep cropping. We shoot hand-held in Manual mode, so the exposures captured are our fault... The exposure metering modes in these cameras are pretty limited and often struggle to cope, but the EVF is "live-view" so we set exposures based on what we see in the frame, while using the viewer spot meter as a guide. We strive to keep ISOs as low as possible, although the SX40 often does produce surprisingly better results above base ISOs than our other superzoom cams. Note the "detuned" in-camera jpeg settings... Sharpness Minimum, Contrast and Saturation both reduced. Ive found this gives me much better lattitude in post, and let's me develop our shots with cleaner detail and better overall IQ than is produced sooc by the jpeg engine. And we use the heck out of Continuous shooting... While not fast by DSLR standards, this helps us get a lot of shots from which to choose the best poses and sharpest captures for processing.

And btw, Temple took the SX40 shots in this set.

Hope this is helpful.

Kenn

kenn3d wrote in post #14431957
Hope this is helpful.

Kenn - thank you very much for the detailed information. This is surprisingly similar to the settings I use with my 60D when I'm photographing trumpeter swans here in the Pacific Northwest. My wife is taking her first photography class on Friday, and this information will be very helpful. Thanks again for sharing your expertise with the SX40!

Regards, Jim

fabulous set Kenn.

Wow, those are incredible shots, Kenn. I just got my SX40 and if I can get pictures half as sharp as yours, I'll be thrilled. I only wish I lived near St. Louis so I could visit you in your back yard!

Another superb set from you Kenn, these are just fantastic shots!