SLR vs Power Shot sx60

Hi all! I currently have a Canon 1D Mark II and the longest lens I have is a 70-200mm, which is not really long enough for birding. I do have a 2x extender. I've been wondering whether to get a longer lens from Canon or Sigma or to get a Canon Power Shot Sx60, which has a zoom of 65x for a lot less than any lens I would buy. Any words of wisdom? Thank you!

Canon Mark II what? 5D?

It's a 1D.

mhessenauer wrote in post #17934192
Hi all! I currently have a Canon 1D Mark II and the longest lens I have is a 70-200mm, which is not really long enough for birding. I do have a 2x extender. I've been wondering whether to get a longer lens from Canon or Sigma or to get a Canon Power Shot Sx60, which has a zoom of 65x for a lot less than any lens I would buy. Any words of wisdom? Thank you!

Is the 65x zoom a true optical zoom? I ask because any digital zoom is completely and utterly worthless. So, whatever the maximum optical zoom of that Powershot is, that is what I would use as a basis of comparison. In other words, if it goes up to 20x as an optical zoom, and then switches over to digital above 20x, then just consider it a 20x zoom, and forget that it goes any higher because once you enter the digital portion of the zoom range the image quality falls apart to an appalling, unusable extent.

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mhessenauer wrote in post #17934192
Hi all! I currently have a Canon 1D Mark II and the longest lens I have is a 70-200mm, which is not really long enough for birding. I do have a 2x extender. I've been wondering whether to get a longer lens from Canon or Sigma or to get a Canon Power Shot Sx60, which has a zoom of 65x for a lot less than any lens I would buy. Any words of wisdom? Thank you!

Heya,

Well, it depends on what you are calling birding.

If you mean taking image of perched birds in good light, then sure, that will work out, as long as you do not expect the same kind of resolving power for detail. You get a lot of reach, but the compromise is that very tiny sensor (1/2.3"). It's also pretty slow (F6.5 at it's longest focal length). Again, it will work for perched birds in good light, or in low light with a tripod, it can do ok there too.

For birds in action, flight, etc, it will simply not focus fast enough to truly track something at close range. It will of course work on something very distant where you're cropping hard, but honestly, a big crop on this little sensor is going to be pretty poor.

What kind of birding are you looking to do?

Your budget is about $500 I assume based on the camera question, you can actually get 150-600's for $700 roughly if you shop for a used one. Alternatively, you can get a 100-400 MKI for about that these days now too in the used market. These would be superior, using your current 1D2, than using a tiny sensor bridge camera basically.

But again, it comes down to what kind of birding you're wanting to do. If you're doing song birds at feeders, you don't need more than a 200mm honestly. If you're doing larger birds, water birds, etc, 200~300mm is totally enough. And if you're doing larger raptors in flight, a 400mm is enough to get started. You just won't have a lot of room to crop on that 1D2, so the key will be to get closer to subject, rather than trying to reach out farther.

Very best,

1D2 is still a cracking body for action and speed, things like birds in flight.

I'd grab a used SIGMA 150-600mm and go to town!

Tom Reichner wrote in post #17934506
Is the 65x zoom a true optical zoom? I ask because any digital zoom is completely and utterly worthless.....

It's a true optical zoom (although I thought the SX60 meant it was 60x not 65) and of course I totally agree with Tom re digital zoom being useless.

I have the SX50 (50x zoom) and didn't upgrade to the SX60 because some reviews were not enthusiastic about the IQ of the SX60. I don't aspire to take exhibition shots of birds and wildlife, but find with the SX50 (handheld) I can get shots quite satisfactory for ID purposes at incredible distances.

I once tested the SX50 at full zoom on a distant subject against my 60D with 70-300L. I cropped the 60D shot down to same size as the SX50, and the SX50 won easily. An unscientific test, I know, but the SX50 is still my carry-around choice for the type of birding I do.

Yes, that is an optical zoom.

Get a secondhand SX50 and resell it if it does not meet your expectations. Your financial loss will be negligible.

I would not expect miracles from it for birds in flight, but of course you'll be walking around with a featherlight piece of gear compared with lugging around a DSLR with a 100-400mm or a Tamron.

I recommend reading through this thread over at Birdforum to get an idea of what to expect from the SX?0 series.
http://www.birdforum.n​et/showthread.php?t=24​0202

I think it depends on what you want to achieve. If you want 'record shots' of distant birds using a camera that isn't so bulky you leave it at home, it can be great solution. But at the same equivalent focal length in the same light, it is going to be a step down in quality and performance compared to a DSLR.