Discuss best settings for non-DSLR camera - Bird shots.

[GloriaS]

Hello All,

I want inhanced feather defination, especially for white birds.  I usually take shots before 11AM and between 3PM and sunset.

Owner of a Canon Power Shot SX50 HS.    I like the 50X zoom, but maybe I zoom in too much or birds are to far away.

[hsbn]

There are limits to P&S camera but you can improve the image quality some what. First, shoot RAW (your camera support RAW), use lower ISO setting if you can. If you shoot JPG, in camera noise reduction may rob your image quality a lot.

[GloriaS]

Thank you so much for your reply on this subject.  I'm going to try this and see what happens.

[GloriaS]

Thank you very much for your reply. I have never tried shooting RAW. I do have my ISO setting on 160 now. Will have to see what the RAW mode will allow. Will try your suggestion and see what happens....thanks again and have a great afternoon!

[cicopo]

If you don't understand what RAW is & why it's so useful Adobe has a pretty nice explination here.

http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/photoshop/pdfs/understanding_...

When you but a camera that produces jpg's you trust the built in software to do an acceptable job at converting the RAW data to a nice jpg, but every brand of camera uses different standards in trying to please it's customers. Some favor greener greens, some bluer blues for the shy etc. When you shoot RAW you can fine tune the exposure & the tints, brightness etc & create as many different jpg's from the original data as you'd like. You never modify the RAW data, you simply use it as the starting point of each image.

[bradmoss]

Have you watched this Video

[cicopo]

You forgot to add the link.

[GaryS]

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@cicopo wrote:

You forgot to add the link.

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Click on the word video.

[GloriaS]

Yes, but this seemed to apply for persons with DSLR camera's that have lens.   Mine is a NON-DSLR with 50X zoom.

[cicopo]

The important rules of photography apply to any & all cameras. The major difference between P & S cameras with a non changible lens & DSLR's is that they can use consumer grade lenses thru the most expensive of top quality Luxury grade lenses (the L series in Canon's line up, and Nikon doesn't have that level of lens). The really important difference between all the different cameras is the physical size of the sensor for any given megapixel spec. IF you have a P & S with 10 megapixels on a small sensor it can not produce as high a quality image as a 10 megapixel sensor in a full frame camera due to the better signal to noise ratio the larger photosites of the larger sensor. The reverse however is why a P & S can have a 500 mm equavelent lens in such a small package. It relates to the magnification the lens produces for each size of sensor BUT it's based on the old standards used with 35 mm film cameras.

In order to get the best detail from a photo it needs to be in focus with NO camera shake during the exposure, and at the lowest ISO that allows an acceptable shutter speed with an aperture around F8.0. Raising the ISO up from the camera's base setting is just like raising the volume on our old AM radios to sort of hear very distant stations at night. You could get the signal thanks to atmospheric bounce but it was weak & had static, so you turned the volume up, but that didn't remove the static & cameras have the same style of problem.