SX740: any hints 'n tips for novice user who doesn't want AUTO all the time?

[Craggy]

Every digital camera I've ever previously owned has has some kind of dedicated user forum, somewhere on the worldwide web. But not the SX740HS. from which I include, word of mouth has been so bad and general user interest so low that it has little in the way of a following. I'm not surprised: I find its capacity for frustration and infuriation in inverse proportion to its size.

The camera has been a disappointment to me from the get-go, not surprising as the first one had to be returned to Canon and replaced three days after purchase (lens refused to retract when camera was switched off) and since then I've pottered around with the replacement here and there, belatedly realising the extra-long zoom is of practically no value without having the camera on a tripod, an ancillary I always tuck in my pocket (!) whenever I'm out and about. Yeah. Right.

However, sticking with my purchase I'd be really grateful to hear from any other SX740 owners as to how they've fared with the camera in P mode (and any other mode away from AUTO) and what hints 'n tips they might have for changing to new settings so as to extract the best possible performance from this camera. Thanks.

[Tronhard]

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@Craggy wrote:

just a quick addition: I wanted to thank everyone for responding so quickly to my post. The thoughtfulness is appreciated.

I'm still wondering, though. . .  any folks on here who don't actually use AUTO all or most of the time, do you prefer P instead? And, if so, what are your favorite camera settings in that mode? Thanks.

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I don't have that model but I have never used Auto.  I use Av most of the time, or Manual mode, but I am an old school ex-film user.  Frankly, I think the mode depends on the type of images you are taking and under what conditions.

[Craggy]

Thanks Tronhard. I, too, am a survivor from the pre-digital era, one who got into 35mm picture taking via a Russian-made Zenit camera t(hey were hugely popular in the UK in the late 60s / early 70s) which lasted me until Canon brought out the AE-1. Cicopo's lovely reminder of things done & times past, in the form of a link to that excellent Canon tutorial, has certainly got me thinking about going Manual a lot more than I have done of late.

[Tronhard]

There is a site, lynda.com, that has great tutorials on almost any aspect of digital phtography.  From first principles to advanced post-production techniques.   You can go to the site directly and get a subscription-free month, or try your local library's on-line catalogue.  If it is listed then you have free, permanent access using your library credentials.   I got the link from my library site and put it on my favorites bar so I could log on quickly.

[cicopo]

I'm another film shooter & I took a good basic photography course when I got serious about getting better results. I had a pair of A 1's back then so I could either have print film in one & slide film in the other OR ASA 64 in one and FAST FILM (ASA 400) in the other. Oh have things got easier today when it comes to FAST FILM. I also learned how to process & print roll film from start to finish & had a colour darkroom until I sold just about anything I wasn't using to buy my first DSLR, the 20D. Never regreted the move & have shot well over 500, 000 photos since then.  Can you just imagine the cost of buying & just basic processing of all the film necessary to do that.

As for Lynda.com great place to learn. I tore my Achilles tendon off of my heel bone in 2009 & spent several hours a day taking their photoshop courses during my recovery from the operation needed to re attach it. 

[Tronhard]

I used to shoot a pair each of Canon A-1s, Nkon F-3's, and an Olympus AX back in the day.  I still have one of each body, but very few lenses.   I shot with transparency film mostly Kodak Ektachrom (that's what sold), but occasionally reversal film too.

I made the break to digital with the Canon Powershot G1 back around 2001, and then the EOS400D in 2004.  Since then I have amassed a formidable collection of (mostly Canon) gear (see my profile!).   I actually put some Ilford XP2  film in a couple of my Canon film bodies recently and did some shooting.  It reminded me of the many advantages of digital!

That said, I am glad I learnt on film.  It gave me a discipline not to use the camera like a machine-gun, but more like a sniper.  I choose my shots with care and it saves a lot of time in PP.  Not to say I will not put on burst speed when required, but I usually come away with at least the same number of keepers compared to my digitally-native associates who have expended 20 times as many images - and had to process them afterwards.

[cicopo]

In late 97 I started researching digital camera to hopefully get better auto appraisal photos. I restored muscle cars & as part of my business did insurance appraisals. At the time most of us used Polaroids which I felt wasn't good enough for the quality of cars I was seeing. After a lot of research I had decided on a Kodak model & fortunately a local camera store was hosting a seminar in early 98 with an emphasis on the move to digital. I attended & spent a lot of time between the Olympus rep & the Kodak rep & ultimately bought an Olympus C 3030 which was so new they weren't yet in stores. I paid a lot of money for it & a lot to buy a good photo printer (HP P 1000) but they made a lot of money for me. The word got out pretty fast I could assess & share photos of cars for sale locally using the internet which had me very busy for at least the first 2 years after buying everything. It didn't take long to realize I wasn't using my film cameras at all except at car races where I needed my longer zoom lens. DSLR's were VERY expensive then but it got me started on researching them & I was finally ready to buy the Rebel when the 20D was announced. I was happy I had waited a bit longer because photos from it still look great when compared to my newest bodies.

[Tronhard]

I agree.  I was researching the technical history of photography and had a book by Tom Ang "A Pictorial History of Photography" that had a picture of the Canon EOS D30.  Released in late 2000, it was the first APS-C CMOS sensor camera built from the ground up - until then digital cameras had Kodak inside their adapted film camera bodies.  The D30 was so-called for its 3.3MP sensor (leter replaced in 2003 by the D60 @ 6.5MP and the 10D).

Intrigued, I found one on Ebay that had not been used - it had been slashed across the back and was unsaleable.  I got another for parts and had Canon put the best bits together to make me a good working unit.  It produces excellent images with very little grain.  I have posted these before so forgive the repitition: both were taken in a rather dimly lit pump room, in available light, hand-held, using the EF 17-40mm lens.

I got the D60 as well and have enjoyed pairing them with contemporary lenses: EF 28-105 USM and EF 28-135 IS USM.  They take amazingly good photos.

For viewing on social media, on screen or small prints they would do fine and they cost about $70 each (plus lenses).

[cicopo]

Those look great. When I ordered my 20D I ordered the 28-135 with it. didn't take long to realize I needed something wider so i bought a kit lens from an Ebay seller very cheaply. That lens served me nicely but was eventually replaced by the 17-40 which after several years of use was replaced by the 16-35 F 4 L

[Tronhard]

Yep. The challenge with the Dxx series was that while they were APS-C sensors, they did not take EF-S lenses. Those had not been developed at that time otherwaise I could have used my 15-85 or 10-22 lenses. The 17-40 works fine for me though.
There are more of an interesting project to demonstrate that "you can still play a good tune on an old fiddle"