9 replies to this topic

[GreatHorn]

I am new to the wide world of cameras. I hardly understand any of the "camera speak," though I can tell you what a megapixel is .
That said, I will be earning a little money this summer and I was looking for something better than a, um... Kodak with a 3x lens. Some of you appear to own the Canon Powershot SX20 IS. Looks like I could get one of those for $550ish.

Any suggestions? Are there any other cameras in this price range that would be better for me, or should I go for it? Can I get a good shot of a warbler twenty yards away with this piece of hardware?

[Liam]

Psh, an SX20 for $550 is a rip-off. I could sell you my used one for $125. I bought it for $360 originally. The latest model in this line-up is the SX40 HS, which costs $349 new. It's much better than the SX20. Probably the best Point-and-shoot on the market for bird photography.

http://www.amazon.co...ex=0&isremote=0

[GreatHorn]

Psh, an SX20 for $550 is a rip-off. I could sell you my used one for $125. I bought it for $360 originally. The latest model in this line-up is the SX40 HS, which costs $349 new. It's much better than the SX20. Probably the best Point-and-shoot on the market for bird photography.

http://www.amazon.co...ex=0&isremote=0

Okay, I figured that wasn't the best price. I'll look into the SX40 and hopefully I have one by the end of the summer.
Thanks Liam

[canon eos]

The Canon SX40 is a good 'bridge' P&S camera. Two others you might look into are the Sony HX100V and the Lumix FZ150. They're in the same ballpark. While the Canon has greater range that isn't necessarily a better thing; getting a closer shot is good, but it may suffer due to noise or simply camera shake. I understand you are new at this, but if you are keen to improve the Lumix offers RAW shooting capability, which can provide more editing potential, but yes, does need more learning!

Here is a review which has those three cameras, which you might look into:
http://www.cameralab...erShot_SX40_HS/

And here at WhatBird there is a good thread on cameras you may be interested in.......

http://www.whatbird....ra-suggestions/

Another thing I would strongly recommend is to actually try the cameras out in person. The feel and how intuitive the controls and menus are can make a world of difference.

[JimBob]

The SX40 is awesome!! Got mine a little while ago, super happy with it!! When I get pics downloaded I'll show you them.

[canon eos]

JimBob, and others, here's a link to some superb bird images taken (by very capable hands, I might add!) with the Canon SX40.............

http://forums.dprevi...thread=41735676

[JimBob]

http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

Here is a a not cropped photo of mine, taking with it.

[JimBob]

Here's my gallery of shots I took with it. Not a lot yet, but soon there will be more.

http://www.whatbird....pics-with-sx40/

[Clip]

I have a CanonSX120 IS and I love it. I sometimes wish it had even better zoom capabilities but it does 40X. My husband give it to me for a gift a few years ago and doesn't remember how much it cost. he thinks around $220.00. It suits me pretty well. Easy to carry. Pretty easy to use.

[whiteraven]

When you budget for your camera also budget for a memory card and extra battery. If the memory card comes with the camera make sure there is enough capacity on the card for what you want to do. If you are on vacation and cannot download pix to your computer for a while you will need a bigger card.