NOTE: IN ORDER TO BETTER SEE PHOTOS IN THEIR FULL 1600 PX. RESOLUTION, VIEW THEM IN THE ALBUM FORMAT BY CLICKING ON THE LEAD PHOTO OR ANY PHOTO IN THE POST. This is especially true for landscape shots. Thanks to Mark for the idea of adding this alert so the photos can be seen at their best!

Friday, February 15, 2013

New Toys for Valentine's Day

Well, I bought the Canon SX50 and have 30 days to try it out.  My main complaints with my current Canon Rebel EOS DSLR are that it takes overexposed indoor photos if you use the flash, and underexposed it you don't; that using a 75-300mm zoom still didn't give me the reach I needed for bird shots, not to mention that the shots I did get the lens was so heavy I couldn't get a good one without a tripod; and that lugging around all those extra lenses for different situations got tiresome. 

I drove around the neighborhood to find some birds yesterday and finally got a shot of some at a bird feeder from the car.  Turned out pretty good! I was across the street and a house back from the birds and didn't need a tripod!


When Wayne got home from work we went out to purchase a quad.  He's been working on my approval for this purchase for a couple of years and I finally cracked.  He plans to use it to tow his ice shack on and off the lake and for trails at some point.  Cory is going to use it also so he tagged along.


Much better indoor shots and the flash didn't even go off! The buttons are all in different places and I have to see how much control I'll have once I move beyond the auto settings, but so far I like the camera.  It was $70 less at Best Buy than at our local camera store and Best Buy was a 30 day no questions asked return policy as long as the item isn't damaged.  The camera store told me I could only take "a few" photos or they wouldn't take it back.  Way to help put yourself out business, in my opinion. Even though I would rather spend local, Best Buy won this round with a much better return policy and much better price.

As for the quad, we ended up with a different model than the one Cory is contemplating in the above photo.  I'll post a picture this weekend of the quad when Wayne uses it to tow his shack back out onto the lake.  The weather has been so up and down here this winter that he keeps having to take it off the ice!  We got a great deal on the quad at Nielsen Enterprises in Lake Villa, Illinois and recommend them to anyone looking to buy.

Cory and I are heading to Kentucky to do some hiking on Thursday and I can't wait to see how the new camera performs for landscapes and hiking.  If all looks good at the end of the trip I'll keep it and look into the add-on lenses you can buy with the adapter.  Anyone have any experience with the add-ons?

6 comments:

  1. One of my four cameras is the Canon SX40 -- the predecessor to the SX50. When hiking, I take a smaller more compact Canon SX230. It doesn't have the telephoto capabilities, but that is not an issue when hiking. Sometimes. The SX40 is for those other explores: just walking, zoos, or sitting and observing. A polarizing filter and a second (backup) battery were additional purchases for positive camera experiences. There is no doubt that you will love the SX50. It will be your go to camera.

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    1. That's what I'm hoping! Definitely need the polarizing filter, first purchase if I keep it.

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  2. I see how this developed. "You can get your quad but I am getting a new camera then." Deal. Hope your new camera lives up to your needs.

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    1. Actually...the deal went like this..."You can get your quad, but when I have the cash to get a Scamp and a used car to tow it you can't say no!" I see you think like I do...that can be dangerous!

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  3. Congrats on your SX50 ... have fun playing with it. I got mine soon after we arrived in JAX so that I could play with it and return it to B&H before the 30-days ran out ... it took me two days on the beach with birds to convince me it was a keeper. I dial down the auto flash on my cameras (DSLR and SX50) to -2 and leave it there unless I find I need more flash. Usually find that it works out quite nicely.

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