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| Benefits of Compact Super-Zoom Cameras for Tourists |
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This is a view from the Viewing Platform on the Reeds Beach on Delaware Bay in New Jersey, USA for visitors
to see large number of laughing gulls and migratory shorebirds feasting on huge number of eggs of spawning
horseshoe crabs during their spawning season from about mid-May to the first week of June. Most actions of
large number of birds are along the edge of ocean water and sand beach. This line of actions is pretty far from
the Viewing Platform such that each gull appears as a tiny white dot. Visitors need good binoculars or
telescopes to be able to get good and close up views of those large number of birds in action.
to see large number of laughing gulls and migratory shorebirds feasting on huge number of eggs of spawning
horseshoe crabs during their spawning season from about mid-May to the first week of June. Most actions of
large number of birds are along the edge of ocean water and sand beach. This line of actions is pretty far from
the Viewing Platform such that each gull appears as a tiny white dot. Visitors need good binoculars or
telescopes to be able to get good and close up views of those large number of birds in action.
This is the designated Viewing Platform on Reeds Beach
This is one of the warning sign posts for the Migratory Shorebird Protection Area.
With such protection and restriction, most birds appear only as tiny white dots as viewed from the designated
Viewing Platform by regular cameras as shown on the first picture above. Such tiny white dots on a picture do
not look interesting. Some visitors may not even bother to take a picture of such tiny white dots.
With such protection and restriction, most birds appear only as tiny white dots as viewed from the designated
Viewing Platform by regular cameras as shown on the first picture above. Such tiny white dots on a picture do
not look interesting. Some visitors may not even bother to take a picture of such tiny white dots.
To protect the migratory shorebirds, most of the beach areas here are closed off by the ropes and warning
sign posts during the spawning season of horseshoe crabs.
sign posts during the spawning season of horseshoe crabs.
However, by using the 20X optical zoom of my compact super-zoom digital camera, Canon PowerShot SX10, I
can zoom in to get more, better and interesting close-up views of the large number of birds in action on Reeds
Beach as shown in these additional pictures.
can zoom in to get more, better and interesting close-up views of the large number of birds in action on Reeds
Beach as shown in these additional pictures.
First Benefit of Super-Zoom: Therefore, compact super-zoom digital cameras enable tourists to get more
and better close-up photos of interesting but far away subjects or events in their sightseeing trips. Such highly
desirable compact super-zoom cameras cost only US$300 to US$400.
Some more examples of photos of wild horses in Wyoming, USA to demonstrate the similar benefits of
compact super-zoom cameras as follows.
and better close-up photos of interesting but far away subjects or events in their sightseeing trips. Such highly
desirable compact super-zoom cameras cost only US$300 to US$400.
Some more examples of photos of wild horses in Wyoming, USA to demonstrate the similar benefits of
compact super-zoom cameras as follows.
Wild horses (mustang) far away on the wide open sagebrush flat on north side of Scenic Highway 14
between Cody and Greybull in Wyoming, USA. There are about 8,000 wild horses roaming free in several
wide open lands owned by US government in Wyoming and such large areas are managed by the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The large open sagebrush flat on north side of Scenic Highway
14 is one of several such open lands where tourists can see these wild horses. Therefore, we
looked for such herds of wild horses when we were driving on the Scenic Highway 14 from Cody
towards Greybull on September 2, 2008, and indeed we saw several herds of wild horses. But they
were very far away.
Due to the long distance away from the highway, these wild horses appear as tiny dots and do not look
interesting. Many tourists may not even bother to take a picture of such uninteresting tiny dots.
between Cody and Greybull in Wyoming, USA. There are about 8,000 wild horses roaming free in several
wide open lands owned by US government in Wyoming and such large areas are managed by the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The large open sagebrush flat on north side of Scenic Highway
14 is one of several such open lands where tourists can see these wild horses. Therefore, we
looked for such herds of wild horses when we were driving on the Scenic Highway 14 from Cody
towards Greybull on September 2, 2008, and indeed we saw several herds of wild horses. But they
were very far away.
Due to the long distance away from the highway, these wild horses appear as tiny dots and do not look
interesting. Many tourists may not even bother to take a picture of such uninteresting tiny dots.
However, my compact super-zoom camera enabled me to zoom in to get these better and more interesting
close-up photos of these wild mustangs.
close-up photos of these wild mustangs.
Issues of dSLR Cameras for Many Tourists:
Optimal camera depends heavily on its application. Serious professional photographers prefer to use high-
quality and expensive dSLR cameras that can produce professional-grade high-quality photos. However, such
high quality professional-grade dSLR cameras with their essential attachments plus their essential additional
exchangeable lenses are usually very balky, heavy and expensive (in the order of many thousands US dollars).
The typical large size of lens used by serious professional photographers with dSLR cameras can be seen on
several photos at the following website:
http://www.hardaker.co.za/
or from a pelagic bird photography trip at the lower part of the following website:
http://www.socalbirding.com/tripreports/jan102009danapoint.html
Serious professional photographers with dSLR cameras usually carry multiple lenses of such large size (known
as 大砲 in Chinese) and heavy weight in their backpack to handle different photography conditions. The
camera plus the essential attachments and multiple lenses may weigh more than 20 lb. The heavy backpack
can be back breaking for long hiking in sightseeing trips. Furthermore, a large size lens (大砲) with long focal
length may cost as much as US$10,000 each.
On the other hand, most tourists consider the professional-grade dSLR cameras with its multiple
lenses as too heavy, too balky and too expensive for their fun photography in their leisure sightseeing
trips.
Compact Cameras Preferred by Many Tourists:
Most tourists prefer to use "compact" digital cameras that are inexpensive, compact and light weight
for easy carrying in sightseeing trips.
There are, again, many different kinds of compact digital cameras for different applications.
One popular kind of compact digital cameras is compact super-zoom digital camera that has zooming
power of 10X or more. The reasons for the popularity of compact super-zoom digital cameras are
explained and demonstrated above. Practically all major camera manufacturers are competing in this
popular market of compact super-zoom cameras. The zooming power of such cameras has been
advancing year by year due to high demand by many photographers and competition among the
camera manufacturers. As of 2009, two of the camera manufacturers had already pushed the optical
zooming power to 24X and 26X. By 2010, at least one manufacturer has pushed the optical zooming
power to 30X, and thus the new terminology of compact mega-zoom cameras. The prices of these
compact super-zoom digital cameras range from about US$300 to US$400 as of 2009 depending on
the brand and the camera store.
In September 2010, Canon announced a new compact super-zoom camera, SX30 IS, with 35X optical
zoom (with 35 mm film equivalent focal length ranging from 24 mm to 840 mm) as described in the
following websites:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10091411sx30is.asp
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx30_is
Optimal camera depends heavily on its application. Serious professional photographers prefer to use high-
quality and expensive dSLR cameras that can produce professional-grade high-quality photos. However, such
high quality professional-grade dSLR cameras with their essential attachments plus their essential additional
exchangeable lenses are usually very balky, heavy and expensive (in the order of many thousands US dollars).
The typical large size of lens used by serious professional photographers with dSLR cameras can be seen on
several photos at the following website:
http://www.hardaker.co.za/
or from a pelagic bird photography trip at the lower part of the following website:
http://www.socalbirding.com/tripreports/jan102009danapoint.html
Serious professional photographers with dSLR cameras usually carry multiple lenses of such large size (known
as 大砲 in Chinese) and heavy weight in their backpack to handle different photography conditions. The
camera plus the essential attachments and multiple lenses may weigh more than 20 lb. The heavy backpack
can be back breaking for long hiking in sightseeing trips. Furthermore, a large size lens (大砲) with long focal
length may cost as much as US$10,000 each.
On the other hand, most tourists consider the professional-grade dSLR cameras with its multiple
lenses as too heavy, too balky and too expensive for their fun photography in their leisure sightseeing
trips.
Compact Cameras Preferred by Many Tourists:
Most tourists prefer to use "compact" digital cameras that are inexpensive, compact and light weight
for easy carrying in sightseeing trips.
There are, again, many different kinds of compact digital cameras for different applications.
One popular kind of compact digital cameras is compact super-zoom digital camera that has zooming
power of 10X or more. The reasons for the popularity of compact super-zoom digital cameras are
explained and demonstrated above. Practically all major camera manufacturers are competing in this
popular market of compact super-zoom cameras. The zooming power of such cameras has been
advancing year by year due to high demand by many photographers and competition among the
camera manufacturers. As of 2009, two of the camera manufacturers had already pushed the optical
zooming power to 24X and 26X. By 2010, at least one manufacturer has pushed the optical zooming
power to 30X, and thus the new terminology of compact mega-zoom cameras. The prices of these
compact super-zoom digital cameras range from about US$300 to US$400 as of 2009 depending on
the brand and the camera store.
In September 2010, Canon announced a new compact super-zoom camera, SX30 IS, with 35X optical
zoom (with 35 mm film equivalent focal length ranging from 24 mm to 840 mm) as described in the
following websites:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10091411sx30is.asp
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx30_is
In sightseeing trips, there are many other occasions where we cannot get close to the subject of great interest
such that we need a compact super-zoom camera to enable us to zoom in to get nice close-up photos. For
example, some birds may be scared and fly away quickly if we get too close. With compact super-zoom
camera, we can stay at a non-threatening safe distance and zoom in to get nice close-up photo of the birds.
Furthermore, a grizzly bear or a bull moose with a huge rack of antlers may be dangerous if we get too close.
Other examples may be there is a deep canyon or a wide river such that we cannot cross it easily to get close
to the subject of interest.
One of the reasons for me to build this Travelogue website came from a lunch conversation with several retiree
friends. An older guy in this retiree group said that in his recent 2-week sightseeing trip, by the end of the
second week, he had already forgotten a lot of details of what he saw and did in the first week. So, he said that
we should take a lot of pictures in our sightseeing trips so that we do not forget those beautiful sceneries and
joy so fast.
The 20X optical zoom enables my camera to "see" much more fine details than my plain eye sight can see,
especially for subjects at substantial distance away. After coming back from the sightseeing trip, downloading
the photos into my PC and seeing the photos on the PC screen, Wow! I am often happily surprised and stunned
to find that my camera captured much more wonderful fine details of the beautiful scenery or of the wildlife that
my plain eye sight did not see on site. So, this is yet another good reason for taking many pictures with a
compact super-zoom camera in a sightseeing trip.
For example, many visitors, including me, at the Viewing Platform on Reeds Beach on May 8, 2009 said that
they saw many laughing gulls, but they did not see any live horseshoe crabs on the beach. But after coming
home and downloading and displaying the photos on the PC screen, I was happily surprised to see a few live
horseshoe crabs on Reeds Beach, thanks to the 20X optical zoom of my compact super-zoom camera.
Many web pages on my Travelogue website show many close-up photos of various kinds of birds and other
wildlife in actions. If not for my compact super-zoom camera, most of those interesting birds and wildlife would
appear just like those uninteresting tiny dots on the first picture above.
such that we need a compact super-zoom camera to enable us to zoom in to get nice close-up photos. For
example, some birds may be scared and fly away quickly if we get too close. With compact super-zoom
camera, we can stay at a non-threatening safe distance and zoom in to get nice close-up photo of the birds.
Furthermore, a grizzly bear or a bull moose with a huge rack of antlers may be dangerous if we get too close.
Other examples may be there is a deep canyon or a wide river such that we cannot cross it easily to get close
to the subject of interest.
One of the reasons for me to build this Travelogue website came from a lunch conversation with several retiree
friends. An older guy in this retiree group said that in his recent 2-week sightseeing trip, by the end of the
second week, he had already forgotten a lot of details of what he saw and did in the first week. So, he said that
we should take a lot of pictures in our sightseeing trips so that we do not forget those beautiful sceneries and
joy so fast.
The 20X optical zoom enables my camera to "see" much more fine details than my plain eye sight can see,
especially for subjects at substantial distance away. After coming back from the sightseeing trip, downloading
the photos into my PC and seeing the photos on the PC screen, Wow! I am often happily surprised and stunned
to find that my camera captured much more wonderful fine details of the beautiful scenery or of the wildlife that
my plain eye sight did not see on site. So, this is yet another good reason for taking many pictures with a
compact super-zoom camera in a sightseeing trip.
For example, many visitors, including me, at the Viewing Platform on Reeds Beach on May 8, 2009 said that
they saw many laughing gulls, but they did not see any live horseshoe crabs on the beach. But after coming
home and downloading and displaying the photos on the PC screen, I was happily surprised to see a few live
horseshoe crabs on Reeds Beach, thanks to the 20X optical zoom of my compact super-zoom camera.
Many web pages on my Travelogue website show many close-up photos of various kinds of birds and other
wildlife in actions. If not for my compact super-zoom camera, most of those interesting birds and wildlife would
appear just like those uninteresting tiny dots on the first picture above.
The second benefit of Super-Zoom: Shallow Depth of Field
Another important benefit of compact super-zoom cameras is their ability to achieve "Shallow Depth of Field"
for compact digital cameras to do special photography where the main subject is in focus but all background
clutters are out of focus and are blurred as demonstrated by the following picture of azalea flower where the
green lawn in the background is out of focus and is blurred:
Another important benefit of compact super-zoom cameras is their ability to achieve "Shallow Depth of Field"
for compact digital cameras to do special photography where the main subject is in focus but all background
clutters are out of focus and are blurred as demonstrated by the following picture of azalea flower where the
green lawn in the background is out of focus and is blurred:
Such special effect photography draws the full attention of the viewers on the beautiful flower and minimizes the
distraction of the background clutters. More examples demonstrating the benefits of Shallow Depth of Field can
be seen on my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Spring_Flowers_in_Garden_State.html
distraction of the background clutters. More examples demonstrating the benefits of Shallow Depth of Field can
be seen on my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Spring_Flowers_in_Garden_State.html
These close-up photos of flowers were taken by using my compact super-zoom camera, Canon PowerShot
SX10, with 20X optical zoom. The Shallow Depth of Field is achieved by using the long zoom plus the Macro
mode. We stand at a substantial distance (e.g., 15 feet) away from the flower to take the close-up picture by
using the long zoom. It is important to use either a monopod or a tripod to stabilize the camera for sharp
pictures because the picture is very sensitive to any tiny shake in hand when the camera is zoomed far out to
10X or more even through the camera has built-in Image Stabilizer.
Most compact digital cameras cannot rely on only the large aperture size (i.e., small f number) to achieve
desired Shallow Depth of Field because of the small photo sensor and the small-size lens in such compact
cameras. Instead, they rely on the long zoom plus the Macro mode of the compact super-zoom cameras to
achieve the desired Shallow Depth of Field. I learned such nice tips of photography from several experts in the
Yahoo!Group on photography with members all over the world and with common interest on the Canon
PowerShot S Series of super-zoom cameras.
More benefits of compact super-zoom cameras for taking close up pictures of beautiful flowers are illustrated
and explained on my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/2010_Orchid_Show_in_New_York.html
SX10, with 20X optical zoom. The Shallow Depth of Field is achieved by using the long zoom plus the Macro
mode. We stand at a substantial distance (e.g., 15 feet) away from the flower to take the close-up picture by
using the long zoom. It is important to use either a monopod or a tripod to stabilize the camera for sharp
pictures because the picture is very sensitive to any tiny shake in hand when the camera is zoomed far out to
10X or more even through the camera has built-in Image Stabilizer.
Most compact digital cameras cannot rely on only the large aperture size (i.e., small f number) to achieve
desired Shallow Depth of Field because of the small photo sensor and the small-size lens in such compact
cameras. Instead, they rely on the long zoom plus the Macro mode of the compact super-zoom cameras to
achieve the desired Shallow Depth of Field. I learned such nice tips of photography from several experts in the
Yahoo!Group on photography with members all over the world and with common interest on the Canon
PowerShot S Series of super-zoom cameras.
More benefits of compact super-zoom cameras for taking close up pictures of beautiful flowers are illustrated
and explained on my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/2010_Orchid_Show_in_New_York.html
In summary, the benefits of compact super-zoom digital cameras for tourists are:
1. The compact super-zoom digital cameras are not very expensive, costing only about US$300 to US$400 as
of 2010.
2. It is a single camera that does it all: from wide angle to telephoto and from still pictures to movie clip.
3. They are compact in size and light weight for easy carrying in sightseeing trips. Do not have to carry the
extra weight and the extra size of a telephoto converter, a wide-angle converter or a separate Camcorder.
Those highly desirable extra capabilities have all been integrated nicely into the small and light weight compact
super-zoom digital camera.
4. Their long zooming power enables tourists to get more and better close-up photos of interesting but far
away subjects in their sightseeing trips or to take close up photos of insects without scaring them away.
5. Their long zooming power plus the Macro mode can achieve desired Shallow Depth of Field for special
photography applications such as portraits or beautiful flower photos.
6. Their built-in wide-angle capability enables users to take wide-angle photos of breath-taking beautiful
sceneries.
7. Do not have to pay extra costs for telephoto converter and wide-angle converter.
8. Do not have to go through the time-consuming and cumbersome steps (a) to (e) described in the section on
the wide-angle capability and the long zoom capability.
9. Do not have messed-up photos anymore because the user forgot the step (d) in the installation or
un-installation of the telephoto converter or the wide-angle converter.
10. Do not have to pay extra cost for a separate Camcorder to take movie clips of action events.
1. The compact super-zoom digital cameras are not very expensive, costing only about US$300 to US$400 as
of 2010.
2. It is a single camera that does it all: from wide angle to telephoto and from still pictures to movie clip.
3. They are compact in size and light weight for easy carrying in sightseeing trips. Do not have to carry the
extra weight and the extra size of a telephoto converter, a wide-angle converter or a separate Camcorder.
Those highly desirable extra capabilities have all been integrated nicely into the small and light weight compact
super-zoom digital camera.
4. Their long zooming power enables tourists to get more and better close-up photos of interesting but far
away subjects in their sightseeing trips or to take close up photos of insects without scaring them away.
5. Their long zooming power plus the Macro mode can achieve desired Shallow Depth of Field for special
photography applications such as portraits or beautiful flower photos.
6. Their built-in wide-angle capability enables users to take wide-angle photos of breath-taking beautiful
sceneries.
7. Do not have to pay extra costs for telephoto converter and wide-angle converter.
8. Do not have to go through the time-consuming and cumbersome steps (a) to (e) described in the section on
the wide-angle capability and the long zoom capability.
9. Do not have messed-up photos anymore because the user forgot the step (d) in the installation or
un-installation of the telephoto converter or the wide-angle converter.
10. Do not have to pay extra cost for a separate Camcorder to take movie clips of action events.
Necessity of Monopod to Go with Super-Zoom:
This is a picture of me with my compact super-zoom camera, Canon PowerShot SX10 with 20X optical zoom,
plus my monopod which is SLIK Pro Pod 600 (Mfr# 615-600 . B&H# SLPP600 ). As compared to my hand,
the super-zoom camera is quite compact and small.
One serious challenge in using super-zoom camera is that the super-zoom (of 20X or more of optical zoom)
not only greatly amplifies a subject far away, but also greatly amplifies any tiny camera shake resulting in
blurred pictures even with the help of the built-in Image Stabilizer. My solution for this severe challenge is to
use a good monopod to help me to stabilize the camera to get sharp pictures even with slow shutter speed.
For example, all my pictures inside Luray Cavern in Virginia were taken without using a flash light under the
low light situation in the cavern as shown on my web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Gorgeous_Caverns_in_Virginia.html
As you can see all those pictures are reasonably sharp. The shutter speed was very slow due to the low light
inside the cavern. But my monopod helped me to hold the camera very steady so that all the pictures are
sharp.
I almost always use the viewfinder (not the LCD screen) to compose and to take pictures. In this way, the
camera is supported by my two hands, my forehead, my nose and the top surface of the monopod. The
monopod and my two legs form a very strong "tripod" even during windy condition. (Some light weight tripod
may tip over and fall down during windy condition.) In this way, my two arms and elbows are tugged-in tight
against my body when my two hands are holding the camera. Such combination provides a very strong and
steady support for the camera to produce sharp pictures even with super-zoom.
This is much more stable and strong as compared to some other people who use the LCD screen to compose
picture and the two hands holding the camera are extended out one or two feet in front of their bodies
resulting in shaky camera when the shutter release button is pressed. Any tiny shake in camera is greatly
amplified by the super-zoom.
The monopod is made of certain kind of alloy such that it is very strong and yet very light weight. I use such
monopod not only for photography but also as a hiking stick which is very helpful for retirees on rough hiking
trails.
The 4-Section telescope monopod can be collapsed easily and quickly for easy carrying and packing inside a
luggage. The collapsed compact monopod is shown in the following picture. It is on a car to provide some size
references for comparison.
This is a picture of me with my compact super-zoom camera, Canon PowerShot SX10 with 20X optical zoom,
plus my monopod which is SLIK Pro Pod 600 (Mfr# 615-600 . B&H# SLPP600 ). As compared to my hand,
the super-zoom camera is quite compact and small.
One serious challenge in using super-zoom camera is that the super-zoom (of 20X or more of optical zoom)
not only greatly amplifies a subject far away, but also greatly amplifies any tiny camera shake resulting in
blurred pictures even with the help of the built-in Image Stabilizer. My solution for this severe challenge is to
use a good monopod to help me to stabilize the camera to get sharp pictures even with slow shutter speed.
For example, all my pictures inside Luray Cavern in Virginia were taken without using a flash light under the
low light situation in the cavern as shown on my web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Gorgeous_Caverns_in_Virginia.html
As you can see all those pictures are reasonably sharp. The shutter speed was very slow due to the low light
inside the cavern. But my monopod helped me to hold the camera very steady so that all the pictures are
sharp.
I almost always use the viewfinder (not the LCD screen) to compose and to take pictures. In this way, the
camera is supported by my two hands, my forehead, my nose and the top surface of the monopod. The
monopod and my two legs form a very strong "tripod" even during windy condition. (Some light weight tripod
may tip over and fall down during windy condition.) In this way, my two arms and elbows are tugged-in tight
against my body when my two hands are holding the camera. Such combination provides a very strong and
steady support for the camera to produce sharp pictures even with super-zoom.
This is much more stable and strong as compared to some other people who use the LCD screen to compose
picture and the two hands holding the camera are extended out one or two feet in front of their bodies
resulting in shaky camera when the shutter release button is pressed. Any tiny shake in camera is greatly
amplified by the super-zoom.
The monopod is made of certain kind of alloy such that it is very strong and yet very light weight. I use such
monopod not only for photography but also as a hiking stick which is very helpful for retirees on rough hiking
trails.
The 4-Section telescope monopod can be collapsed easily and quickly for easy carrying and packing inside a
luggage. The collapsed compact monopod is shown in the following picture. It is on a car to provide some size
references for comparison.
In using the monopod for photography, I do not screw the thread of the camera onto the monopod. I just rest
part of the bottom of the camera on the flat top surface of the monopod. Such use of monopod provides me
sufficient stability and yet sufficient freedom and flexibility for me to track a fast moving subject such as a flying
bird. An example to show this benefit of using a monopod is the movie clip that I took of many flying terns at
Sand Hook, New Jersey at the following YouTube website. Please click on the icon at the lower right corner of
the YouTube screen to enjoy the full screen show of such busy activities of these fishing birds::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4oYGf-jyk
The monopod provided me stability and yet allowed me to track the rapidly flying terns with erratic flying
patterns. I can track and take either a movie clip or still pictures of rapidly flying birds.
Benefits of Continuous (Burst) Shooting Mode:
I often use such set up with the Continuous (Burst) Shooting mode of the compact super-zoom camera to take
a burst of 5 or 10 sequential action photos of the fast moving and far away subject. One of the benefits of
using Continuous (Burst) Shooting mode is that the second picture and the subsequent pictures in the burst
tend to be sharper than the first shot because in the first short my finger has to press down the shutter button
causing a slight jerk to the camera whereas in the second and subsequent pictures in the burst, my finger is
just holding down the shutter button steadily while the camera is taking the burst of pictures automatically until
my finger releases the shutter button.
The second benefits of Continuous Shooting is due to the fact that some postures look more impressive than
other postures of the fast moving object (such as the moment when an osprey caught a big fish and is lifting
the big fish in its talon out of water to fly away). This gives me the luxury to pick and choose one or two best
shots out of the burst of 5 or 10 sequential shots produced by the Continuous (Burst) Shooting mode.
In this way, a monopod, as a hiking stick, can be ready much faster than a tripod can for taking precious action
photos such as an osprey (fish hawk) diving from mid air down to a lake to catch a fish.
Some viewers have been wondering how can the photographer be so lucky to catch certain amazing action
photo at the precise moment? The reality is that the photographer is using the Continuous (Burst) Shooting
mode and is just holding down the shutter button steadily for several seconds for the camera to take the burst
of several pictures automatically, and that amazing action photo happens to be the best shot in that burst of
several sequential photos taken automatically by the camera.
part of the bottom of the camera on the flat top surface of the monopod. Such use of monopod provides me
sufficient stability and yet sufficient freedom and flexibility for me to track a fast moving subject such as a flying
bird. An example to show this benefit of using a monopod is the movie clip that I took of many flying terns at
Sand Hook, New Jersey at the following YouTube website. Please click on the icon at the lower right corner of
the YouTube screen to enjoy the full screen show of such busy activities of these fishing birds::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4oYGf-jyk
The monopod provided me stability and yet allowed me to track the rapidly flying terns with erratic flying
patterns. I can track and take either a movie clip or still pictures of rapidly flying birds.
Benefits of Continuous (Burst) Shooting Mode:
I often use such set up with the Continuous (Burst) Shooting mode of the compact super-zoom camera to take
a burst of 5 or 10 sequential action photos of the fast moving and far away subject. One of the benefits of
using Continuous (Burst) Shooting mode is that the second picture and the subsequent pictures in the burst
tend to be sharper than the first shot because in the first short my finger has to press down the shutter button
causing a slight jerk to the camera whereas in the second and subsequent pictures in the burst, my finger is
just holding down the shutter button steadily while the camera is taking the burst of pictures automatically until
my finger releases the shutter button.
The second benefits of Continuous Shooting is due to the fact that some postures look more impressive than
other postures of the fast moving object (such as the moment when an osprey caught a big fish and is lifting
the big fish in its talon out of water to fly away). This gives me the luxury to pick and choose one or two best
shots out of the burst of 5 or 10 sequential shots produced by the Continuous (Burst) Shooting mode.
In this way, a monopod, as a hiking stick, can be ready much faster than a tripod can for taking precious action
photos such as an osprey (fish hawk) diving from mid air down to a lake to catch a fish.
Some viewers have been wondering how can the photographer be so lucky to catch certain amazing action
photo at the precise moment? The reality is that the photographer is using the Continuous (Burst) Shooting
mode and is just holding down the shutter button steadily for several seconds for the camera to take the burst
of several pictures automatically, and that amazing action photo happens to be the best shot in that burst of
several sequential photos taken automatically by the camera.
The Third Benefit of Super-Zoom: Wide Angle for Breath-Taking View
Several years ago, I was using a compact digital camera that had only 4X optical zoom and covered the very
limited range of focal length from equivalent of 38 mm to 155 mm. To be able to take the wide angle photos of
breath-taking beautiful sceneries in my sightseeing trips, I had to buy and to carry a separate wide angle
converter to extend the equivalent focal length of the camera from 38 mm down to 28 mm. I also had to buy
and carry another separate telephoto converter to extend its optical zoom from 4X to 12X. Each of these two
separate converters is almost as big and as heavy as the camera itself. The whole package including these
converters became quite balky and heavy for sightseeing trips.
Furthermore, installing such converters requires going through the following time-consuming steps: (a) put the
camera aside carefully and take the converter out of its separate holding bag, (b) take the lens caps on both
ends of the converter off and put the two caps back into the bag carefully, (c) take the cap off the main lens of
the camera and screw the converter in front of the main lens carefully, (d) turn on the camera and go into the
multi-page electronic menu in the camera to hunt to the right page and to scroll down the list to the correct item
to set the camera to wide angle operation or to the telephoto converter operation. (e) back out of multi-page
electronic menu and get back to the normal operation condition.
Furthermore, when I did not need the converter anymore and took the converter off the camera, I had to
remember to go through step (d) to set the camera back to its normal condition.
Some of my photos were messed up because I missed step (d) occasionally in the procedure either to install
the converter or to un-install the converter.
By the time I finished such multi-step procedure to use the converter, the flying bird was long gone already such
that I missed many good opportunities for taking precious action photos of a fast moving subject.
On the other hand, my current super-zoom camera, Canon PowerShot SX10, covers the equivalent focal length
from 28 mm for wide angle breath-taking photos all the way up to 560 mm for 20X optical zoom. With this
compact super-zoom camera, I do not have to go through all those time-consuming and cumbersome steps to
take the wide angle photos of breath-taking beautiful sceneries or the interesting subjects far away. This
camera enables me to act very fast to catch all the interesting action photos including wide angle photos. And I
do not have to carry the extra weight and the extra size of the two converters. Furthermore, I do not have
messed up photos any more because I missed Step (d).
An example to demonstrate this benefit of having built-in and well-integrated wide angle capability is shown on
the first picture on my Travelogue web page for Bryce Canyon National Park at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Bryce_Canyon_and_Red_Canyon.html
Several years ago, I was using a compact digital camera that had only 4X optical zoom and covered the very
limited range of focal length from equivalent of 38 mm to 155 mm. To be able to take the wide angle photos of
breath-taking beautiful sceneries in my sightseeing trips, I had to buy and to carry a separate wide angle
converter to extend the equivalent focal length of the camera from 38 mm down to 28 mm. I also had to buy
and carry another separate telephoto converter to extend its optical zoom from 4X to 12X. Each of these two
separate converters is almost as big and as heavy as the camera itself. The whole package including these
converters became quite balky and heavy for sightseeing trips.
Furthermore, installing such converters requires going through the following time-consuming steps: (a) put the
camera aside carefully and take the converter out of its separate holding bag, (b) take the lens caps on both
ends of the converter off and put the two caps back into the bag carefully, (c) take the cap off the main lens of
the camera and screw the converter in front of the main lens carefully, (d) turn on the camera and go into the
multi-page electronic menu in the camera to hunt to the right page and to scroll down the list to the correct item
to set the camera to wide angle operation or to the telephoto converter operation. (e) back out of multi-page
electronic menu and get back to the normal operation condition.
Furthermore, when I did not need the converter anymore and took the converter off the camera, I had to
remember to go through step (d) to set the camera back to its normal condition.
Some of my photos were messed up because I missed step (d) occasionally in the procedure either to install
the converter or to un-install the converter.
By the time I finished such multi-step procedure to use the converter, the flying bird was long gone already such
that I missed many good opportunities for taking precious action photos of a fast moving subject.
On the other hand, my current super-zoom camera, Canon PowerShot SX10, covers the equivalent focal length
from 28 mm for wide angle breath-taking photos all the way up to 560 mm for 20X optical zoom. With this
compact super-zoom camera, I do not have to go through all those time-consuming and cumbersome steps to
take the wide angle photos of breath-taking beautiful sceneries or the interesting subjects far away. This
camera enables me to act very fast to catch all the interesting action photos including wide angle photos. And I
do not have to carry the extra weight and the extra size of the two converters. Furthermore, I do not have
messed up photos any more because I missed Step (d).
An example to demonstrate this benefit of having built-in and well-integrated wide angle capability is shown on
the first picture on my Travelogue web page for Bryce Canyon National Park at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Bryce_Canyon_and_Red_Canyon.html
In July 2005, we were on a boat tour of Deer Lake in Newfoundland in eastern Canada and saw this bull
moose very far away on the mountain slope above the shoreline. This was the first time that I saw a moose,
especially a bull moose with a huge rack of antlers such that I was very excited. However, I was using my first
compact digital camera which had only 4X of optical zoom capability. The picture above was the best that 4X
optical zoom could do for me. I was very frustrated because that camera could not zoom in more to get a
closer and better view of the bull moose. That frustration gave me a very powerful incentive to buy a new
compact digital camera with optical zooming power much greater than 4X.
This is how I end up with my current compact super-zoom camera with 20X optical zoom.
moose very far away on the mountain slope above the shoreline. This was the first time that I saw a moose,
especially a bull moose with a huge rack of antlers such that I was very excited. However, I was using my first
compact digital camera which had only 4X of optical zoom capability. The picture above was the best that 4X
optical zoom could do for me. I was very frustrated because that camera could not zoom in more to get a
closer and better view of the bull moose. That frustration gave me a very powerful incentive to buy a new
compact digital camera with optical zooming power much greater than 4X.
This is how I end up with my current compact super-zoom camera with 20X optical zoom.
The Fourth Benefit: Taking Movie of Action Events
Many compact digital cameras, including compact super-zoom digital cameras, have the capability to take
movie clips of important and interesting action events that cannot be conveyed well by taking only still pictures.
An example of movie clip capability can be seen on YouTube website at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fyjsseS69U
I took these movie clips of several geysers in action when I toured Yellowstone National Park in the summer of
2008. Still pictures just cannot show such actions well. Canon PowerShot SX10 IS can take movie with stereo
sound. Therefore, by using such compact super-zoom camera, the tourist does not have to carry the extra
weight and extra size of a separate Camcorder to have the capability to take movie of action events.
The Fifth Benefit: Taking Close-Up Pictures of Insects without Scaring them Away
By using a compact super-zoom camera, one can take a close-up picture of a beautiful insect, such as butterfly,
dragonfly, beetle, etc., by standing 10 feet or more away and zoom in to take the close-up picture with fine
details of the insect without scaring away the insect. If one uses a regular camera without super-zoom
capability, one would have to get very close to the insect to take a close-up picture to show details of the
beautiful insect. However, getting physically close to the insect usually will scare the insect away. The
super-zoom capability eliminates this problem and enables the photographer to take more close up pictures
more easily. Two examples of such close up pictures of beautiful butterfly are shown on my Travelogue web
page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Summer_in_Bombay_Hook.html
Many compact digital cameras, including compact super-zoom digital cameras, have the capability to take
movie clips of important and interesting action events that cannot be conveyed well by taking only still pictures.
An example of movie clip capability can be seen on YouTube website at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fyjsseS69U
I took these movie clips of several geysers in action when I toured Yellowstone National Park in the summer of
2008. Still pictures just cannot show such actions well. Canon PowerShot SX10 IS can take movie with stereo
sound. Therefore, by using such compact super-zoom camera, the tourist does not have to carry the extra
weight and extra size of a separate Camcorder to have the capability to take movie of action events.
The Fifth Benefit: Taking Close-Up Pictures of Insects without Scaring them Away
By using a compact super-zoom camera, one can take a close-up picture of a beautiful insect, such as butterfly,
dragonfly, beetle, etc., by standing 10 feet or more away and zoom in to take the close-up picture with fine
details of the insect without scaring away the insect. If one uses a regular camera without super-zoom
capability, one would have to get very close to the insect to take a close-up picture to show details of the
beautiful insect. However, getting physically close to the insect usually will scare the insect away. The
super-zoom capability eliminates this problem and enables the photographer to take more close up pictures
more easily. Two examples of such close up pictures of beautiful butterfly are shown on my Travelogue web
page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Summer_in_Bombay_Hook.html
All major manufacturers of digital cameras are competing in this popular market of compact super-zoom
cameras. A review of 9 compact super-zoom cameras from 8 different manufacturers is available at the
following website:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q110superzoomgroup/
cameras. A review of 9 compact super-zoom cameras from 8 different manufacturers is available at the
following website:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q110superzoomgroup/
Most recent update of this web page on January 20, 2011
The compact super-zoom camera is like having a powerful telescope and can produce very nice photos of
beautiful full moon as shown above. I took this picture of full moon during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (中秋
節) on September 23, 2010 at 9:20 PM in New Jersey. I used my Canon PowerShot SX10 IS with 20X optical
zoom and set the camera on P mode (Programmed Auto) for the camera to set all the parameters
automatically for me. I also set the ISO at auto for the camera to set ISO automatically for me. The
parameters set by the camera automatically are ISO: 200, Shutter Speed: 1/125 second, and F-Stop: f/5.7. I
zoomed the lens all the way out reaching the maximum focal length of 100 mm (35 mm film equivalent of 540
mm). It is seen that the 20X optical zoom can show substantial details of the moon surface.
The test photos of the new Canon compact super-zoom camera, PowerShot SX30 IS, with 35X optical zoom
can be seen at my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Test_Photos_of_Compact_SuperZoom.html
beautiful full moon as shown above. I took this picture of full moon during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (中秋
節) on September 23, 2010 at 9:20 PM in New Jersey. I used my Canon PowerShot SX10 IS with 20X optical
zoom and set the camera on P mode (Programmed Auto) for the camera to set all the parameters
automatically for me. I also set the ISO at auto for the camera to set ISO automatically for me. The
parameters set by the camera automatically are ISO: 200, Shutter Speed: 1/125 second, and F-Stop: f/5.7. I
zoomed the lens all the way out reaching the maximum focal length of 100 mm (35 mm film equivalent of 540
mm). It is seen that the 20X optical zoom can show substantial details of the moon surface.
The test photos of the new Canon compact super-zoom camera, PowerShot SX30 IS, with 35X optical zoom
can be seen at my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Test_Photos_of_Compact_SuperZoom.html
Sixth Benefit: Super-Zoom for Landscape Photography
In landscape photography, most people use the wide angle lens to achieve the "popular" breathtaking wide
vistas. But by using super-zoom camera to zoom out to the maximum focal lens, you can get very impressive
photos that are very different from the "popular" panoramic photos.
I used this technique of long focal length when I took beautiful pictures of Glacier Bay in Alaska as
demonstrated on the first and the second pictures on my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Go_To_See_Alaska_Part_1_Glacier_Bay.html
The first picture on this web page was taken using the wide angle, short focal length of my Canon PowerShot
SX10 IS to get the typical panoramic view of the Margerie Glacier with snow mountains far behind as
background. In the second picture, I zoomed out to the maximum focal length to get the fantastic view of the
majestic snow mountains and the glacier that are far behind the front end of Margerie Glacier. The long focal
length is indeed very useful for such landscape photography to make a big difference.
In landscape photography, most people use the wide angle lens to achieve the "popular" breathtaking wide
vistas. But by using super-zoom camera to zoom out to the maximum focal lens, you can get very impressive
photos that are very different from the "popular" panoramic photos.
I used this technique of long focal length when I took beautiful pictures of Glacier Bay in Alaska as
demonstrated on the first and the second pictures on my Travelogue web page at:
http://www.shltrip.com/Go_To_See_Alaska_Part_1_Glacier_Bay.html
The first picture on this web page was taken using the wide angle, short focal length of my Canon PowerShot
SX10 IS to get the typical panoramic view of the Margerie Glacier with snow mountains far behind as
background. In the second picture, I zoomed out to the maximum focal length to get the fantastic view of the
majestic snow mountains and the glacier that are far behind the front end of Margerie Glacier. The long focal
length is indeed very useful for such landscape photography to make a big difference.