Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.) I wonder if anyone
here has real-life experience with this camera? The specs and reviews
I've seen on the web look promising, but I haven't seen it mentioned
in r.f.d except for one announcement of its release last fall.

Pierre
--
Pierre Jelenc
The Gigometer www.gigometer.com
The NYC Beer Guide www.nycbeer.org

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

rcpj@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
>low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.) I wonder if anyone
>here has real-life experience with this camera? The specs and reviews
>I've seen on the web look promising, but I haven't seen it mentioned
>in r.f.d except for one announcement of its release last fall.


Low light shooting of bands on stage is perhaps asking too much of a
camera with a very small sensor and a slow lens (f/5.8 for much of the
zoom range). Noisy images will be the inevitable result.

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

On Apr 10, 2:28*pm, r...@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.)

Why?
Be smart, buy a used DSLR and lens. Even if you have to crop more,
the detail retained in low light will be better than what that Canon
will render.

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 7:28:03 PM UTC+1, Pierre Jelenc wrote:
> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.) I wonder if anyone
> here has real-life experience with this camera? The specs and reviews
> I've seen on the web look promising, but I haven't seen it mentioned
> in r.f.d except for one announcement of its release last fall.
>
> Pierre
> --
> Pierre Jelenc
> The Gigometer www.gigometer.com
> The NYC Beer Guide www.nycbeer.org

For low light you need a big sensor and wide aperture.
If your budget is tight buy a second hand DSLR body and a 50mm f/1.8 lens.

If you want a long zoom in low light you definitely need a tripod. 50mm is good enough.

SX40 is close the size of a DSLR, so get a DSLR instead.


DanP

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

In article <ce9ef611-dff0-4c8c-bb6f-bc46a0213e56@h4g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
RichA <rander3127@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Apr 10, 2:28?pm, r...@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
>> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.)
>
>Why?
>Be smart, buy a used DSLR and lens. Even if you have to crop more,
>the detail retained in low light will be better than what that Canon
>will render.

Weight and size. I want a camera I can carry with me all the time in a
regular bag, together with my umbrella, my book, my sweater on occasion,
etc.

Pierre
--
Pierre Jelenc
The Gigometer www.gigometer.com
The NYC Beer Guide www.nycbeer.org

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

rcpj@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:

>In article <ce9ef611-dff0-4c8c-bb6f-bc46a0213e56@h4g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
>RichA <rander3127@gmail.com> wrote:
>>On Apr 10, 2:28?pm, r...@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>>> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
>>> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.)
>>
>>Why?
>>Be smart, buy a used DSLR and lens. Even if you have to crop more,
>>the detail retained in low light will be better than what that Canon
>>will render.
>
>Weight and size. I want a camera I can carry with me all the time in a
>regular bag, together with my umbrella, my book, my sweater on occasion,
>etc.


I use, and would recommend, a Panasonic G3 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7
and Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lenses. It is a light, compact system (Micro
Four Thirds) and has excellent image quality with 16 MP and low noise
up to ISO 1600. The results blow away anything you could obtain from
the Canon SX40 HS because of the much larger Four Thirds sensor.

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

On Wednesday, 11 April 2012 22:06:00 UTC+1, Pierre Jelenc wrote:
> In article <ce9ef611-dff0-4c8c-bb6f-bc46a0213e56@h4g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
> RichA <rander3127@gmail.com> wrote:
> >On Apr 10, 2:28?pm, r...@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
> >> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
> >> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.)
> >
> >Why?
> >Be smart, buy a used DSLR and lens. Even if you have to crop more,
> >the detail retained in low light will be better than what that Canon
> >will render.
>
> Weight and size. I want a camera I can carry with me all the time in a
> regular bag, together with my umbrella, my book, my sweater on occasion,
> etc.
>
> Pierre
> --
> Pierre Jelenc
> The Gigometer www.gigometer.com
> The NYC Beer Guide www.nycbeer.org

You seem put off by a DSLR or micro four thirds size yet you are looking at SX40. Sizewise they are pretty close yet the sensor performance in low light is noticeable.

If you buy the SX40 for the reasons you mentioned you will end up not using it.
At least look for a smaller camera with the same sensor size.


DanP

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

In article <b94co79318569ql0t3d816jqm6rip7p2ri@4ax.com>,
Bruce <docnews2011@gmail.com> wrote:
>rcpj@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>
>>In article <ce9ef611-dff0-4c8c-bb6f-bc46a0213e56@h4g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
>>RichA <rander3127@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>On Apr 10, 2:28?pm, r...@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>>>> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
>>>> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.)
>>>
>>>Why?
>>>Be smart, buy a used DSLR and lens. Even if you have to crop more,
>>>the detail retained in low light will be better than what that Canon
>>>will render.
>>
>>Weight and size. I want a camera I can carry with me all the time in a
>>regular bag, together with my umbrella, my book, my sweater on occasion,
>>etc.
>
>
>I use, and would recommend, a Panasonic G3 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7
>and Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lenses. It is a light, compact system (Micro
>Four Thirds) and has excellent image quality with 16 MP and low noise
>up to ISO 1600. The results blow away anything you could obtain from
>the Canon SX40 HS because of the much larger Four Thirds sensor.

But it's a different kind of sensor as far as I can tell, so size is not
enough to draw conclusions. I cannot find test pictures of both models
from the same reviewer. Do you know of any?

Pierre

--
Pierre Jelenc
The Gigometer www.gigometer.com
The NYC Beer Guide www.nycbeer.org

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

In article <28833182.3.1334217899456.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@vbvf19>,
DanP <dan.petre@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>You seem put off by a DSLR or micro four thirds size yet you are looking
>at SX40. Sizewise they are pretty close yet the sensor performance in
>low light is noticeable.

I've been carrying a Lumix FZ 20 for years; they're about the same size.

>If you buy the SX40 for the reasons you mentioned you will end up not using it.
>At least look for a smaller camera with the same sensor size.

According to dpreview.com, there aren't any with the new BSI-CMOS and
image stabilization that also have the ISO range and the articulated LCD,
both of which are what's missing from the FZ 20. On the other hand, the FZ
20 has a faster lens, F2.8 through the entire range; still that's not
enough to compensate for its miserable low-light performance.

Pierre
--
Pierre Jelenc
The Gigometer www.gigometer.com
The NYC Beer Guide www.nycbeer.org

Re: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
 

rcpj@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>In article <b94co79318569ql0t3d816jqm6rip7p2ri@4ax.com>,
>Bruce <docnews2011@gmail.com> wrote:
>>rcpj@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>>
>>>In article <ce9ef611-dff0-4c8c-bb6f-bc46a0213e56@h4g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
>>>RichA <rander3127@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>On Apr 10, 2:28?pm, r...@panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
>>>>> I am considering getting the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for indoors,
>>>>> low-light photography (bands on stage, mostly.)
>>>>
>>>>Why?
>>>>Be smart, buy a used DSLR and lens. Even if you have to crop more,
>>>>the detail retained in low light will be better than what that Canon
>>>>will render.
>>>
>>>Weight and size. I want a camera I can carry with me all the time in a
>>>regular bag, together with my umbrella, my book, my sweater on occasion,
>>>etc.
>>
>>
>>I use, and would recommend, a Panasonic G3 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7
>>and Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lenses. It is a light, compact system (Micro
>>Four Thirds) and has excellent image quality with 16 MP and low noise
>>up to ISO 1600. The results blow away anything you could obtain from
>>the Canon SX40 HS because of the much larger Four Thirds sensor.
>
>But it's a different kind of sensor as far as I can tell, so size is not
>enough to draw conclusions.


The difference in sensor size is substantial enough to render any
discussion of sensor type effectively irrelevant.


>I cannot find test pictures of both models from the same reviewer.
>Do you know of any?


No, because I would not want to waste my time comparing two cameras
that are such very different performers in the same low light
situations. I suppose you might find reviews of both cameras at
DPReview.com. You will definitely find a review of the G3.