The hunt for a new walk about camera

I have for the last few years used a Canon SX40 Bridge camera as my main walk about camera when out birding. I have always been happy with this camera and it is still going strong, but I now feel the need to upgrade. This decision has meant a lot of internet research, in fact I have spent hours going through the various options open to me.

First and foremost I like to watch wildlife, photography is a secondary interest. I have over the years through trial and error discovered that when real distant shots in difficult conditions are required, I can usually get better results using my Scope and either phone or digiscoping my target. Now if I go on a twitch or just out for a full days birding, my scope is always with me and so is my phone, so extreme distance photography is covered. So now, my requirements for a walkabout camera are a little different. 

Extreme Distance I Digiscope

Approx 400 yards - Good Light.

 

Approx 350-400 Yards Poor Light.

300+ Yards - Very Poor light but still a heat haze.

Although I haven’t included them the results from my SX40 Bridge camera did not compare to the above digiscoped pictures. So, I have distant record shots covered.

I now want a camera that can cover from macro to middle distance and although photography is a secondary interest, the quality of the pictures I take is becoming more important to me. Many times recently I have seen the opportunity for an interesting picture, but because the light is poor and knowing my small sensor SX40 bridge camera will struggle to give me a picture of reasonable quality as it will need a high ISO, I don’t even attempt the shot. So, I want a camera that will perform a bit better in lower light situations and still give me reasonable reach. 

Such a camera has been released. Canon has just released its 1” Sensor G3X with an equivalent 600mm (25x) Lens. It hasn’t got the reach of the small sensor cameras with some like the Nikon P900 sporting a 2000mm lens, but with a sensor 4 times the size and 20MP the image quality should be good. It has its negatives, it doesn’t come with an electronic viewfinder. Now a lot of the forums contain photographers down crying this camera for that. I must admit, it’s an expensive camera and I would have liked to have seen one on the camera as standard. However, Canon’s electronic EVF can be purchased and used separately if required. That does however bump up the cost. I gave this some thought and considered my own camera use at the moment with the Canon  SX40. To be honest the EVF is so poor on this camera, I very rarely use it. I have learnt to use the display screen for my photography. 

I weighed up the Pros and Cons and decided I would bite the bullet and go for this camera. A purchase was made.

  

I still want to stay with a Bridge Camera format due to their versatility without having to carry and swap lenses in the field.

My Efforts with the Canon G3X

So first of all I tried a bit of Macro. 

Then some at the extreme end of the lens 600mm

 

Now I am very happy with the quality of these pictures. However, I did have the lens give a lens error message and close twice in the the three days I had the camera. I also noticed that at the extreme of the lens there was a difference in quality in the photographs of the same subject. I believe that there was a fault with the camera and returned it.

However, the more I think about it and go over the pictures I took with it, the more I think I should get a second one and give it another go. I had the same issue with my first SX40 and returned it. The replacement is still producing the goods today. I will give it some more thought. I must say though that the camera build really impressed me, and if the first model had a problem and I can get a perfect model, this could be exactly the camera I am looking for. 

Glad it's the Weekend.

I am hoping to revisit and capture to camera the pair of Barn Owls I reported last week. It won't be an easy task using a digiscoping set up. I feel my best chance is to attempt to capture the birds on video and rip stills from the footage. 

I'm also trying out a new blogging APP on the iPad, so I hope this turns out ok?

After a hectic week at work, and a few late evenings, I decided that Friday, I would leave early and use the remaining light to try and see the Barn Owls. I was out of work for 3.30pm and observing the Owl field by 4.00pm. The pair showed by 4.10pm, but one quickly disappeared. I believe it is hunting a little further afield. One Barn Owl however decided to keep the hunting local and stayed in the meadow. It was distant, never coming closer than 100 yards. The light was fading, it was a dull day anyway and now it was starting to rain. Not great conditions for digiscoping. I attached the camera to the scope, and attempted to record a hunting Barn Owl.

Considering the poor light and distances involved, I'm quite pleased with these. The stills were taken from a HD video using the Nikon P300 through the scope. 

Saturday morning and a walk along the river Tame. Low temperatures, but a nice bright morning. 

Although the conditions for walking were great, it was very quiet bird wise. I did see a Yellow Legged Gull on one of the lakes, and a couple of Common Gulls amongst the Black Headed Gulls. There were plenty of Robins showing this morning though, all vocally advertising their presence.

Sunday morning and another quiet walk around the patch. A Little Egret was working the edge of the lake, it flew off when it saw Jon and I approaching. We sighted it again later as it flew overhead, returning no doubt to where we had disturbed it from. The highlight of the morning was spotting what we thought was a Whooper Swan grazing in a field with a herd of Mutes. It was only as we got closer we realised it was a Anker Valley regular. A Whooper/Mute hybrid that has made this area it's home for many years now. Oh well, one day!

Sunday late afternoon and another visit to see the Barn Owls. At 4.45pm, there was still no sign. Just before 5.00pm one put in a very brief appearance, and just a quickly disappeared. No views of them hunting today. 

So, my weekend ended where it started, Owl watching. No doubt I will visit them again soon.