camera gear

Hello Scottthehat!!

Just posted in your 'just some pics' thread!

After getting a bit fed up with all the lenses when I had the 35mm kit, I decided to choose a 'bridge camera' when I went digital. My current camera is the Olympus SP590, which has a x26 optical zoom. It also has wide angle. The 35 mm equivalent is 26 mm to 676 mm. It can also do macro down to 1cm from the subject. It may never produce as high quality pics as a DSLR & lenses, but it does for me! I'm quite pleased with the results and best of all, it fits in my bag so comes everywhere with me! Never a missed photo opportunity again! Digital & this camera in particular has reignited my love for photography which was slowly being dampened down by all the kit I used to have, the cost, and never seeming to have the right lens on at the right time!!!!

I've posted some of my pics in the galleries! :-)

Hi Marjus... having read your post in the other thread I went off and googled your camera - it looks really good to an amateur like me. Is it an SLR? I am unsure as it didn't categorically say in the spec. I read. I am now about to try and find your photos - not used the gallery a lot so far.

Squirrel

Edit: Just had a look through and I think your photos are excellent.

Hi Marjus.  My 'weapon of choice' is also an Olympus!  Mine's a little older than yours though.  It's an Olympus SP 565UZ, which has 20x zoom - not a DSLR.  I fell in love with it when I bought it about 15 months ago, and bought my husband one for Christmas.  They go with us everywhere!  They produce really good results, and we have won our fair share of competition prizes with them.  I really couldn't be bothered with a DSLR and assorted lenses now, even if I could afford them.  While others are still fiddling, I have my shots.  ;-))

Hi Jan!

That was going to be my next camera until I heard about a x26 in the pipeline, so decided to wait!

Wattle15 said:

While others are still fiddling, I have my shots.  ;-))

I totally empathise with that!

Hi Marjus and Jan

If not an SLR then I take it you have to make that conscious adjustment between what you see through the viewfinder and what the lens sees - am I right?

I ask as, aside from my SLR I have a little Samsung compact digi. It is fairly new and actually does great photos - when I get it right (prone to cutting off heads!). With that one, there is no viewfinder, simply the screen to look at, and I find that a bit of a problem as I am short-sighted and have a slight "middle-distance" problem, clarity-wise.

Interestingly, when I googled the 590, I had a choice of 590 or 590 UZ and I've yet to work out the difference!

Squirrel

Hi Squirrel,

Pretty sure that the 590 & 590 UZ are one & the same! The UZ stands for 'ultra zoom'. The 590 is the model number.

The image you see with the viewfinder (electronic) or on the LCD screen is the image as seen through the lens, just like an SLR. So no missed bits! What you see is what you get!

My first compact (film) camera didn't have this facility and I couldn't understand why none of the prints were as I remembered taking them (or so I thought!). This prompted a rapid change to my first SLR, a trusty Praktica MTL3! :-)

Thanks Marjus - it does look awfully tempting. A very wide range of price differences from just over £200 to well over £300. Definitely a "shop around for the best deal" camera.

Squirrel

hi there

Great pictures everyone on here, and other threads - Oh what a beautiful pictures  - Squirrel - my mouth has dropped open at your Long Eared Owl.  What a super shot and all of the detail too. Wow {thumbs up}

My camera is a Canon Powershot GI0

Not a bird picture at the moment - but Damselflies instead taken earlier this year.  We are concentrating on the insects, flowers and things that are easier to practice on.  Will get there in the end though

Regards

Kathy and Dave