Sony RX10 1V the new boy. (12 Viewers)

[PaulCountyDurham]

I went down the road to Bolsa Chica ( https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Bolsa-Chica-ER) this afternoon to try out the camera. Lots of terrible, long distance shots mainly because I wasn't holding the camera still enough. I'll go out tomorrow to a place where I can get closer to the birds and see how less telescoped shots come out. Will also get some macros. I think I am going to be very happy with this camera. Here is a Long-billed curlew shot at 600mm. I posted the original and a cropped, slightly sharpened version.

I've no comment on the camera, but I reckon you've done pretty well to get that close to a curlew without it scarpering!

 

[SueO]

I've no comment on the camera, but I reckon you've done pretty well to get that close to a curlew without it scarpering!

I didn't know they were particularly skittish. It did fly off with an angry squawk after about eight shots (one of the features I like about this camera is very quiet clicks). I felt bad as I didn't feel it was at all bothered by me or the distance between us. In fact, I was a bit surprised that when I put the camera down, it yelled at me and flew off. I have been fairly close to them on several occasions at Bolsa Chica and I've never noticed unusual nervousness. Maybe they know from experience that this is a 'safe' zone? I think this one was close because it was very high tide, and much of the muddy flat areas were underwater. Still, there were lots of muddy areas available, he chose to land near the walkway!

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

I didn't know they were particularly skittish. It did fly off with an angry squawk after about eight shots (one of the features I like about this camera is very quiet clicks). I felt bad as I didn't feel it was at all bothered by me or the distance between us. In fact, I was a bit surprised that when I put the camera down, it yelled at me and flew off. I have been fairly close to them on several occasions at Bolsa Chica and I've never noticed unusual nervousness. Maybe they know from experience that this is a 'safe' zone? I think this one was close because it was very high tide, and much of the muddy flat areas were underwater. Still, there were lots of muddy areas available, he chose to land near the walkway!

Aye, I think habitat could make a difference. Most kestrels I come across are very sensitive to human company but I saw one yesterday hunting across the cliffs/coast where there are hordes of dog walkers at any time of the day, and he didn't seem too bothered by human company nor dogs. Maybe he's simply used to it. On the curlews: maybe it's just me they have an aversion to, Sue!

 

[njlarsen]

Maybe European Curlews have had unfortunate encounters with hunting ...
Niels

 

[SueO]

I should have pointed out that it really wasn't that close. I had the zoom all the way out (600mm). I'm terrible about such things, but maybe between 15 and 20 feet? I wasn't able to get out yesterday except for a short wander through my condo area. I got a few macro fuschia and 'bee in rose shots' from my garden. I can't wait to get back down to Mexico and see what I can get. We go the first week of December for a few weeks. The forest should be green and active, and I hope to be fairly comfortable with the camera by then. It's a bit heavier than the HX400v, but it didn't bother me during my short walk at Bolsa.

 

[Swissboy]

I didn't know they were particularly skittish. It did fly off with an angry squawk after about eight shots (one of the features I like about this camera is very quiet clicks). I felt bad as I didn't feel it was at all bothered by me or the distance between us. In fact, I was a bit surprised that when I put the camera down, it yelled at me and flew off. I have been fairly close to them on several occasions at Bolsa Chica and I've never noticed unusual nervousness. Maybe they know from experience that this is a 'safe' zone? I think this one was close because it was very high tide, and much of the muddy flat areas were underwater. Still, there were lots of muddy areas available, he chose to land near the walkway!

One point that might have caused it to go: Birds are often startled by fast movements. And from my own experience, I know I'm less careful with my movements after the pictures than before. So maybe you put that camera down just that little bit too fast?

 

[SueO]

One point that might have caused it to go: Birds are often startled by fast movements. And from my own experience, I know I'm less careful with my movements after the pictures than before. So maybe you put that camera down just that little bit too fast?

Maybe, but I have years and years of having my bins around my neck and my camera hanging from my right shoulder. It's automatic now how I lower and let go of my bins, reach my camera and bring it to my eyes, focus and put it back when ready to get the bins back up. It's possible I might have been too fast, or too jerky or too 'stood up' afterwards making me 'enlarged', but I don't think so. Maybe it wasn't worried while my face was hidden by the camera but was startled to see a human suddenly standing there when the camera was gone and a face appeared? When I think about it, I think I was just there too long. I became enamored of the way his feet were so visible in the clear, shallow water and probably spent too much time gazing. Often birds are tolerant for a certain amount of time, and when that time is up, they leave, believing they are being stalked. How many times have birders flushed a bird after quite some minutes even when we don't see the bird? Many times I have seen a movement and stopped, bins half way up, scanning to find what moved. Sometimes the bird (or whatever) stays motionless hoping to escape eye contact. Often, while waiting for the original movement to be seen, out flies a closer bird who has become nervous that I have been there too long, even though I never saw it.
Took the camera out today and realized I have some problems I will need to solve. One is that I can't seem to focus on a small area at a distance. For instance: I saw an American Kestrel land in a nearly leafless, heavily branched Sycamore. With my old, smaller HX400v, I could have zoomed in between the branches and focused on the bird. This camera would not zoom in close enough to avoid the branches, making the camera focus on the branches in front rather than the bird. I had to physically move to an awkward spot to try and clear all branches. I found a site that has tips and tricks for the camera. I saw something about 'wide' and how to adjust. I will try and find it. I think it might have told how to narrow the field of view? Maybe I'm going to need to start using A, P or?? instead of auto? I hope not! I don't want to have to think about that stuff. I just want to bring the camera up and get an A. Adams quality shot first click. Is that too much to ask for?
Photos below: First attempt Second attempt--I would have thought for sure I could get the bird here, but no, the branches wouldn't allow it. Third, I moved to where I could have a clear shot. I supposed I could have backed off the zoom till the bird came into focus, then cropped later? I have time to work things out before leaving for Mexico.
Edit: I added a fourth image. It is a cropped and sharpened version of the third image originally posted here.

 

[MalR]

Hi Sue,

As with all cameras, if you have it set to Auto, the camera will decide where to focus. Where the object is isolated from any distracting clutter or background, then the camera will lock on to it, but In the situation you described in your last post, the camera doesn't know that the kestrel, not the branches, is the subject of your photograph.

Despite your reluctance, you'd be better off using Aperture Priority, which will then give you control over which focus area to use. At this stage, don't worry about changing the aperture: the camera will do that as you zoom in and out. At 600mm it will be at f4.

I have the Sony RX10IV, and I tend to use wide area focus only for birds in flight. In that situation, particularly against a clear background, it works very well.

In a situation like with your kestrel, I would switch to either centre or flexible spot. If you choose the latter option, you can also fine tune it between small, medium and large. Basically, the more clutter you are trying to shoot through, the smaller the focus area should be.

To change the focus area, go into Camera 1 in the menu, Page 5, "Focus Area", and there you'll find the various options.

Of course, delving into the menu can be a bit time-consuming, so as you become more familiar with the camera you'd be better off assigning this to one of the custom buttons. I have it assigned to the Fn button on the back of the camera, and this saves quite a bit of time in the field.

Hope that helps, and good luck as you move forward with your new camera. You've certainly made a great start.

Malcolm

 

[SueO]

Thank-you, Malcom, that was a very helpful post. It's incredible that I can program custom buttons. Sort of like my car allows 5 saved positions for the drivers seat? I will check out the focus area options and take some shots on AP.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Maybe, but I have years and years of having my bins around my neck and my camera hanging from my right shoulder. It's automatic now how I lower and let go of my bins, reach my camera and bring it to my eyes, focus and put it back when ready to get the bins back up. It's possible I might have been too fast, or too jerky or too 'stood up' afterwards making me 'enlarged', but I don't think so. Maybe it wasn't worried while my face was hidden by the camera but was startled to see a human suddenly standing there when the camera was gone and a face appeared? When I think about it, I think I was just there too long. I became enamored of the way his feet were so visible in the clear, shallow water and probably spent too much time gazing. Often birds are tolerant for a certain amount of time, and when that time is up, they leave, believing they are being stalked. How many times have birders flushed a bird after quite some minutes even when we don't see the bird? Many times I have seen a movement and stopped, bins half way up, scanning to find what moved. Sometimes the bird (or whatever) stays motionless hoping to escape eye contact. Often, while waiting for the original movement to be seen, out flies a closer bird who has become nervous that I have been there too long, even though I never saw it.
Took the camera out today and realized I have some problems I will need to solve. One is that I can't seem to focus on a small area at a distance. For instance: I saw an American Kestrel land in a nearly leafless, heavily branched Sycamore. With my old, smaller HX400v, I could have zoomed in between the branches and focused on the bird. This camera would not zoom in close enough to avoid the branches, making the camera focus on the branches in front rather than the bird. I had to physically move to an awkward spot to try and clear all branches. I found a site that has tips and tricks for the camera. I saw something about 'wide' and how to adjust. I will try and find it. I think it might have told how to narrow the field of view? Maybe I'm going to need to start using A, P or?? instead of auto? I hope not! I don't want to have to think about that stuff. I just want to bring the camera up and get an A. Adams quality shot first click. Is that too much to ask for?
Photos below: First attempt Second attempt--I would have thought for sure I could get the bird here, but no, the branches wouldn't allow it. Third, I moved to where I could have a clear shot. I supposed I could have backed off the zoom till the bird came into focus, then cropped later? I have time to work things out before leaving for Mexico.
Edit: I added a fourth image. It is a cropped and sharpened version of the third image originally posted here.

Hi Sue,

It's not a camera I have, but I reckon with any bridge camera the farther away you are the more problems you'll encounter, whether that's focus or anything else. The only focusing issue I notice with the P950 is that when you have a brightish day, and you have a bird with a lightish head, then the camera is struggling to pick out the bird, particularly at a distance.

What I'd say about aperture mode is that there's really nothing to it. I went 'round the houses making the same mistakes a few times, but really all we're doing at its base form is finding that balance between ISO and shutter speed, and judging how far you can go with EV to increase the shutter speed while maintaining decent exposure. That's something you'll very quickly get used to through a bit of experience.

In the final analysis, taking pictures at a distance with a bridge camera is not going to get anyone a decent image and post processing won't retrieve it. I'd be thinking first and foremost, I need to learn to get close and keep the camera steady.

 

[SueO]

Paul, agree that the closer I can get the better. I started carrying a camera as a necessity. Everytime I sailed into a new avi-fauna area, I had to learn new birds. As a non-birder before starting a circumnavigation, I really needed the aid for ID. Now, I'm just used to birding that way and I have wished I had a camera when I haven't. I will learn more as I get used to this camera, but unlike my others, I think I will try to learn something other than leaving it on auto and clicking away. I had a great morning at the Huntington Beach Central Park. It was bright and sunny and a great day for a walk before it got too hot. It's 2:30 p.m. now and 92degrees (33c) on my patio about 2 miles from the beach. One thing that helped immensely was making sure the view I got in the viewfinder was set right! I now don't have a blurry blob. I did some experimenting. Tonight I will do some reading. I need to be able to take advantage of a few of the features. Here are a few cropped and edited shots from this morning. Red-shouldered Hawks, Bushtit--these are very fast little guys and it's hard to get a good photo, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Warbler. I really like this camera and I am very happy with the purchase.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Paul, agree that the closer I can get the better. I started carrying a camera as a necessity. Everytime I sailed into a new avi-fauna area, I had to learn new birds. As a non-birder before starting a circumnavigation, I really needed the aid for ID. Now, I'm just used to birding that way and I have wished I had a camera when I haven't. I will learn more as I get used to this camera, but unlike my others, I think I will try to learn something other than leaving it on auto and clicking away. I had a great morning at the Huntington Beach Central Park. It was bright and sunny and a great day for a walk before it got too hot. It's 2:30 p.m. now and 92degrees (33c) on my patio about 2 miles from the beach. One thing that helped immensely was making sure the view I got in the viewfinder was set right! I now don't have a blurry blob. I did some experimenting. Tonight I will do some reading. I need to be able to take advantage of a few of the features. Here are a few cropped and edited shots from this morning. Red-shouldered Hawks, Bushtit--these are very fast little guys and it's hard to get a good photo, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Warbler. I really like this camera and I am very happy with the purchase.

Hi Sue,

Your little bird with the blue head is a beauty!

I spent a lot of time experimenting with my camera and the conclusion I arrived at would have taken a brighter person a couple of hours, so there's really not much to the basics and the basics are good enough for amateurs (such as you and I). I suppose there is the element of learning being an organic process and having to make our own mistakes to truly understand what we're doing, but looking back I could have cut out a lot of the time I wasted by not assuming it was more difficult than it actually is.

Boiled down to its bare bones: the aperture mode sweet spot is generally thought to be a couple of notches up from the smallest f number; I personally never have ISO higher than 400 because the image is too grainy on this camera for my liking; the aforementioned two settings will then dictate your shutter speed (the lower/smaller the ISO and aperture f number, the higher the shutter speed will be which the camera will automatically generate). The only other basic setting that can impact your shutter speed is EV, minus EV will increase your shutter speed (I understand the science underpinning this but it's not necessary to do so). I personally quite like using minus EV on a bright day for reasons other than increasing the shutter speed. There is obviously more to it, such as considering your background and the colour of your bird, but those basics will get you going and then through experience you'll begin to make adjustments according to the background and the bird. I personally don't really adjust for the colour of the bird, I take more notice of the background.

On a bright day the settings I use are: aperture mode; ISO 200; EV -1 or -0.7; I generally use full zoom and the camera's automatic settings generate the aperture number based on that full zoom (usually around 6.5 even though I have aperture mode set at 2.8); the camera will then generate shutter speed of around 2000. On an overcast day I have ISO 400 and EV 0. So, all I am really doing there is picking my camera up in the morning (which was set to aperture mode and 2.8 the day before), having a look at how bright the day is and setting my ISO and EV accordingly, the camera does the rest.

You'll see many pictures on the forums where the ISO is really high in order to generate higher shutter speed, but bear in mind their cameras are more geared towards handling ISO and delivering good images at high ISO.

A point that you will read so many times is that high shutter speed is everything. I personally wouldn't assume that to be the case. I'm pretty confident that the best bet with my camera is to keep ISO low and if that means sacrificing shutter speed then so be it, and I have had some very nice images at low shutter speeds.

In terms of other camera settings such as: picture control, contrast, saturation, sharpening and so on, I did a lot of experimenting and in the end decided that the best bet was to keep everything on neutral or 0, and do my adjustments through post processing. At this point, I'm not fully convinced I've done the right thing in that respect but I'll stick with it for a while.

The beauty of establishing your basic settings and keeping with those, is that you can just get on with taking pictures and try a bit of experimenting without niggling thoughts such as: "should I have ISO higher, what's the shutter speed coming out at". I don't even consider shutter speed these days, I go with ISO and EV and let the camera deliver the shutter speed without worrying what it is. For instance: the general rule is to keep the sun behind you, but I have a picture of a siskin in my gallery and I've sat at 90 degrees to the sun with the EV banged up high and it's produced a nice glow to the picture without over-exposing, so while it is always useful to read what other people do it shouldn't stop you from trying out a few things that go against perceived wisdom.

The beauty of having a bridge camera is that it allows you to get much closer to the bird than more expensive much larger equipment. I spend a decent amount of time rolling around in the grass trying to get close without being spotted. I have pictures of kingfishers and a male kestrel in my gallery: I'm pretty close and they don't know I'm there. I would never have gotten that close with the more expensive, larger equipment. By getting closer you can bridge that gap in terms of quality of equipment.

All in all, there's not really much to setting your basic camera settings, there's no need to get lost in the technical aspects and I personally believe camera technique is at the very least as important: such as being able to keep the camera steady, being able to get close, being mindful of what is in the background and moving accordingly, knowing when to take your pictures (there's not much use in standing in front of a bird which is at a distance taking pictures because the pictures won't be any good and more than likely you'll chase the bird off into the other direction, instead spend that time working out how you're going to get close in order to get a decent image).

And finally, when you're reading about these things, it may be helpful to consider the background of the authors. Some people are very science minded, and it's possible they'll go right into the settings in huge amounts of detail and will have triangles, graphs and all sorts coming out of their ears. My words are those of someone who steered well clear of any science subjects at school, always preferred the ideas subjects such as English Literature, History, Religious Education and studied History at university. I mean, I used to walk into Physics classes and you'd have lads and lasses dissembling old radios and trying to build rockets to fly them to the moon, they loved that sort of stuff, whereas I'd be looking at the equipment completely lost thinking: "what is this, what am I meant to do with it, what is the point". So for me, I'm much more minded to just get some basic settings, get out there and enjoy the walks, nature, the birds and try some experimenting on the job.

All in all, it's meant to be enjoyable, so 'best of luck Sue and if I can get used to aperture mode, given my lifetime of aversion to technology; then anyone can!

 

[SueO]

So for me, I'm much more minded to just get some basic settings, get out there and enjoy the walks, nature, the birds and try some experimenting on the job.

Thank-you for taking the time for such an informative post. I do agree that the most important thing is getting out and enjoying the walks, hence the bridge camera and not the very nice, but unmanageable for walks, Cannon with several lenses that my husband got me for a birthday a few years ago. It would be great to put on a tri-pod in front of one of my hummingbird feeders, but that's not my primary interest. I'm a birder (sort of), not a photographer, although I have taken some shots I thought were good enough to share and I do enjoy photography. Happy trails and fair winds, Paul.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Thank-you for taking the time for such an informative post. I do agree that the most important thing is getting out and enjoying the walks, hence the bridge camera and not the very nice, but unmanageable for walks, Cannon with several lenses that my husband got me for a birthday a few years ago. It would be great to put on a tri-pod in front of one of my hummingbird feeders, but that's not my primary interest. I'm a birder (sort of), not a photographer, although I have taken some shots I thought were good enough to share and I do enjoy photography. Happy trails and fair winds, Paul.

No bother at all, Sue, but when you're winning awards for pictures entered into the National Geographic don't forget to slip me a few bob (a few bob being North East England slang for money). 'Best of luck!

 

[SueO]

No bother at all, Sue, but when you're winning awards for pictures entered into the National Geographic don't forget to slip me a few bob (a few bob being North East England slang for money). 'Best of luck!

😂😂

 

[Ruff-Leg]

Paul, agree that the closer I can get the better. I started carrying a camera as a necessity. Everytime I sailed into a new avi-fauna area, I had to learn new birds. As a non-birder before starting a circumnavigation, I really needed the aid for ID. Now, I'm just used to birding that way and I have wished I had a camera when I haven't. I will learn more as I get used to this camera, but unlike my others, I think I will try to learn something other than leaving it on auto and clicking away. I had a great morning at the Huntington Beach Central Park. It was bright and sunny and a great day for a walk before it got too hot. It's 2:30 p.m. now and 92degrees (33c) on my patio about 2 miles from the beach. One thing that helped immensely was making sure the view I got in the viewfinder was set right! I now don't have a blurry blob. I did some experimenting. Tonight I will do some reading. I need to be able to take advantage of a few of the features. Here are a few cropped and edited shots from this morning. Red-shouldered Hawks, Bushtit--these are very fast little guys and it's hard to get a good photo, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Warbler. I really like this camera and I am very happy with the purchase.

Excellent pictures, Sue! Not to belabor my previous post, but Steve Ingraham's booklet on using the RX10M4 is very helpful for the specific photography we're trying to do. I have attached a recent Harris's Hawk photo using Steve's bird and nature settings. For the Laughing Gull photo, I used his BiF settings. Both programed into MR for quick access. They may not be NatGeo quality, but I'm a birder first, who happens to take the occasional photo.

Good luck! R-L

 

[SueO]

Excellent pictures, Sue! Not to belabor my previous post, but Steve Ingraham's booklet on using the RX10M4 is very helpful for the specific photography we're trying to do. I have attached a recent Harris's Hawk photo using Steve's bird and nature settings. For the Laughing Gull photo, I used his BiF settings. Both programed into MR for quick access. They may not be NatGeo quality, but I'm a birder first, who happens to take the occasional photo.

Good luck! R-L

The book may not be a bad idea, I did find a good site on the net by a Wim Arys that gave a few good tips. I'm also a birder first, but if I hadn't had a camera with me at specific times, I couldn't have proved a few birds I needed to. Also, missed being able to when I didn't have a camera. Great photo of the Harris's Hawk. I don't believe I have one on my life list. Maybe I need another AZ trip!

 

[NorthernHarrier]

I've only begun to use this camera, but I have found that flexible spot AF with focus lock works well (in most cases) to isolate and focus on a small bird with foliage or branches around it, as others have suggested here. I have programmed my camera to use this for perched birds, and the focus lock works well to keep the camera focused on small, very active birds that never really stop moving. Like others have commented also, I use wide-area AF only for flying birds.

I've been able to get shots of kinglets, merlins, and other birds I would not have had any chance of photographing with my old camera, so as you can imagine, this camera has been a real help to me. I'm still just learning how to pan with flying birds and keep them centered in the frame, but I have confirmed that a tip I read somewhere about how to change between programs fast seems to work pretty well - I quickly turn the dial on the top left side of the camera from MR to M and then back to MR, then select the program I want to shoot with by using the control wheel and button. This can be done within a few seconds.

 

[SueO]

I've only begun to use this camera, but I have found that flexible spot AF with focus lock works well (in most cases) to isolate and focus on a small bird with foliage or branches around it, as others have suggested here. I have programmed my camera to use this for perched birds, and the focus lock works well to keep the camera focused on small, very active birds that never really stop moving. Like others have commented also, I use wide-area AF only for flying birds.

I've been able to get shots of kinglets, merlins, and other birds I would not have had any chance of photographing with my old camera, so as you can imagine, this camera has been a real help to me. I'm still just learning how to pan with flying birds and keep them centered in the frame, but I have confirmed that a tip I read somewhere about how to change between programs fast seems to work pretty well - I quickly turn the dial on the top left side of the camera from MR to M and then back to MR, then select the program I want to shoot with by using the control wheel and button. This can be done within a few seconds.

Thanks, NH.

 

[birdboybowley]

Hey guys, girlfriend is seriously considering this camera for our upcoming Ecuador trip but is worried about battery life....any firsthand info would be great so I know how many spares to get her for Xmas 👍😂😂