Full Moon ~ First PictureThe first night the camera moved into my house, I was on my way up to bed when I noticed the moonlight shining through the transom window. I brought the camera downstairs, opened the front door, and shot these pictures. In this picture I zoomed in as much as it would zoom: 20X - 560mm! The following full moon photos were taken the second night.
Full Moon Second PhotoShooting in the dark means one cannot always see the camera settings; it's even trickier when one is wearing glasses and composing images via the screen. Yes, the settings appear in the onscreen image but with a new camera, I was focused on trying to focus the picture! As a contact lens wearer, one of my requirements is a camera with a viewfinder, as I find my eyes' focal length and my arms' focal length are often at odds with the camera's focal length.
Full Moon Third PhotoUnlike my now-traded-in Canon SLR film camera with the 300mm lens, the viewfinder on this new digital Canon is not WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), and I usually had trouble determining if the shot was in focus with digital camera screens. This new Canon, though, the screen is much easier to use than the one on my little backup Canon Powershot A530. The screen pivots ever so nicely so I could shoot holding the camera high and angling the screen downward.
Full Moon Fourth PhotoAnd unlike trying to keep the camera steady while using the 300mm full zoom on the SLR Canon EOS, this new camera has such great image stabilizers, it did all the work for me. I have a tripod, but I have never used it, nor ever used the remote shutter cables. I like to travel light, and hauling around a tripod -- even one of the new tiny ones -- is just one more step that a non-techie wants to avoid.
Full Moon Fifth Photo The photo above is my favourite!! Though my blogs and website are image-based, I do not consider myself a professional photographer. My training is in journalism, which requires writers to take pictures, and though I love to take photos, I am an accidental photographer. I would not presume to compete with serious photographers.
That's why I am so excited about this new camera! It does the work for me. Whew! And with such great results, I am stoked! I took all these pictures with the camera set to AUTO. One can only imagine the results should I learn to use all the various settings.
Sunset Port Credit Mississauga OntarioThe day before - ie the first night the new Canon came home -- a late afternoon thunderstorm had passed and the sunset gave Port Credit a golden bath. Confession time: My upstairs windows could really use a cleaning, but I decided to see how the new camera would handle dust and rain drops. Again, I am very pleased with the results! Daresay if there had been no rain, you'd never know I was shooting through the dusty window.
Sunset Port Credit - Second PictureI zoomed in more for this photo -- could not BELIEVE how sharp the focus on the raindrops. Again, camera set to AUTO. My attitude was, "Okay, Camera! Let's see what you do when I just point and shoot. Then I will have some idea of what I need to learn."
Sunset Port Credit ~ Third PictureAnd here's the third photo. This window faces northwest, and if ony I could rid myself of the other townhouses and a few large trees, I could get some amazing sunset shots without leaving the house!
Rainbow Port Credit ~ New Camera Day OneAfter the rain, the rainbow over Lake Ontario, Port Credit. This is the view outside my front door. The grounds were really soaked after the storm, so I didn't feel like getting raingear on and heading to the lakeshore to get a better shot. Again, my attitude was Let's See What Happens Without Trying (or reading the manual first).
Earlier in the day, I used this new digital camera (here it is at Henry's camera web site - Canon SX20IS) to take pictures at a Mississauga park. See these daytime first day pics here.
So I am so excited about taking pics now with this new camera. No longer will shooting through windows elude me. Sunset, full moon, raindrops and more - look out, here I come!
And best of all, with the built-in lenses in the lengths I need (28mm-560mm), I can travel lighter - no need for large camera bag and several lenses. No need to scan photos before uploading to the website or the blogs! And better pictures from a non-photographer! WooHoo!!!
PS Forgot to say that with an adaptor ring, I can use my old polarizing filter on the new camera! Not even sure I will still need it, but good to know.
Update: Good information on how to take space shots here.
Friend just bought the same camera and loves it too! Look for warranty info and service centers for your country. Mine is for Canada of course :-)
Canon SX20IS
