A few weeks ago I posted a query to find a good, easy camera to use for various situations, including birding.  I wasn't looking for professional quality equipment, because price was very important.  I had many suggestions and some folks sent me photos, too, so I could "check out" their cameras.  

I really liked the Canon PowerShot s90, and actually went out to buy one.  However, one was not to be easily found locally. Then I realized one of the cameras that did not serve me as I wised was a different Canon Power Shot, and my enthusiasm for that series waned. 

My second choice was a Sony Cyber Shot 9.1 DHC-S50 with a 15x zoom.  A friend had taken a vacation and posted a wide variety of really good photos on her facebook page, including a stunning blue grouse.  She's pretty good with a camera, but these were REALLY good photos for a $400 camera. 

So I went to buy that camera and - by mistake, I guess - ended up with a Sony Cyber Shot 9.1 DHC HX1 with 20x zoom.  The price was $400

I really, really like this camera.  I spent the weekend shooting on a vacation in Ocean City, and it did a nice job under most conditions.  The subjects were my kids, the ocean, some dolphins pretty far away, night at the kiddie race-track and boogie boarding in the ocean.  The camera has a "burst" mode that is reasonably fast and manages to focus pretty well on moving objects.  I tried it on a group of barn swallows, and some flying birds were in focus, some were not, but still it was quite satisfactory.   The action shots of the kids in the ocean were superb - did a great shot with the splashing, the water and the color saturation.  The action was stopped and in focus, but the "burst" mode is probably slower than professional SLRs.  It's absolutely fine for my use.  

I have not yet gotten really decent bird shots, but I haven't pointed it at many birds. I did go out to Mt. Calvert, and shot a cardinal and kingbird from the house across the yard, just to see if it would pick them up as blobs or birds - and the birds were clear and identifiable (although in lousy positions - photographer error!).  So that's pretty impressive to me.  Also at Mt. Calvert I tried shooting some flowers - trumpet vine and magnolia blossom - and it gave remarkable results.   

The camera is a top of the line point and shoot, and is easy to use.  It has a lot of features (most of which I have not begun to explore).  Also, one can use it in auto mode, "easy" mode, shutter-priority mode, apeture priority mode and manual mode - so one can have an larger experience in photography than just point and shoot. It also has a panorama feature, which is pretty fun, but little more than a novelty for me. 

I read that the major drawback of the Sony was low light performance.  I can see it's not quite as crisp and clear as in other situations, but it is still much better than other point and shoots I have owned.  However, it does have a "twilight" mode, which I have not yet used (my son discovered it and took a few very nice shots of nighttime at Ocean City), so it might do even better than I experienced in low light.  For me, the biggest drawback is my losing the manual - so I have no clue about some of the features!  But that's my problem, not the camera's.  

They say that the Canon Power Shot is very good in low light, but it's zoom is not as powerful as the one I bought.  The Canon also does NOT have HD movies... the movie feature on the Sony is pretty good. 

Anyway, I'm pleased with my choice, so far!  If anyone is thinking of buying a camera, I can share some photos. 

Joanne

Joanne Howl, DVM
West River, MD
20778