Have I bridged the gap? Not sure...
Having played around a bit with the FujiFinepix S1 I am unconvinced that this is for me. The first irritant was the lack of a proper manual. These on-line things are all very well but you aren't able to just pick up the on-line guide and browse through it over a cup of tea, or dog-ear the edge of the page if you read something interesting. If you happen to be under a bush trying to alter your ISO whilst deciding which "mode" suits the fast moving woodpecker best ( see shots further down this blog) an on-line manual stands no chance. To be frank, a paper manual stands little chance either as the bird will be gone by the time a read the thing - but it does demonstrate my personal preference. I find the various modes restrictive, and settings difficult to get right. As a confused experienced photographer I think less experienced users must struggle greatly, and simply revert to one of the automatic modes - that being another story, as they are not fully automatic as you might expect.
Enough rambling - here is a decent enough shot of a woodpecker taken at maximum zoom equivalent of 1200mm, at about 20 feet distance.
For the techies out there 1/125th second at f5.6, 1200mm, ISO 400, and rather "flat" light conditions as the snow was melting in the background. Hand rested on a support as at maximum zoom there is a fair bit of camera shake. This was taken in one of the preset modes suitable for moving subjects. Given that the max lens aperture is f2.8 and I focused on the tree itself I would have thought that the camera would have taken the shot at 1/250 or faster, increasing the ISO. It seems to be a characteristic of the camera that modes do not automatically alter the ISO as well as the aperture / shutter speed to suit light conditions when supposedly operating in a semi-automatic mode. Also, continuous shutter firing does not seem to be available when shooting in RAW or anything other than one of the lower resolution file formats such as standard JPG. They don't tell you that in the sales info. You have to wait for the camera to process the shot before taking the next one. Not good. and yes, I use a very fast memory card. There is also a firmware fault. In manual settings, the software display tells me I am setting my aperture, but it is the shutter speed which alters, vice versa when trying to set a manual shutter speed. Not the kind of fault which should get passed beta testing. (apologies for using semi-technical terms. If you understand them, fine. if you don't, you are probably better off).
I wonder if I expect too much. Enough grumps. I shall try and be more positive in my next review. Current score 4/10. More later.
Bridging the Gap
After lugging my "walking around" bag all these years I have decided to look for something a lot lighter. My daily kit is simple, but heavy, must be around 3kg.
Canon 5D Mk 111, 24-70 f2.8L, 70 - 200 F2.8L, a polarising filter and a couple spare batteries, all in a Lowepro 300 backpack. Other contents appear if I have a plan.
So, here I am in the hunt for a Bridge Camera. Not as straight forward as it sounds, as most of these are aimed at the casual user, not the enthusiast or Pro, so the features in most of the models available are not all they should (or could) be, being geared towards that sector. Having done my research from a knowledge base of zero, I had to abandon my idea that DSLR facilities would be available in a smaller package, and accept some compromise. Oh, the features I want are out there, it's just that they are not all in one camera, without paying silly money. I think my needs as an advanced user are simple
F2.8 max aperture (knocks out 60% of bridge cameras)
RAW shooting (knocks out 90% of bridge cameras)
A reasonable zoom - anything over say 400mm max zoom is fine, but down to 200mm would be ok), so most fit fine.
Lightweight and pocket stuffable - say under 800gms
Resolution circa 20mp, as I print often at A3 or above, but 16mp is acceptable (knocks out 50%) of the cameras
Viewfinder (not a useless screen) and a good feel in the hand, all for a decent budget of under £500.
Not an unreasonable list, however different models are excluded by the percentages above when the different criteria are applied, resulting and a shortlist of about 3 cameras! My hotlist boils down to the Canon Powershot SX60 (just under £300), Fuji Finepix S1 (£265), or the Lumix FZ1000 (£490). To be frank, given that the Canon lens is a max 3.4 aperture, and the Lumix is at the top end of the budget, the Fuji is looking good, as do the reviews. Just ordered one.
Talk to the animals (and birds)
Wildlife seems to be gathering around me these days, a bit like Dr Doolittle, without the verbals. Most mornings when I walk into the barn at the back of the house I have a staring competition with my resident Tawny Owl.
He's fine if I wander off in a left hand direction, and even sits tight if I walk back to the door, But if I head in his direction he's off. Thing is, he's there one minute, gone the next out through the far end of the barn, and he is completely silent. Not even a flutter, or a "bye". So I decided I needed a few shots of the little guy. Thing is, when he isn't there in the morning, I kinda miss him.
Selected for the 2016 calendar for Trinity House
This shot of Longstone lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been selected for the Trinity House Calendar 2016. Trinity House is the lighthouse authority for England and Wales, and the organisation was granted a Royal Charter by Henry V111 way back in 1514.
Not a natural
I find nature a bit elusive. Not that I am a particularly skilled nature photographer - I tend to dabble a bit when I go out with the camera with really long bits attached to the end. Snag is, I seem to be unable to get out of bed for the nice early shots when our friends in the animal kingdom are out and about and feeding, before their habitat becomes invaded with strange bearded people skulking around in the bushes dressed in green. So I have to take what is left.
When I do manage to locate something interesting to shoot - such as the native Red Squirrel - it always seems to be on the other side of the tree trunk, or vanishing into undergrowth. The one above thumbed its nose at me seconds before I released the shutter. Perhaps I need a faster camera. And no, the photo is not the wrong way up. This really is a horizontal squirrel. Honest.
Luckily, another less awkward squirrel agreed to pose for the shot below.
He looks a bit like Tom Cruise. I think he has aspirations. Not all squirrels are the same.