Canon SX260 HS, am close to keeping.

[Bob Buchanan]

How do you both hold that small camera steady? One reason I bought (another) bridge camera was the easy (for me) grip that allows me to hold it steady.

    Tom, it does take a bit of getting used to as my main camera it a full sized Canon DSLR 50D. The 260 comes with a wrist strap and if not in it's case, it is strapped to my wrist. It is so small that dropping would be easy - especially when placing it back into the soft case on my belt.

I also always use two hands when shooting. The left only holds and the right to zoom and shoot. When shooting I hold it pretty much the way I would hold a smart phone in landscape ready to thumb type. There is no handle otherwise as on larger cameras.

To steady especially when in full zoom I place my elbows on my chest. That places the camera about a foot from my eyes. When shooting with the 100-400 on my 50D, I hold the zoom in my left hand with my left elbow on my chest.

The moon shot in my album here was shot while leaning again the back corner of my RV - so I will to that type of thing whenever the shot or situation warrants it. I use whatever I find to lean or hold the camera against.

TomS mentioned using faster shutter speeds and I also do that. The IS and AF locking on the camera are very advanced for such a small box. So when spot metering as soon as I am over the target spot I'm looking for, I press the shutter half to lock the  setup. Then, even though the camera may move a bit, I get a stable shot. That assumes I have set the shutter speed fast enough.

Some use a mono pod with this - or any camera for stability when time or the shot does not warrant a tripod. I've never used one and I know TomS hates them - but some find them helpful.

I've had to learn and make adjustments - but otherwise, the 260 perfectly fills my needs for a walk around. I was hating that when out and about coming across an image that I couldn't capture with any quality beyond the ability of my smartphone. And I didn't want it to be harder to transport than the smartphone. Small camera, small case vs. my 50D - big camera big case.

 

[SeilerBird]

I don't really hate monopods or tripods, what I hate is carrying them around. I like to hike with as little extra baggage as possible. This is one of the reasons that this camera appeals to me so much. It fits in my shirt pocket, but I don't put it there since I know someday I will forget it is there and bend over. These types of cameras are only good for one bounce. Every shirt I own is a polo shirt with a pocket. And every pair of shorts I own are cargo shorts with a large pocket on each side that close with velco. The camera fits into that pocket and I can't even tell I have it with me. And it won't fall out due to the velco. It sure beats the heck out carrying a bowling ball around my neck for the last 10 years.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

I have been reading this thread for a couple of months and have decided that this summer I was going to buy an SX260.  I recently saw that they have an updated model now out the SX280.  It cost about $30 more but also has WiFi hookup.  So when the time comes I will probably order from Walmart to be delivered to my store or the RV park.  Either the 260 or 280 seem to be a great camera.  My digital SLR got stolen last summer in Newfoundland and don't want to replace with a large camera.

Glad to read you have enjoyed and benefitted from Tom and I bantering about the 260. Let us know when/if you get a 280 and how it goes for you. I would go for the 280 though imagine the 260 will come down a bit now that the 280 is out there.

 

[SeilerBird]

Bago isn't the only one. I have gotten several emails from members requesting more info on the 260. Every once in a while someone posts a thread here wanting to know which camera they should buy or upgrade to and I will be pointing them to this thread.

I don't see any need for me to upgrade to the 280, but I would love to upgrade to the green 260 but it would not be worth another $80 to do so. I think the green one is really sharp looking. So far the 280 only comes in black and red. Boo.

 

[Tom]

Delayed follow-up ... Thanks Bob. I have several P&S cameras that I can try/practice that with. I also have my smart phone.

Coincidentally ... we were sharing a Mothers Day lunch with friends and their family on Sunday. I stood up to take a photo of 'the family' with my smart phone, and later forwarded it for their archives. However, I found it quite difficult to hold it steady and to adequately see to compose the shot. When I viewed it at home later, I saw things I didn't see on the screen before I snapped the picture.

One other thing occurs to me ... in daylight I find it hard to view the screen on my smart phone, so I'm wondering how I'd adequately see to compose a picture.

 

[SeilerBird]

Is the LCD brightness turned all the way up?

The brightness on the LCD on my smart phone is turned all the way up and I still can't see good enough to compose in bright daylight. The whole problem is that the LCD sucks battery juice and smart phones use a lot of battery anyway. So I usually don't even bother to try and use my smart phone for photography. P&S camera don't use a lot of battery so they can turn the brightness up further than most cell phoned can.

I think the real answer for this problem might be Google Glasses.

 

[Tom]

The brightness is usually set around 80%. My P&S style means I don't think of changing it when I grab the phone to snap a pic. I could try setting it to auto but IIRC I previously found that unsatisfactory in some lighting conditions.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

  Am continually amazed at the stuff I get from my SX260. Have been enjoying the summer flowers in the NCal Loomis/Rocklin/Penryn/Roseville areas - and have added a few images to my Flickr SX 260 Album. And if I didn't have this compact w/me most of the time would have missed most of them. The little belt pouch was about $6.00 at Walmart.

Best to click the first image, then F11 for full screen and better viewing - and/or the lower right slanted arrows to set the photos in a black box effect.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob-bluecanon/sets/72157632876767918/

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Finally checked out the macro feature of the SX260.

Focus is manual - and can get within a few inches of the image. I found that when hand holding it is difficult to manually focus by adjusting the lens as such. So after getting close to focus I just move the camera a bit to fine tune. Have not done this on a tripod as yet - so not sure how much easier it will be to adjust the lens itself.

This test was on a fake flower at Sam's club yesterday. Was checking out Tablets - and decided to have a softserve while I checked soom reviews on my smartphone. The test was on the fake flower.

This link takes you to my SX260 album. The third thumbnail is the macro test of the fake flower.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob-bluecanon/sets/72157632876767918/

After clicking the thumbnail, press F11 for full screen and better viewing - and/or the lower right slanted arrows to set the photos in a black box effect.

Seilerbird - yes, I again ate part of the image after the shoot . . . 

 

[SeilerBird]

Seilerbird - yes, I again ate part of the image after the shoot . . . 

Did you eat part of the image or part of the flower? Film doesn't taste good. 8)