Question for Canon S3 owners?

[John_Reed]

Of course I'm well-known as a Panasonic guy. But I was wondering how the S3 does with birding shots? So I looked around the Canon forum at dpreview and didn't find any bird threads. I started to look down the bird gallery thread on this forum, but cameras aren't necessarily listed with posts. Can any of you just post some links or photos of birds, either/or perching birds or birds-in-flight? And what kinds of TC adapters do people use with the S3, if any?

[nism]

i havent taken many bird pics, but this was taken on auto at 12x zoom
i have the canon tele, but didnt use it here
i'm not very experienced in shooting birds:o
http://www.charous.com/uploads/ef9e864822.jpg

[John_Reed]

That's pretty good. Was it taken under overcast skies? Maybe you could post the EXIF data please? Those Aussie birds look pretty exotic to this Yankee. What kind is it?

Your photo - was it taken at full zoom? Any issues focusing at full zoom, or issues doing same with teleconverter attached?

I'm asking these silly questions on behalf of a friend of mine who's interested in the S3.

[tim11]

.......Those Aussie birds look pretty exotic to this Yankee. What kind is it?
....

That bird? EXOTIC? They are almost as common as pigeons here. That's the reason why I did pay too much attention to them...... Maybe that will change from now. :D

[John_Reed]

What's commonplace in OZ is non-existent here in the US. You guys don't have hummingbirds, right? So the shoe wears well on the other foot. What about Golden-Crowned Sparrows?
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/104657968-L.jpg
Or Turkey Vultures?
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/104659836-L.jpg
Both of these birds are pretty commonplace in the old US of A. See them around in OZ? I just captured them locally yesterday with my FZ30 + TC.

[Rhys]

The first time I saw a Cardinal, my jaw dropped yet where I was in Maryland they were very common. When I chatted to my next-door-neighbour one day I saw a humming bird hovering next to me. I'd never seen one before outside of an exotic bird house when I was in Britain.

I took some bird photos in Britain with my S1 IS but they weren't very good as I was always either too far away or the light was too dim. When I did the same in Charleston I found birds galore in bright daylight.

[tim11]

John,
I have never seen that vulture but the sparrow seems familiar. We do have sparrows though I don't know golden crowned or not. In fact, what do I know about birds? :)
Am I right to think the galah is Aussie native bird? And the Ibis? The ibis has been a pest lately in Sydney due to the draught where they are supposed to migrate to (in other part of the country).
You see some galah, ibis and sparrows here. Before, I couldn't get that close to a sparrow without Tcon.
http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/

nism,
Maybe this thread indirectly answer your question about the lack on photography subject in urban area?

[John_Reed]

John,
I have never seen that vulture but the sparrow seems familiar. We do have sparrows though I don't know golden crowned or not. In fact, what do I know about birds? :)
Am I right to think the galah is Aussie native bird? And the Ibis? The ibis has been a pest lately in Sydney due to the draught where they are supposed to migrate to (in other part of the country).
You see some galah, ibis and sparrows here. Before, I couldn't get that close to a sparrow without Tcon.
http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/

nism,
Maybe this thread indirectly answer your question about the lack on photography subject in urban area?Those images are small, and lack enough EXIF data to determine their origin or the camera used. What camera was used for these, and did you take the photos?

[tim11]

800x600 too small? In fact, my link has sidetracked somewhat to your original question.
Yes I took all those photos with FZ20 and TCON17.

[nism]

That's pretty good. Was it taken under overcast skies? Maybe you could post the EXIF data please? Those Aussie birds look pretty exotic to this Yankee. What kind is it?

Your photo - was it taken at full zoom? Any issues focusing at full zoom, or issues doing same with teleconverter attached?

I'm asking these silly questions on behalf of a friend of mine who's interested in the S3.
it was the 11th pic i ever took on the s3 so it was a while back
yes it was cloudy
heres the exif:
File Name IMG_0011.JPG
Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Shooting Date/Time 24/05/2006 3:10:52 PM
Shooting Mode Auto
My Colors Mode Off
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/640
Av (Aperture Value) 3.5
Light Metering Evaluative
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed High ISO Auto
Lens 6.0 - 72.0 mm
Focal Length 72.0 mm
Digital Zoom None
IS Mode On
Image Size 2816x2112
Image Quality Fine
Flash Off
White Balance Auto
AF Mode Single AF
Parameters Contrast Normal
Sharpness Normal
Saturation Normal
Color Space sRGB
File Size 2037 KB
Drive Mode Single-frame shooting
Owner's Name me!

and ive never had issues with the AF at 12x or with the tele
and no ive never seen a turkey vulture
:)

if your interested here is a 100% crop
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/1103/img0011lp1.th.jpg (http://img291.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0011lp1.jpg)

[John_Reed]

Actually, your "100% crop" looked better than your original post, for some reason. Thanks for the post. Still looking for more examples, though. Like finding hen's teeth? :)

[Rhys]

The noise has an almost film-like quality to it!

[nism]

mate if youre still interested, i've got a couple more from today
everyone was a bit wet and whiney after the (rare) rain
*clicky*
all were taken using P mode, ISO 100, 12x
didnt have time for the tele
ive included resized originals+100% crops
http://img37.imagevenue.com/loc438/th_18230_100_122_438lo.jpg (http://img37.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18230_100_122_438lo.jpg)http://img101.imagevenue.com/loc382/th_18236_101_122_382lo.jpg (http://img101.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18236_101_122_382lo.jpg)http://img109.imagevenue.com/loc320/th_18241_103_122_320lo.jpg (http://img109.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18241_103_122_320lo.jpg)http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc403/th_18246_104_122_403lo.jpg (http://img163.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18246_104_122_403lo.jpg)
http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc594/th_18252_105_122_594lo.jpg (http://img163.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18252_105_122_594lo.jpg)http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc418/th_18257_106_122_418lo.jpg (http://img46.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18257_106_122_418lo.jpg)

btw rhys: did you mean that in a good or bad way? not sure

[Rhys]

mate if youre still interested, i've got a couple more from today
everyone was a bit wet and whiney after the (rare) rain
*clicky*
all were taken using P mode, ISO 100, 12x
didnt have time for the tele
ive included resized originals+100% crops
http://img37.imagevenue.com/loc438/th_18230_100_122_438lo.jpg (http://img37.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18230_100_122_438lo.jpg)http://img101.imagevenue.com/loc382/th_18236_101_122_382lo.jpg (http://img101.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18236_101_122_382lo.jpg)http://img109.imagevenue.com/loc320/th_18241_103_122_320lo.jpg (http://img109.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18241_103_122_320lo.jpg)http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc403/th_18246_104_122_403lo.jpg (http://img163.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18246_104_122_403lo.jpg)
http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc594/th_18252_105_122_594lo.jpg (http://img163.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18252_105_122_594lo.jpg)http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc418/th_18257_106_122_418lo.jpg (http://img46.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=18257_106_122_418lo.jpg)

btw rhys: did you mean that in a good or bad way? not sure

I merely noticed it looked film like. It wasn't a negative comment. I quite like the qualities of film.

[TEMPA]

But I was wondering how the S3 does with birding shots? Can any of you just post some links or photos of birds, either/or perching birds or birds-in-flight?

3 bird shots taken yesterday 18/11 here in Oz.

17388
17389
17390

All taken with my S3 with Lensmate 58mm adaptor fitted but with NO filters or T/C.

No P/P on the pics, just crop and re-size.

TEMPA

[John_Reed]

I'd say the first one was cramped only by lack of sunlight, and your Dove shots are tack sharp. Thanks for posting. What kind of TCs do you have to fit that 58mm adapter?

[TEMPA]

I'd say the first one was cramped only by lack of sunlight, and your Dove shots are tack sharp. Thanks for posting. What kind of TCs do you have to fit that 58mm adapter?

Thanks for your comments.

The 3 shots I posted were - spot the bird, zoom and shoot, all in P mode and AWB. Just had to get the shot before the birds took off again. They were all in the trees around my mother's backyard, having just been feeding on the bread she throws out for them every day.

I don't have a T/C yet but I am seriously eyeballing the Sony VCL-DH1758. Looks to be the best option for maximum magnification while still having excellent IQ.

TEMPA

[chelle]

Here are a few Magpies I have taken recently in my backyard with my S3 IS on auto from 6-10 feet away (they are not particularly scared of us, I did have some of them eating out of my hand in the past). I would love a better lens to get more definition and detail in the feathers.

Michelle

[John_Reed]

You mean like:

http://John-Reed.smugmug.com/photos/114588024-L.jpg

A couple of Ravens I caught preening each other the other day with my FZ30 and Nikon TC-E17ED telephoto extender, at ~900mm focal length.

But in all fairness, my Ravens wouldn't have been so sharp and shiny if the Sun hadn't been shining on them. I think your Magpie suffers from that same lack. When you catch your Magpie in the sunshine, you may get better results! Thanks for posting your shots.:)

[chelle]

Wow that is an awesome shot, definitely the sort of thing I am aiming for.

Each of those photos were taken under less than optimal lighting conditions. I've learnt a few more things about my camera and manual settings since taking these shots and I am hoping to get some more shots very soon.

[John_Reed]

Wow that is an awesome shot, definitely the sort of thing I am aiming for.

Each of those photos were taken under less than optimal lighting conditions. I've learnt a few more things about my camera and manual settings since taking these shots and I am hoping to get some more shots very soon.A little sunlight in a photo works magic with colors, details, you name it. I'm glad to see you're trying to "push the envelope" on the S3 for more bird shots. I'd love to see them. I don't know whether the lack of responders to this thread's question means that not very many S3 users bother with birds, or that they don't want to honor my query with a response, or what's going on.

Speaking of using manual controls, I mainly use the Pv setting (sometimes Av on an overcast day) for my bird shots with the FZ30. What advantage do you think you'll get with manual controls on the S3?

[chelle]

Hi John

While we are haing lovely sunny days, the birds won't co-operate and come out of the shade! At least they are making me learn how to use all my manual settings. I'm not sure why there are not many people responding, can you maybe change the topic to read "Bird photography with S3" or something? That might help.

I'm using the manual settings purely because I want to learn how to take good photos in any light setting, so even though I would love to get them in full sun, the poor lighting is teaching me a lot:D

So here are a few more from me, the bronzewing pigeon was taken in the other morning 8.00am ish and the magpies were taken late this evening, I used flash fill for some of the ones of the maggies.

I was lucky enough to have one very obliging magpie who just posed for the camera for about 15 minutes, he was only about five feet away from me on my back lawn so I got quite a few good shots.