Wildlife Photography across the Water: Sony and the Compacts

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Sony and the Compacts

Well the 24th came and went and it was only Sony that produced the goods, They certain show some aggression in the marketplace and the new A77 has a ton of features including 24MP, 12FPS and GPS, The price is very competitive especially if you take the kit with the F2.8 lens, Time will tell if the IQ is anything to right home about and i look forward to seeing some real reviews taken in normal conditions rather than studio shots, The pressure is now well and truly on Canon and Nikon who showed up with some compacts-woop de do, Talking of compacts the new Panasonic TS3 arrived here yesterday and i have had a play and first impressions are very very good, We have had a Panasonic Lumix for about 2 years and this new waterproof version is lighter, Its lens has a smallish zoom but does not extend like most compacts, Its waterproof to 40 feet and has features like GPS,Compass, Altimeter and Barometer, It also says that its shockproof to 6 feet and can handle temperatures down to -10, So all in all more features than you can shake a stick at, oh and dont forget the 1080 video, Now compacts do not really enter the world of wildlife photography but its always nice to have one in your pocket just incase, And with this version you can at least get in the water hand try a cheap way of underwater photography, Image quality was surprisingly good,Better than my old Panasonic and as long as the ISO is below 400 the images are good and ISO 100 very good, The built in flash was a shock, Its pretty powerful, easily lighting a dark room up and worked well when it was dark inside and light out of the windows balancing the light very well,For $299 that it costs here in the states its a bargain, I took a few images around the apartment today when it was very bright, Here i am backlit and without the flash i was a silhouette, I should have dialled in some negative compensation to calm the sky down but overall the exposure was pretty good

Dave

2 comments:

Anonymous25 August 2011 at 11:10
Hi Dave,
Not quite photography related but I hope you ride out Hurricane Irene safely. Not sure whereabouts you are in NC, but it looks like the coast could take a battering at the moment. Anyway stay safe.
All the best,
Neil Kristiansen
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WPATW25 August 2011 at 21:51
Thanks Neil
I should be OK in Raleigh, Winds here predicted to to under 40mph so a nice stiff breeze to help with the 90 degree temperatures-might have a pina colada on the balcony-lol, I think the outer banks will take a hammering and i am sure the beaches etc will suffer big time

Thanks anyways

Dave
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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.