Powershot sx500 IS

The SX500 supposedly has better focusing and perhaps has improved image stabilization. If you're interested in using the 840mm zoom to take pictures of birds or other small mobile creatures, and would like to enter the market at a better price point, I would seriously consider the SX500 over the SX40. The SX40 focuses just fine for most situations, but if a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker lands in your viewfinder for a couple of seconds, your going to want the camera to focus and the shutter to fire, something the SX40 struggles to do and the SX500 promises to improve upon. I would weigh the loss of an articulated viewfinder and other deficits of the SX500 against the real world need for speed and stability.

I am an SX40 user and think the camera is God's gift to amature bird photography. But using it for a year on birds in my backyard, I find myself greatly desirous of faster focusing--and had the SX50 not been announced, I would have considered "upgrading" to the SX500. The big question would have been whether the SX500's sensor was up to snuff. Of course, the SX50 does exist and barring negative reviews of its lens, it will very likely be my next camera.

As someone who has spent many thousands of dollars over the years on 35 mm and dslr bodies, lenses and stability equipment, dropping $450 (the price of a good ball head) for a complete, hand-holdable, 1200mm bird photography setup, which is what the SX50 is, is an easy decision.

Roy