SP-100 on safari

Bought the SP-100 based on recommendations of a 'super zoom' camera for use on our first ever trip to Africa.  In general, I was very glad to have it.  The zoom is incredible.  I could zoom in on something and take a shot, then zoom in on the shot and see what kind of raptor was on a branch on a mountain ahead of us.  Just awesome.  It was quick, too, which is a huge benefit when dealing with random wild animals.

The dot-sight worked great.  I was able to get many birds on the wing and be able to identify them.  We never saw a Cheetah on the move so I couldn't test it out with a fast land animal.  I ended up leaving the dot-sight popped up all of the time after the push-down broke (see below).  This was actually a benefit as I began to rely on the dot-sight to quickly get a zoomed in animal into the view finder.

Problem 1: The most frustrating aspect of the camera was the lack of manual control over the flash.  Many times I wanted a fill for near subject during the day but it locks out the flash.  Even using the manual setting would not allow the flash.

Problem 2: The flash and dot-sight pop up fine, but after a few days of use, I could not push them back down.  The flash alone was fine, but the dot-sight lens would prevent the flash from being pushed back down.  I had to reach in and carefully fold that lens down until it latched before pushing the flash back down.

Problem 3: Focus.  It has three focus modes and none really seemed to work for safari.  I took over 3000 pictures and every 4th or 5th shot was out of focus.  If it has a means of manually focusing, I never found it.  This may not be unique to the SP-100, though.  Trying to shoot a bird in a tree often focused on the branch in front of it and there was no way around it.

Overall I'm glad we took this camera, and for the cost(!) it was better than expected.  One guy on a safari vehicle with us kept trying to change lenses in the dusty, bumpy, constantly moving game drive only to miss that critter completely.  I could zoom in and get several shots in an instant.

Kudu

Roller

where was that bird in the Sharing Photos 'BIRDS'???

awesome, i agree, please show more!

Good that the long zoom and the red dot sight work as advertised - but the mechanism should not have broken. That looks like a design feature never tested in earnest.

The DPR specs for the SP-100ee describe the Image Stabilisation as 'Optical'. My experience with IS on the SH-50 and SH-1 suggests - 3-axis IS helps with focussing at the long end, and 5-axis works better still. YouTube video comparisons suggest that 'optical' IS means 'in the lens', and it appears to be more effective than 2-axis IS on the sensor. Your experience with 3 out of 4 shots in focus compares to mine with Gannets In Flight on my 24x zoom pocket P&S jobs, and should be about par for the course.

Regarding DSLR users - I remember a guy on the Devonport ferry who spent the whole 10 minute trip selecting lenses, never getting a shot. I think the priority of such guys is just that - to be seen selecting lenses.

Your SP-100ee should still be under guarantee. If my experience with Olympus (Is 1000: Film transport, C-750UZ: dust suction) is still valid, the repair of your red dot sight lock mechanism may very well include an improvement of the design.

Henry

marcus550 wrote:

Bought the SP-100 based on recommendations of a 'super zoom' camera for use on our first ever trip to Africa. In general, I was very glad to have it. The zoom is incredible. I could zoom in on something and take a shot, then zoom in on the shot and see what kind of raptor was on a branch on a mountain ahead of us. Just awesome. It was quick, too, which is a huge benefit when dealing with random wild animals.

The dot-sight worked great. I was able to get many birds on the wing and be able to identify them. We never saw a Cheetah on the move so I couldn't test it out with a fast land animal. I ended up leaving the dot-sight popped up all of the time after the push-down broke (see below). This was actually a benefit as I began to rely on the dot-sight to quickly get a zoomed in animal into the view finder.

Problem 1: The most frustrating aspect of the camera was the lack of manual control over the flash. Many times I wanted a fill for near subject during the day but it locks out the flash. Even using the manual setting would not allow the flash.

Problem 2: The flash and dot-sight pop up fine, but after a few days of use, I could not push them back down. The flash alone was fine, but the dot-sight lens would prevent the flash from being pushed back down. I had to reach in and carefully fold that lens down until it latched before pushing the flash back down.

Problem 3: Focus. It has three focus modes and none really seemed to work for safari. I took over 3000 pictures and every 4th or 5th shot was out of focus. If it has a means of manually focusing, I never found it. This may not be unique to the SP-100, though. Trying to shoot a bird in a tree often focused on the branch in front of it and there was no way around it.

Overall I'm glad we took this camera, and for the cost(!) it was better than expected. One guy on a safari vehicle with us kept trying to change lenses in the dusty, bumpy, constantly moving game drive only to miss that critter completely. I could zoom in and get several shots in an instant.

Kudu

Roller

I just noticed that was your first post. Welcome to the forum, looking forward to more of your photographs, this guy is  my new screensaver, it is wonderful at that size.

Henry Falkner wrote:

Good that the long zoom and the red dot sight work as advertised - but the mechanism should not have broken. That looks like a design feature never tested in earnest.

The DPR specs for the SP-100ee describe the Image Stabilisation as 'Optical'. My experience with IS on the SH-50 and SH-1 suggests - 3-axis IS helps with focussing at the long end, and 5-axis works better still. YouTube video comparisons suggest that 'optical' IS means 'in the lens', and it appears to be more effective than 2-axis IS on the sensor. Your experience with 3 out of 4 shots in focus compares to mine with Gannets In Flight on my 24x zoom pocket P&S jobs, and should be about par for the course.

From what I've read in the 12 years or so I've been hanging around here, lens based IS tends to work better at longer distances than sensor based IS.  On DSLRs with optical viewfinders, lens based IS will stabilize the viewfinder.  Up until the 5 axis sensor IS came out, it was conventional wisdom that lens based IS worked better for shooting movies.

On the other hand, for mirrorless and DSLR cameras, sensor based IS work on all lenses, and you don't have to buy each lens with IS in it.  With electronic viewfinders, many cameras have the option to run IS when the shutter is 1/2 pressed, so that you can get a stabilized view.

In terms of specs, my main gripe with the SP-100 is that it isn't weather sealed (same issue with my Stylus-1).  And for many things, having a smaller camera (with less zoom range) trumps a bigger camera.  It depends on how often you need those long zoom cameras.

Regarding DSLR users - I remember a guy on the Devonport ferry who spent the whole 10 minute trip selecting lenses, never getting a shot. I think the priority of such guys is just that - to be seen selecting lenses.

Since I have upgraded cameras over the years, when I'm doing the DSLR/mirrorless thing, I now carry 2 bodies with different lenses attached, or even rarely 3 bodies (one with a wide angle zoom lens, one with a telephoto zoom lens, and a camera with a fast prime lens for low light/no flash).  I know precisely where each camera is, and I pick the appropriate camera out of the bag without taking my eyes off of the subject.  That can be heavy of course, and expensive (though often times by the time I upgrade, the previous cameras don't have much resale value).

However, that being said, I do also prefer to have the single camera with a long zoom range and not take the shoulder bag of doom.

But when I must bring home the shots, I do gear up in case something happens.  In my last renaissance faire, the video camera fell off of the tripod, and it broke one of the batteries, which was a problem covering the whole day.  Fortunately, I had brought my older video camera and E-M5, and was able to use both of those to capture videos when my main camera ran out of juice.

Your SP-100ee should still be under guarantee. If my experience with Olympus (Is 1000: Film transport, C-750UZ: dust suction) is still valid, the repair of your red dot sight lock mechanism may very well include an improvement of the design.

FWIW, I just sent in my E-5 for the cleaning under the extended warranty (one month before the warranty expired), and it was in the repair state for 2 full weeks (plus a few days for Olympus to get around to noticing that the camera was there).  My previous trip to warranty repair only took about 4 days once it had been registered.  So if you send it in, be prepared to be without the camera for about a month.

Michael Meissner wrote:

In terms of specs, my main gripe with the SP-100 is that it isn't weather sealed (same issue with my Stylus-1). And for many things, having a smaller camera (with less zoom range) trumps a bigger camera. It depends on how often you need those long zoom cameras.

I had the C-750UZ and the Stylus 7020 responding erratically to rain. The SP-570UZ exhibited a sticking zoom operation ring after a prolonged wet outing, but a judiciously applied lubricant spray fixed it. The Stylus 9010, SZ-30MR, SH-50 and SH-1 all survived showers (raindrops on the telescopic lens mount and the body), but they are all in use without any ill effects.

The four cameras in the paragraph above don't suck in any dust either. In my opinion, a camera that does NOT suck in any dust has a moderate weather resistance, even when it is not advertised for its weather resistance.

We have not seen reports about the SP-100ee sucking in dust, I feel the safari trekkers would have told us by now. The SP-100ee may very well have a moderate weather resistance as well.

Personally, I find the SP-100ee a very attractive proposition for outings that are dedicated to photography alone (with no shopping bags to carry).

Henry

Henry Falkner wrote:

The four cameras in the paragraph above don't suck in any dust either. In my opinion, a camera that does NOT suck in any dust has a moderate weather resistance, even when it is not advertised for its weather resistance.

For me, the main issue is rain.  I don't need to dive with the camera (though I appreciate there are those that do).  Dust can also be an issue.

But for a vacation camera, rain does happen.  A lot of times, I may be away from house/hotel for the entire day, and I need to think about whether my gear will survive the day.  If the weather forecast is 90% rain, then it is pretty clear I need weather protection.  But if it is 50%, do I take the lighter cameras and hope for the best (carrying plastic sandwich bags in case I guess wrong) or do I take the splash proof cameras so I don't have to worry?  Sometimes it can be an hour just to get back to the car/house/hotel so it isn't an option just to get out of the rain.

Great review , thanks just picked one up.