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SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

Started Apr 13, 2018 | Discussions
saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside
9

I've been waiting for some decent weather to test the sx730 but no luck so I took a few shots in dreary, dark, pouring rain. This is nearly worst-case scenario conditions.

Here are the fully un-zoomed and fully zoomed shots straight out of camera.

These are handheld at 960mm equivalent, which is crazy. I can't believe they aren't all blurry. Please click "original size" to see detail. I can't wait to repeat this test in dry weather and good light.

Bridge un-zoomed in the rain, handheld

Bridge fully-zoomed, in the rain, handheld

Bridge #2, un-zoomed, in the rain, handheld

Bridge #2, un-zoomed, in the rain, handheld

Ship at middle right, un-zoomed, handlheld, in the rain

Ship fully-zoomed, handlheld, in the rain

Ship fully-zoomed, you can almost read the two dials in the center right (two round dials above the medium sized window on the bridge) which is nuts, even in good weather, much less in the rain, much less handheld

Canon PowerShot SX730 HS
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Halina123 Senior Member • Posts: 1,632
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

Nice examples of what can be achieved with a small sensor, good optics, long zoom range and all fits into a pocket.

Much better value for money than a pair of binoculars.

digitallollygag Senior Member • Posts: 1,338
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside
1

What's more remarkable is this camera is a Jpeg-only shooter. Very impressive. Try doing all that with a smartphone!

OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside
3

Here are a couple more no-zoom and fully-zoomed comparisons in better light FYI. It was mid-day light so not the best but better than rain. I'll try to do some more in the super-contrasty golden hour light when I can.

No-zoom.  Focus is on the left side of the little round tower. Handheld

Full-zoom.  Focus is on the left side of the little round tower. Handheld

Full-zoom. Focus is on the left side of the little round tower. Handheld

geepondy Senior Member • Posts: 2,303
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

Pretty cool for sure.  Canon must be selling them because they keep updating them.  Surprised they don't do raw support though.

Thanks for sharing.

saaber1 wrote:

Here are a couple more no-zoom and fully-zoomed comparisons in better light FYI. It was mid-day light so not the best but better than rain. I'll try to do some more in the super-contrasty golden hour light when I can.

No-zoom. Focus is on the left side of the little round tower. Handheld

Full-zoom. Focus is on the left side of the little round tower. Handheld

Full-zoom. Focus is on the left side of the little round tower. Handheld

 geepondy's gear list:geepondy's gear list
Canon PowerShot S100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Canon PowerShot G15 Canon PowerShot G7 X Canon G7 X II
OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside
2

geepondy wrote:

Pretty cool for sure. Canon must be selling them because they keep updating them. Surprised they don't do raw support though...

Yes raw would sure be nice. I would guess it's related to market segmentation. I.e. if a person wants raw plus "X" features they have to get a g3x/g5xII/g7xII etc. CHDK will undoubtedly come out with a build for it that will include RAW at some point.

But for the price it is an amazingly good way to achieve very long zoom. The JPEG image quality is surprisingly good. And it is pocketable (a bit smaller than g7xII). I'm using g7xII and sx730 as a combo. A couple more from today:

Focus point is streetlight in the center - unzoomed

Focus point is streetlight in the center - fully zoomed

OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

A few more fully zoomed shots:

Male robin guarding the nest. -oops just realized this was not fully zoomed.  It probably should have been though as the above shot was cropped a bit.

Jupiter with 3 moons

reyalp Regular Member • Posts: 201
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

saaber1 wrote:

Jupiter with 3 moons

If you use a shorter exposure (maybe ~1/32 at ISO 200) you should be able to see Jupiter's stripes and possibly the red spot if it's in view.

Here's a stacked (32 x 1/16 ISO 80) image from SX710, which has substantially less reach (only 750mm equivalent)

peter42y Senior Member • Posts: 2,204
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

 peter42y's gear list:peter42y's gear list
Ricoh Caplio R8 Canon IXUS 310 HS Nikon 1 V1 Canon EOS M
reyalp Regular Member • Posts: 201
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

peter42y wrote:

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

Well, Canon didn't add raw to SX730, but someone just did https://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=13573.msg142107#msg142107

OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

reyalp wrote:

peter42y wrote:

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

Well, Canon didn't add raw to SX730, but someone just did https://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=13573.msg142107#msg142107

Interesting. I would like to try RAW vs JPEG on the same subject like a sitting bald eagle to see effect on noise or when lifting shadows. With winter here it might be hard to find a decent day to test it though.

(unknown member) Senior Member • Posts: 1,455
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

peter42y wrote:

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

Which phones at this price level have RAW and this amount of zoom? People with their contracts do rather forget the price of these high end phones.

OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

AllFlawed wrote:

peter42y wrote:

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

Which phones at this price level have RAW and this amount of zoom? People with their contracts do rather forget the price of these high end phones.

That’s true. Sx730is is $180 for refurb right now on canon site using holiday19 code.

(unknown member) Senior Member • Posts: 1,455
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

saaber1 wrote:

AllFlawed wrote:

peter42y wrote:

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

Which phones at this price level have RAW and this amount of zoom? People with their contracts do rather forget the price of these high end phones.

That’s true. Sx730is is $180 for refurb right now on canon site using holiday19 code.

US only. Not really indicative of cost worldwide.

OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

AllFlawed wrote:

saaber1 wrote:

AllFlawed wrote:

peter42y wrote:

Canon should add raw to these lineup of cameras as well as hdr and other software tricks. Thats what phone makers have been doing. The camera looks great.

Which phones at this price level have RAW and this amount of zoom? People with their contracts do rather forget the price of these high end phones.

That’s true. Sx730is is $180 for refurb right now on canon site using holiday19 code.

US only. Not really indicative of cost worldwide.

I never said it was.

Jon_T
Jon_T Veteran Member • Posts: 6,393
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

saaber1 wrote:

I've been waiting for some decent weather to test the sx730 but no luck so I took a few shots in dreary, dark, pouring rain. This is nearly worst-case scenario conditions. ...

Nice series of shots.

Here are the fully un-zoomed and fully zoomed shots straight out of camera. ...

"... shots straight out of camera ..." ?

 Jon_T's gear list:Jon_T's gear list
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Canon PowerShot G15 Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Canon PowerShot S110 Leica C +16 more
OP saaber1 Senior Member • Posts: 2,164
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

Jon_T wrote:

saaber1 wrote:

I've been waiting for some decent weather to test the sx730 but no luck so I took a few shots in dreary, dark, pouring rain. This is nearly worst-case scenario conditions. ...

Nice series of shots.

Here are the fully un-zoomed and fully zoomed shots straight out of camera. ...

"... shots straight out of camera ..." ?

Yes those were sooc. Almost everything goes into Lightroom in my workflow.

ANAYV Forum Pro • Posts: 23,927
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside
1

Congrats.

No suprise that they arent blurry.

Just look at your shutter speeds. Light was actually not too bad, seeing 1/400th shutter speeds. I wish for such high speeds many times, shooting wildlife.

As most cameras having Image Stabilization , one should get about 3 to 5 stops gain in reducing blur from handholding the camera.

I can get non blurry images as low as  1/100th shutter speeds at 1200mm.

This of course does nothing for moving subjects, but does aid in sharp results with hand held shots at long zoom reach.

Enjoy your SX730!

ANAYV

reyalp Regular Member • Posts: 201
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

Here's a comparison. They're all different crops, but the same scale if you view at 100%. I'd process the single raw a bit differently if it were a final product, it's just the settings I used as input for the stack. Of course, you won't get to stack a bird in flight

Camera jpeg

Jpeg from raw with light processing

Stack of 32 raw with heavy post processing

Jon_T
Jon_T Veteran Member • Posts: 6,393
Re: SX730 zoom range is crazy! Sample photos inside

saaber1 wrote:

Jon_T wrote:

saaber1 wrote:

I've been waiting for some decent weather to test the sx730 but no luck so I took a few shots in dreary, dark, pouring rain. This is nearly worst-case scenario conditions. ...

Nice series of shots.

Here are the fully un-zoomed and fully zoomed shots straight out of camera. ...

"... shots straight out of camera ..." ?

Yes those were sooc. Almost everything goes into Lightroom in my workflow.

OK.

Never used LR.

With PSE and other photo apps I've used, app's never appeared in image's EXIF unless open/ saved.

 Jon_T's gear list:Jon_T's gear list
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Canon PowerShot G15 Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Canon PowerShot S110 Leica C +16 more
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