HX50 vs TZ40 vs XF1 completely stuck..

topcat07

topcat07

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Hello,

Not sure which to purchase out of these? The camera needs to be an all rounder landscape, wildlife, portrait, low light conditions such as gigs and good video quality

IQ is important but at the same time I think zoom may come in handy. But if I am zooming in 30x and it looks horrendous maybe I am wasting my time.. I am not sure how these suoerzooms handle in that way?

Not fussed about price differences looking to buy one which does everything I need first time around :-)

Any opinions greatly appreciated

--edit pocktablity would be a bonus
 
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Well, the XF-1 only has 100mm (35mm EFL) at the long end so not ideal for wildlife.
 
I had a play with the HX50 last summer, and while it does have a great zoom images can sometimes get a little soft. Video was reasonable quality but it did hunt for focus while using the zoom while recording video. May not be a fair representation of it, as I only had five minute play with it in store, so no time to tweak settings. I did save video and images to my own memory card as sales assistant let me pop my own memory card in the camera. Not sure where they are now, maybe deleted. But if I do find them, I will upload them.
 
I've a TZ-40. Very happy with it, great zoom, great IQ, Wi-Fi if you want it (but kills the battery), and many other features that I personally don't bother with. My only comment is that it does not shoot RAW images.

Having said that, I use it as a general, keep it in the car/coat pocket type camera whereas my DSLR's cater for when I'm shooting 'seriously' if you know what I mean.

If money is not a consideration, have you considered the new Canon G1 MkII just coming out. Reviews I've read make it look very good and it does 'everything' but at a price.
 
thanks for everyones comments

anyone got any comments on the IQ of the HX50 as i am swaying that way a little just for the extra zoom reach
 
topcat07 said:
thanks for everyones comments

anyone got any comments on the IQ of the HX50 as i am swaying that way a little just for the extra zoom reach
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Dont pixel peep. It takes good images, good dynamic range, good white balance etc but the moment you start zooming into the images, you'll notice a lot of noise reduction. That's just the way the HX line up is. I like the HX series for the extras it gives you - inbuilt HDR, panoramas, multi shot noise reduction - all stuff you'd maybe do in post with a Raw file(or a few) but this does it in camera with jpeg, meaning you can be lazy and just use it as a point and shoot with good results.
 
topcat07 said:
thanks for everyones comments

anyone got any comments on the IQ of the HX50 as i am swaying that way a little just for the extra zoom reach
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I don't know about the HX50 but the Canon SX50 is handy for long distance record shots of things like birds. The attached shots were taken from the same spot at the same target which was around 600-700 feet I guess. The first shot at around 24mm to show the distance - second shot was handheld at 2400mm (full 1200mm + the built-in 2x digital tc). OK not DSLR standards but pretty impressive for such a tiny sensor IMHO.
land1_zps29e5a697.jpg


corm1_zps44c73170.jpg
 
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I no longer have the SX50 but here are a few shots taken at 1800mm handheld (full 1200mm + 1.5x built-in digital converter). All shots have been cropped a fair bit.
shelduck1_zpseeff1a56.jpg


swallow2_1800mm_zpsaed2ea9c.jpg


1800mm01_zps8220df00.jpg


stone4_zps034cb47b.jpg
 
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Also a couple of closer shots taken with the SX50 just to give an idea of IQ - not DSLR standards but not bad for a cheap point and shoot.
moggy1_zps0df2d84d.jpg


cat1_zps2f9bf899.jpg


Canada Goose at 'just' 1000mm hand held
canada-sx501000mm_zpsa051ce4f.jpg
 
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Roy C said:
I no longer have the SX50 but here are a few shots taken at 1800mm handheld (full 1200mm + 1.5x built-in digital converter). All shots have been cropped a fair bit.
shelduck1_zpseeff1a56.jpg


swallow2_1800mm_zpsaed2ea9c.jpg


1800mm01_zps8220df00.jpg


stone4_zps034cb47b.jpg
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all of those shots are amazing pin point crisp!

If i could fit this in my pocket i would buy it in a instance
 
Roy C said:
I don't know about the HX50 but the Canon SX50 is handy for long distance record shots of things like birds.OK not DSLR standards but pretty impressive for such a tiny sensor IMHO.
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They certainly are very impressive for such a small sensor, would love that sort of zoom and quality on a compact. Although Canon call it a compact, it's has the size and looks of a Bridge Camera. The Zoom and quality would certainly tempt me, but the size and looks put me off..
 
jonbeeza said:
They certainly are very impressive for such a small sensor, would love that sort of zoom and quality on a compact. Although Canon call it a compact, it's has the size and looks of a Bridge Camera. The Zoom and quality would certainly tempt me, but the size and looks put me off..
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I have been out today with my 5D3 and 100mm macro lens and the lens alone weighs far more than the SX50 ;)
 
Roy C said:
I have been out today with my 5D3 and 100mm macro lens and the lens alone weighs far more than the SX50 ;)
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It's not really the weight so much, but the bulk of a Camera that I struggle with. As most of the time I go out is walking the dog, or going out with the missus who is a wheelchair user. I did used to take the D80 out slung over my shoulder, but it was a pain as the Camera used to keep slipping off my shoulder as I pushed the chair. Me and the missus both now use compacts as it makes life so much easier. I can't see me using the D80 or any bulkier camera any time soon.
 
minnnt said:
If it wasn't for your need of something for wildlife then the xf1 would be a pretty hard tool to get past. And it looks frikin' awesomes too! :D


New Rags by David Raynham, on Flickr
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What a beauty, such a neat sexy looking thing, I used to to marvel over the Xf1 body before I gave the camera to the missus. I now have to marvel over the missus body ( can be read either way lol )
Oh since I gave the XF1 ti the missus, does that mean I no longer belong to the XF1 Club ? :thinking:
 
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this makes the Xf1 tempting after those pictures !

How much difference would i notice in image quality against the HX50 in comparison ?

Trying to decide if i could lose the zoom maybe
 
I have no experience of the bridge, but if you need longer than ~100mm then it's not going to be the one for you. It is eaily pocketable and the IQ from it is pretty amazing for the size and price range. At launch they were £350+!
 
minnnt said:
I have no experience of the bridge, but if you need longer than ~100mm then it's not going to be the one for you. It is eaily pocketable and the IQ from it is pretty amazing for the size and price range. At launch they were £350+!
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excuse my lack of knowledge but if i went for the xf1 would the IQ but that good i could just crop/zoom into something which is far in the background and it would pick up the details?

For example Roy's very first image with the big arrow could i zoom into the bird from the computer
 
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topcat07 said:
this makes the Xf1 tempting after those pictures !

How much difference would i notice in image quality against the HX50 in comparison ?

Trying to decide if i could lose the zoom maybe
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We are talking about the Sony HX50 aren't we? If so I tried the Sony out last year, and I did save the images someplace can't find them now though! But from what I can remember the image quality was not too good, it only has a small sensor but big zoom. Oh and certainly nowhere near as good quality as the XF1, but the Fujifilm does have a bigger sensor. My choice would be the XF1




minnnt said:
I have no experience of the bridge, but if you need longer than ~100mm then it's not going to be the one for you. It is eaily pocketable and the IQ from it is pretty amazing for the size and price range. At launch they were £350+!
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The Sony HX50 is a small compact camera, and not bridge Camera ;)
 
minnnt said:
Oh right, just assumed (and we all know what that does!!) With a massive zoom it would be a bridge type cam.

Can't really argue with IQ then as the images posted by Roy are excellent...
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I think there is some confusion going on here ! Roy posted images taken with the Canon SX50 and those images are indeed superb. The OP is talking about the Sony HX50

The Canon SX50 is a bridge camera, while the Sony HX50 is a compact camera.
 
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hahahaha sorry guys think i have confused the whole thing!

i was talking about the sony HX50

i will pop into currys to have a look a a xf1 just worried about setting of the alarms :whistle:
 
Roy C said:
I don't know about the HX50 but the Canon SX50 is handy for long distance record shots of things like birds. The attached shots were taken from the same spot at the same target which was around 600-700 feet I guess. The first shot at around 24mm to show the distance - second shot was handheld at 2400mm (full 1200mm + the built-in 2x digital tc). OK not DSLR standards but pretty impressive for such a tiny sensor IMHO.


corm1_zps44c73170.jpg
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minnnt said:
Lol!!! I give up. :D

Just get the XF. ;)
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I thought I was going potty myself, so I had another look just to make sure. The heading made by the OP is ( HX50 vs TZ40 vs XF1 completely stuck) Highlighted the important bits in red. Thought I was going potty then, but Roy is talking about a different camera than the OP. But in short, Yep get the XF1 sorted :)
 
topcat07 said:
hahahaha sorry guys think i have confused the whole thing!

i was talking about the sony HX50

i will pop into currys to have a look a a xf1 just worried about setting of the alarms :whistle:
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Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees I knew I was right
 
topcat07 said:
excuse my lack of knowledge but if i went for the xf1 would the IQ but that good i could just crop/zoom into something which is far in the background and it would pick up the details?

For example Roy's very first image with the big arrow could i zoom into the bird from the computer
Click to expand...


Just had a quick trawl through some XF-1 shots to find a vague comparison.
The wide one is just resized from the full frame shot and the one with the 2 birds is a heavy crop of the centre. As you can see, the birds are very pixelated. Full shots from the XF-1 print well up to A3+ at the normal viewing distance but they don't stand up as well to pixel peeping! To paraphrase the old maxim about horse power (There ain't no substitute for cubic inches), "There ain't no substitute for mm focal length"! Cropping and digital zooming (effectively the same thing) need loads of megapixels in the first place (say a D800) or the crops get pixelated.
View attachment 10836 View attachment 10837
 
Nod said:
Just had a quick trawl through some XF-1 shots to find a vague comparison.
The wide one is just resized from the full frame shot and the one with the 2 birds is a heavy crop of the centre. As you can see, the birds are very pixelated. Full shots from the XF-1 print well up to A3+ at the normal viewing distance but they don't stand up as well to pixel peeping! To paraphrase the old maxim about horse power (There ain't no substitute for cubic inches), "There ain't no substitute for mm focal length"! Cropping and digital zooming (effectively the same thing) need loads of megapixels in the first place (say a D800) or the crops get pixelated.
View attachment 10836 View attachment 10837
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thank you for this good example of how it works
 
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