Originally posted by raider Hi guys,
I know that many of you do birding with a 400mm lenses (some with even more elaborate gears) but assuming I don't have the cash and means to spent that much and I want to be able to zoom in a bit closer, would spending $400 on a Canon SX40 HS be just as good? The Canon SX 40 can optical zoom to 840mm (35mm equivalent). This is equivalent to a 560mm lens on my K-7. To get this kind of zoom, I will need to either use a mirror lens (cost reasons) or an older manual focus 400mm lens + teleconverter. This is not necessarily a less expensive option.
What do you guys think? Do u guys shoot with the the SX40?
Thanks
raider
Each individual pixel K-7 produces is much better than each individual pixel the SX40 produces, because the K-7's sensor is so much larger. In most cases, even the K-7 + a DA 55-300 @ 300mm, cropped, will produce an image that's as good as the SX40 @ 840mm.
Here's a camera sensor comparison chart:
There are advantages to the SX40, of course, primarily that it's easy to carry around and unobtrusive, and also at 840mm you can see your subject much better. The downsides include slower AF at longer focal lengths, and the lag associated with not using an OVF.