The River Angler

I must admit to being a bit of a digital camera dunce.  I haven’t got a clue how they work and all I can do is point and click.  I look at the manual with a mixture of despair and disbelief, can this really just be a user manual because it makes War and Peace look like a kiddies bedtime story book!

My old camera is a Canon G6 and it replaced my G5 which was stolen along with the rest of my fishing tackle by some low life loser that needs to get an honest job like the rest of us.  Sorry, rant over.  I thought it was the bees knees when I got it.  The reviews were great on this camera and I loved the swivel screen, which I thought would make self takes a breeze.  Of course the reality was different.  Self takes rely heavily on having the right equipment and the right functions on the camera itself.  The G6 didn’t really support a self timer, as it had very limited options.  Still that aside it was 7.1 mega pixels and had a nice simple to use ‘auto’ option.

However the pictures were poor in the fading light, the zoom was very much below average and although it had a host of functions like portrait, macro etc. etc. I found each one required a manual setting.  I never got the macro to work in all honesty because it really needed to be on a tripod.  Handshake was seriously detrimental to the outcome of the picture clarity as well.

So I started to think that maybe it was time to upgrade.  Well that was the beginning of an almost Lord of the Rings esq quest to find the perfect camera.  However once you begin this journey you find a maze of twists and turns.  One person will sing the praises of a certain model, only for someone else to say how disappointing it was.  Despite this I trawled through dozens of reviews, looking at numerous makes and models.  I still liked Canon and generally they received very positive reviews all round.  However I also looked at Fuji and Sony and in fact very nearly opted for a Sony camera.

I really wanted something that was at least 14 mega pixels and would allow high definition photos.  This would enable me to use them in magazine features.  Having just supplied some photos to a couple of magazines one response was how poor the picture quality was on the G6.  Luckily I also used a friends 13mp camera and these produced acceptable high def pictures.  I also quite liked the idea of a decent optical zoom option of around x 30-40.  I wanted full auto functionality that could cope with all of the settings within the camera, without the need for me to keep altering the settings or having to configure the camera myself.  Also I like cameras with a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery.  I always think they last much longer than those incorporating standard AA batteries, at least in my experience.  I’m sure modern cameras are much better though, as far as this is concerned.

So that was the challenge and eventually I stumbled across the Canon Powershot SX500IS.  Overall it received excellent reviews.  Of course there were still a few contradictory ones but as someone pointed out that unless you go for a full on digital SLR, there always will be a few things that have to be sacrificed to get all of this functionality into such a compact bridge camera.  And as the term ‘bridge’ suggests it is a step up from your bog standard digital compact but a step down from a DSLR.

So this was the camera I wanted and now to try and find it at a reasonable price.  A Google search soon told me it was on offer at Argos with £100 off and just £139.99.  You’ll do for me Tommy I thought and promptly ordered one.

Canon PowerShot-SX500-IS

Since then I have had a few chances to play with the camera.  The instructions are certainly less complicated than they used to be and of course YouTube is a wonderful media resource that lets you find videos on how to use them.  I found that the camera detects the scene and selects optimal settings from 32 variables (21 in movies). All you have to do is point and shoot. So it can detect portrait, macro, low light, faces, etc etc itself without the need to faff around changing settings.  The picture quality is superb and yet the camera itself is pretty small, certainly smaller than my G6.  The zoom option is simply brilliant too with a 30 x Optical Zoom and a 60 x Digital zoom.  Also because it has a built in optical Image Stabilizer, the picture clarity is exceptional, even with the zoom at maximum and without the use of a tripod.  The quality has blown me away really.  I’m staggered at how far technology has come.  Even the macro doesn’t require the use of a tripod to get superb shots.

So far I have been delighted with this camera.  It brings a whole new meaning to point and click technology to be honest. I highly recommend this SX500IS, it is simple to use and the quality is superb.

I have included the manufacturers spiel below:

Intelligent IS

Intelligent IS automatically selects the appropriate optical Image Stabilizer setting from 7 modes – combating camera shake to prevent blur and ensuring sharp, detailed photos and videos at full zoom or handheld in low light.

7.5 cm (3.0″) LCD

A large, high quality LCD screen with wide viewing angle allows for easy framing, effortless menu navigation and pleasurable reviewing and playback. Easy Hints & Tips help you understand your camera and improve your results.

1/2 mile away

Smart Auto (32 scenes)

Effortlessly shoot great photos or movies with Smart Auto, which detects the scene and selects optimal settings from 32 variables (21 in movies). All you have to do is point and shoot.

400-500 yards away

HD movies with HDMI

Easily record high quality HD movies (720p) with stereo sound and optical zoom, with one touch of the Movie Record button. Dynamic and Powered Image Stabilizer modes keep movies steady when shooting on the move or using full zoom.

Zoom Shot

Zoom Framing Assist

Zoom Framing Assist helps you keep track of a distant subject at high zoom. At the press of a button the camera quickly zooms out of the scene – so you can relocate the subject – zooming back the moment the button is released.

Macro Shot

Fun Creative Filters

Experiment and have fun with a range of Creative Filters. Options include Fish-eye Effect to re-create the distortion of a fish-eye lens. Use Miniature Effect in stills or movies to make scenes look like miniature scale models.

A Macro Shot