Camera Test.

More pictures

More pictures

I felt the same way Leigh.

I wanted to simply make a decision.

As with so many things the more I learn the more I know I don’t know.


Thank you Chris,

Your suggestions are very helpful and show the experience of someone who has been there.

I think I will leave the editing up to Ed. My one remaining eye doesn’t work all that well and that is part of why I am asking for help.

I already have a hobby and I don’t want to compound my time and fiscal challenges by taking on photography as a second hobby.

I fly over such beauty that I feel I should do a better job of representing it on the forum.

The book needs a better camera with proper lenses and someone like Ed composing them.

I am beginning to feel that the specifications can be misleading for my application and the only way to make an informed selection is with the help of my friends on the forum.

I tried to find shots that had seemed particularly challenging like the one with the ocean and white sand. The white sand and dark blue seems to wash out the sky. There is a little mist out there so the sky wasn’t all that blue.

I was using 12 times optical zoom on the SX130 and 10 times optical zoom on the SD4500is.

The last two pictures are taken without any zoom because that is probably the way I will shoot from the air most often depending on how good the stabilization is. The recent freeze turned the lawn less green so that is not the camera’s fault.

At the risk of letting in preconceived notions 3,7,8,and 9 is the SX130 and 23,12,13 and 14 is the SD4500IS.

I am waiting on an answer on my brake line so I thought it was a good time for a camera test in the yard.

I should be flying by the end of the week and I will post some shots from the air.

Thank you, Vance
 

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Love to!

Love to!

I would love to join you and our friends Stan.

I will work to make it happen.

Thank you, Vance
 
Alright...
Now I know he's got a problem...you guys thought I was bad. I have one camera he has four!:wacko:

Oy! He has an addiction for sure! HELP:help:....crisis intervention way over-due...LOL
 
I am just guessing Ed but some of those bad boys have to be returned?
But if he keeps four you are so right...he's got a serious problem.:)

Vance it was hard to tell, all the photos seemed to be about the same color and crispness, the difference in zoom was apparent and I liked the ability to do that.

Not sure what happened in the last shot, a big difference and I think probably should not be included in the comparison, what went wrong with that last shot? Color way off.
 
Hi Ed, you crack me up!!!

Vance
They are very very close except the last two. Was the lawn green or yellow.

They do have different zooms so the leaves of the closes trees appear more distinct with the 0012.jpg = SD4500IS but then it is the one with the yellow lawn.

Except for the color change in the last two and the lens difference a little more telephoto they seem just about equal to me.

If it were me and the lawn is really yellow I would buy the SD4500IS. Else I test the SD4500IS and see if it changes any other colors.
 
Thank you for your help.

Thank you for your help.

Hello Leigh and John,

It is funny you should mention that John.

To me it looks like the SD4500 has more zoom at 10 times than SX13 does at 12 times. I was sitting in a chair and focusing on the same house so the shots should be close.

The lawn is closer to brown like in the second shot from the frost. It looks to me like the SD4500 invented some red.

I was not using the zoom.

I am going to take some more non zoom shots tomorrow.

I will post them if they are interesting.

The SD4500 has a setting for brighter colors and I will experiment with that too.

I tried taking a video of the television and the image stabilization seems to work well.

I was not able to get my brake line so I ordered it from Aircraft Spruce and it should be here tomorrow afternoon.

Installing the brake line is not a small job and I don’t want to rush or do my maintenance flight at night.

It is supposed to be windy and rainy on Wednesday so I have a narrow window to try out the cameras in the Predator.

In case I don’t get her flying the weather is supposed to clear up on Thursday with sunshine and patchy clouds.

Thank you, Vance
 
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Thank you Vance for testing these. I'm going to need a smaller camera and will select the one you do.

Do any of these cameras have a method to attach a polarizing filter, taking pictures outdoors without one their is always washout and glare?
 
Two night shots.

Two night shots.

Hello John,

As far as I know there is not a way to attach a filter to any of these little cameras.

The Predator is almost airworthy again.

My brake line didn’t come in until late afternoon so I was there working on her until 7:30.

I still have to bleed the brake and install the wheelpants.

I love the lights at the airport so I thought it would be a good test for the cameras.

No zoom, just a night picture that my Coolpix couldn’t take.

The first is the SX130 and the second is the SD4500IS.

Thank you, Vance
 

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Thanks Vance,

Again the clear winner is the SD4500. I can even see the airport taxi lines.
 
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Poor camera test.

Poor camera test.

I would love to say I had a good camera test but I did not.

I was doing my maintenance flight and I got a few pictures with the SD4500 on my 3 stop and goes.

The storm was coming in and on my full stop landing the rain began to fall.

I did not get to try the SX130.

The wind was 135 at 13kts gusting to 21kts landing and departing runway 12.
It was very bumpy with gusts coming from every direction.

I tried the zoom and it was as I expected, not very good.

Pictures 4 and 5 are the zoom from 500 feet AGL.

I could see the screen well enough to see that they were fuzzy.

Pictures 6, 7 and 8 were at 500 feet AGL without the zoom.

Pictures 10, 13 and 15 are 1,000 feet AGL on a left pattern for runway 12.

ATC sent me over the city on a wide left downwind to allow a regional jet and a Brasilia to take off. I don’t like to fly over the city low unless ATC specifically directs me.

I feel the pictures are a real improvement over the Coolpix although it may be the peculiar lighting from the approaching rain storm and attendant overcast.

The colors are similar to what I saw.

The battery showed low so I am a little worried about battery life.

If it doesn’t rain tomorrow I will try to get some comparison pictures on a flight to San Louis and back.

Thank you, Vance
 

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Hi Vance.

Except for the burly ones, perhaps caused by movement, the others are very sharp!
 
Experimenting with Zoom!

Experimenting with Zoom!

I took a short flight to San Luis Obispo and took 104 pictures with the SD4500 and 60 with the SX130.

The SX130 was easier to hold still so the zoom shots where a little easier.

The SD4500 was much easier to use because it is so much smaller.

I had to fly more over the towns to miss the clouds so I was 1,000 AGL or above most of the time.

I decided to play with the zoom because of the extra altitude.

A full zoom, 12X on the SX130 and 10X on the SD4500, didn’t work well with blurred images and muted colors.

The partial zoom worked better although I was not able to aim well and these are the best from each camera.

The first four images are from the SX130 and the next four are the SD4500.

It will take me a while to go through all the non zoom pictures and pick out what I feel represents the cameras capability. I will post eight from each camera.

I want to try the Panasonic before I take it back so I am hoping to take it up tomorrow if the flying weather is good.

All the focus on the cameras noticeably degrades my flying and radio work so I am looking forward to making a decision, probably this weekend.

We were between storms so the sky was bumpy and not the best for photographic composition.

Thank you, Vance
 

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SX130 pictures

SX130 pictures

These pictures are from the SX130 and I feel the colors a brighter and the images sharper that my Coolpix camera that I have been using.

The pictures with the clouds in the distance are interesting for their depth of field.

I have never been able to capture the fog over the water as well.

I am very pleased with all of the ocean shots.

The one of the Avilla Pass with the Avilla bay in the distance captures the colors well. With the Coolpix the blue would have been less vibrant.

The shadows on the ground from the clouds seem very distinct.

Because of it size it is easier to hold and aim but harder to manage the transition from pictures to flying.

The screen is a little easier to make out that the SD4500.

Because they are both made by Cannon the operation is very similar.

Thank you, Vance
 

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SD4500 pictures.

SD4500 pictures.

These are the pictures taken with the SD4500IS.

It is smaller and quicker to stash when it is time to fly.

Compared to the SX130 I feel the images are a little sharper with a little more depth of field.

The colors seem a little more vibrant.

Even if it was only the equal of the SX130 it would be my choice because it is so much smaller.

I was higher than usual and I did not patrol the beach because of the fog.

I would be very interested in your opinion because I don’t see thing quite the same with my one eye that doesn’t work all that well.

Thank you, Vance
 

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Its a hard choice Vance I liked all the shots but I would agree the second/last set did look sharper and crisper to me.

The bonus is of course the size and ease of use, but it will cost more to get that. I felt at first I liked the zoom which does make a difference but in the long run may well opt for the SD 4500.

Thank you for doing the R&D.
 
Bright color option

Bright color option

Thank you Leigh,

As is often the case I learned more by doing this thread than I would have on my own and I feel more secure in my choice.

As I look at the pictures the sky color seems more consistent with the SD4500.

I went back and looked at all the pictures and that is defiantly the case.

The mist made that a more difficult to quantify.

The Zoom is easier to use on the SX130 but the results are not that different.

Either one goes fuzzy with full zoom and both are difficult to aim while flying.

Both cameras are much easier to see in flight.

I found that the criteria I had been using to choose a camera was not relevant to the mission.

If I think in terms of cost per picture taken or a percentage of what it costs to get in a position to take the pictures the cost difference does not seem so relevant.

I was going to take Ed up this weekend and have her do her Ed thing with all three but she has come down with a cold and sore throat so I am on my own.

I tried the bright color option on the SD4500 and it doesn’t look real to me.

What do you think?

I hope others will chime in with what they see.

Thank you, Vance
 

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Vance- Yes....those last pictures will not be getting praise from me like your others. It looks like you borrowed MY camera!


Stan
 
Vance my Friend, You have a perfect way to choose the right camera with your statement " I was going to take Ed up this weekend and have her do her Ed thing with all three but she has come down with a cold and sore throat so I am on my own." Just take a pic of Ed with each camera and the one that makes her feel better is the best one. :D Pass on to Ed that I trust she gets better soon. Cheers Des Garvin.
 
Thank you for the suggestion Des.

Thank you for the suggestion Des.

I will give it a try.

She won’t let me post most of the pictures I take of her.

She doesn’t know she is beautiful.

Thank you, Vance
 
Hi Vance... & Ed!!!

It's hard for me to tell when they are not comparing the same pictures / shot.

They both look very sharp, so far I like SD4500 pictures just a little better and you said the power button was a problem on the other.

Thanks for testing these online for all of us to see and play!
 
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