For the past 7+ days it has been dark and dreary in northern Minnesota. In short, not a photography paradise. The low light and and clouds can depress a photographer. This morning while up on Old Vermilion Trail, I spied a bald eagle in a picturesque location. The resulting image given below shows the limitation of super zoom / bridge cameras like my SX60 in low light. For a flight shot, I set my exposure to 1/800 th of a second which given my small sensor forced a high, noisy ISO setting upon me (1,600). I am happy with the image as I know given my equipment, it was the best possible result. I also know that if I owned a DSLR with a long lens, my result would have been better.

I’ve reviewed my Canon SX-60 on this web site, and I like the camera, but like any piece of equipment it is good to understand its limitations. This camera allows me to easily hike into remote areas which would be impossible with a DSLR and a big, expensive lens. The price trade-off is nice  ($450 vs BIG MONEY)!

I have also included my recent Snowy Owl in flight photo. It demonstrates the difference in the quality of the output between good and poor light for a super zoom / bridge camera.

Bald Eagle: ISO = 1,600; Exposure = 1/800 of a second; Aperture = 6.5

Snowy Owl: ISO = 320; Exposure = 1/800 of a second; Aperture = 5.6