I am still learning the virtues (and limitations) of my new Canon SX50HS. It is not that much different than the SX40HS it is replacing, but there are some added features that are worth exploring. Like framing lock. There is a button on the left side of the lens near the body which, when pressed, turns on optimized image stabilization while you are framing the image. At extreme telephoto, where even the steadiest hand can have difficulty holding the camera still enough for effective framing, it is a really a helpful feature.

Last week I went out to look for some cooperative birds to try it on. As it happens all I found were a few Eastern Phoebes along the Kennebunk Bridle path, and, wouldn’t you know it, they were between me and the low fall sun.

Still, I really like the way the bird is framed here, against the sunlit marsh grasses, and what the longer focal length is doing to the grasses behind.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.  1800mm equivalent field of view (1200mm optical plus 1.5x digital tel-converter function). f6.5 @ 1/200th @ ISO 100. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.