HQ Burst Mode Vs Sports Mode

I have often found that, when trying to use the Sports Mode on the SX40, the focus is too slow and the amount of frames per second the camera captures just doesn't do the job.

Well I was out for a walk this afternoon in an area with a lot of bees and thought about how I could really do with a camera that can do lots of frames per second so I could capture the bees in flight. Well along comes HQ Burst Mode which I had neglected to try out since getting the camera really.

This mode shoots 8 frames per second and continually focuses during the picture taking process which means that likeliness is... you will get at least one decent picture of the 8 that you took.

So I went chasing after the bees and managed to get some pretty decent shots:

I went to a Rodeo in Wyoming a few months ago and the sports mode couldn't get one shot in focus... if onyl I had known about this setting then!!

Anyway, just sharing some thoughts ;)

Canon gave a response! (+ new upcoming video)

So exciting times indeed when Canon respond to a question!

I wrote to Canon to ask them if it was likely that they would release an update for the SX40 that allowed us to have a higher ISO when we are using a slow shutter. This would improve night photography and instead of giving us a couple of dots on a black background... we would actually start to see constellations and clear stars.

I didn't expect and answer but Canon kindly responded to explain their reasoning for locking the ISO on the SX40 and potential plans for changing this in the future. Note that I say "Potential" plans as we all know it would be much better for Canon to just wait until the next model so that it includes one more extra thing that seems superior over the SX40!

So here's Canons response anyway:

"I am pleased to advise that I have received a response regarding the ISO limitation on the SX40. I have been advised that this feedback has been provided before, and therefore Canon Inc are aware of this request from customers. As suspected, unfortunately we do not have any further information on if this will be changed - either by firmware for this model, or if it will be removed in subsequent models. They advise that this limitation has been placed on the SX40 due to the small size of the sensor, and the fact that this combined with higher ISO's will mean that the noise/grain will be significant. They have therefore decided to restrict the ISO to guarantee a certain standard of image quality. I appreciate that this is disappointing for you, I apologise for this and hope that this is of some use to you." So whilst they aren't guaranteeing anything, they have explained the thought process behind the limitations and they have acknowledged that it is frustrating for SX40 users. So rather than wait to spend another 400-500 pounds on a new camera and wait another who knows how many months for its release... we are going to have a play with CHDK to unlock that ISO and get ourselves some good old night photography. As we all know by now, the SX40 only allows a 15" shutter speed and when we use that 15 second our ISO is limited to 100. So we are going to use CHDK to unlock our ISO and capture that night sky whilst still keeping our pictures at 15 seconds. Now, CHDK can unlock shutter speed as well, and to be honest, the picture quality will be better with a slower shutter, than it would with a high ISO but we are going to take this one step at a time. So the plans for the next video is to show how to use CHDK to override the ISO and take long exposure night shots. And then we are going to top up that knowledge with how to extend the shutter speed instead to get the same result with higher quality. I hope that hasn't baffled anyone too much and keep your eyes peeled for the next video.

Photoshop Tutorial: Using Actions to Batch Edit - Black and White

Here's a new video for Photoshop running through the methods you can follow to get Photoshop to edit lots of pictures in one go for you. Sit back and let Photoshop change all your pictures to Black and White whilst you go have a dance in the kitchen and make a cup of tea!