USING A SUPERZOOM CAMERA FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

HOW GOOD ARE THE PHOTOS?
Here are some of the shots I’ve taken with the Canon SX50.

HOW GOOD ARE THE PHOTOS?
Here are some of the shots I’ve taken with the Canon SX50.

WHY SUPERZOOM CAMERAS ARE GREAT FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY + BUYING GUIDE
November 16, 2017 by theafternoonbirder 18 Comments

Do you want me to let you in on a little secret? You can take great photographs of birds without having to buy a DSLR! You also don’t need to carry a heavy telephoto lens around with you. The best part? It won’t cost you more than $500!

Great Egret portrait taken with a superzoom camera for bird photography
Great Egret photograph taken with a superzoom camera, the Canon SX50

SUPERZOOM CAMERA FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
The camera I’m talking about is a superzoom or a bridge camera like the Canon SX50. These cameras are not quite DSLRs, but they are a cut above a regular point and shoot. They also definitely have some advantages that are worth considering.

For anyone getting started with bird photography, I think a superzoom camera is the way to go. They’re also a good option for people on a budget and for times you don’t want to carry the weight of a DSLR and telephoto lens.

I also think superzooms take great pictures. My Canon SX50 performs particularly well in full sunlight and I think some of my shots are comparable with those taken by DSLRs. The zoom is amazing! I take the majority of my pictures at full zoom, which is 50X or the equivalent of 1200mm (most DSLR users shoot bird photos with 400-600mm lenses!).

USING A SUPERZOOM CAMERA FOR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
If you want to know how to get the best results with a superzoom camera, read my article: Best Canon SX50 Settings for Bird Photography.

HOW GOOD ARE THE PHOTOS?
Here are some of the shots I’ve taken with the Canon SX50.

Cedar Waxwing with a berry photograph taken using a superzoom camera for bird photography
Cedar Waxwing

Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail

Yellow-crowned Night Heron taken with Canon SX50
Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Downy Woodpecker photograph taken using a superzoom camera for bird photography
Downy Woodpecker

Warbling Vireo photograph taken with a superzoom camera for bird photography
Warbling Vireo

Yellow-rumped Warbler photograph taken with Canon SX50 bird photography
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Northern Mockingbird

NOT CONVINCED?
If my pictures don’t sell you, check out these Canon SX50 photographers and I guarantee you will be impressed!:

Tony Britton

Kenn&Temple

Lilian Stokes

WHERE TO BUY?
Unfortunately Canon discontinued the SX50, but you can buy refurbished and used ones on Amazon:

SUPERZOOM CAMERA BUYING GUIDE
There are plenty of newer superzoom options on the market with more features and updated specs. Here is my guide to the best models for bird photography.

1. CANON SX60
   Canon now makes a SX60 with an even longer zoom (60x, versus 50x). Some people say it isn’t as good as the SX50, but others believe the longer zoom makes it worth the upgrade.

21-1365mm lens, 16.1MP, ability to shoot in RAW format, 6.4 frames per second (fps), 1080p video