A Work Commenced December 22 2024
2024 has been a great year for the binocular enthusiast. Sky Rover launched their new series of Banner Cloud (SRBC)binoculars in 42mm, 50mm and 56mm apertures which has taken the community completely by storm. Delivering world-class optics at very reasonable prices, they have silenced the hate-filled idiots who tried desperately to dismiss them, and completely outclassed all their competition. In the New Year, a new, smaller set of Banner Cloud binoculars with 32mm apertures and flat fields up to 12 angular degrees wide are sure to make heads turn and perform better than anything the woke, out-of-touch European manufacturers are churning out at a fraction of the exorbitant prices they currently demand. The hobby will likely be further transformed for the better by these new arrivals. Check out this hilarious thread over on the bino porn site. I detect a wee bit of cognitive dissonance from the usual brood of vipers. Are you not entertained?
Moi? I’m fully sated by their 8 x 42 model for daytime use. Its produced enchanting, crystal-clear images in all weathers. Not only has it been abroad with me during the summer, but it’s accompanied me on vacations to the Scottish Highlands earlier this autumn, where it continued to deliver in spades. I’ve nicknamed it the “Bruiser of Egos.”
Needless to say that it’s my favourite birding glass, giving alpha-class performance in every conceivable scenario and whatever the elements throw at it. Personally, I’ve no interest in the smaller 32mm models being launched next year as moving from 42mm to 32mm is an exercise in compromise: lower light gathering power and lower magnifications that are too pedestrian for my tastes, despite their wider fields of view. The 8 x 42 is a far better performer under lower light conditions, as I was recently reminded of testing a nifty, inexpensive, 7 x 35 classic Porro I binocular. An 8 x 42 is light years ahead if you want to see the night sky. Indeed, there is much truth in the general consensus that the 8 x 42 is the ideal, ‘jack of all trades’ instrument.
As wonderful as the 8 x 42 SRBC is, I’ve been thinking of ways of enriching my time with it, by capturing good images of some of the more memorable targets I observe through this amazing glass. My first foray into the world of wildlife photography was with the little Canon Powershot Zoom monocular which I’ve enjoyed using for almost a year. This device features a 100mm base setting with 4x optical zoom(400mm), as well as 2x digital zoom(800mm), but its small aperture had its limitations, including rather poor resolution, especially in compromised light. What I was after was a small, ultraportable camera with a powerful zoom function and that led me to buy-in and test both the Canon SX60HS and SX70HS with their super-powerful 65x optical zooms but while these bridge cameras performed well in the field, they were a tad on the heavy side, both tipping the scales at over 600g. Using a standard DSLR with a large and heavy telephoto lens was also out of the question. Then my attention was drawn to the Canon SX740HS. Launched in 2018, this little camera weighs just half that of the SX60 and SX70HS and can easily fit in the smallest pocket.
Going forward l, I was not looking for perfect pictures, just ones good enough to build up a portfolio of visual memories.
primarily garnered through the eyepieces of the SRBC 8 x 42.
Let’s take a closer look round the camera. Measuring just 4 inches across, 2.3 inches wide and 1 inch thick, the SX740HS weighs a mere 299g(with the battery and SD card inserted), about the weight of a pocket binocular. It has a 20.3 Mega pixel DIGIC 8, processor, Canon’s most advanced image processing system. The zoom lens goes from 24mm to 960mm focal length or 40x optical zoom, as well a further 1.6x- 4x digital zoom with 5-axis image stabilisation.
The Canon SX740HS has many of the standard features you’d expect to find on a quality bridge camera including, manual mode, aperture priority and shutter priority. For most applications, the auto mode takes care of the majority of situations you’re likely to encounter. It shoots video in 4K but only captures images in JPEG format. Big RAW files are of no interest to me, so that’s a non-issue. One downside of the SX740HS is its lack of a viewfinder which takes a bit of getting used to. The built-in 3-inch LCD screen is bright enough and has enough resolution(Very impressive!) to work in pretty much any lighting conditions, from bright sunshine to dull and overcast.
Though it’s not waterproof, I can tuck it away in my coat pocket should the weather change suddenly. It has built in WIFI and bluetooth connectivity if I wish to access the images remotely.
Some Results:
The SX740 HS is also a very capable lunar imager:
During my night walks over winter, I’ve managed a few long exposure photos with the SX740HS. The camera gives a maximum of 15 seconds @ ISO 100 but you can use exposure compensation to increase the light gathering power a little more. This is shot at 24mm focal length setting:
One of the great virtues of having a zoom camera that can bring things closer than any binocular is its ability to identify new bird species. And that’s exactly what happened during my walk around the estate on Christmas Eve. I was glassing the pond to see what was out on the water when my 8 x 42 picked up an unusual target. At first glance I thought it was a Black Headed Gull about 100m in the distance, but a second, more studied, look revealed it was something else entirely! It was then that I reached for my SX740HS and took some handheld shots at 40x zoom, and then closer in at 160x zoom:
When I got home, I put the second (enlarged) picture into the Merlin Birding App and it told me it was a male Northern Pintail Duck, a migratory species that probably arrived from Iceland or Northern Scandinavia to winter here.
How cool is that!
I’m positively delighted to have discovered this amazing little camera. It has proven ideal for capturing very satisfactory images to complement and extend the reach of the great views served up by my 8 x 42. It will be my constant companion in my ongoing exploration of the Creation.
Dr Neil English explores the world of binoculars in his latest book, Choosing & Using Binoculars, A Guide for Stargazers, Birders and Outdoor Enthusiasts.