This camera continues to impress me. Tiny, tiny sensor at 1/2” yet it shoots like it is in the next higher category, matching and even beating the SNR numbers of cameras like the S100 and P7100 when shot in RAW.
Performance like this is not always easy to squeeze out of the F550EXR. You need to shoot RAW (the camera is pretty good in JPEG, don’t get me wrong … but it won’t match the bigger guns in JPEG) and process in something like ACR and Photoshop. Which is what I did with these. The JPEGs are pretty good too, though.
Anyway … off to the local pool hall, the Broken Cue in a nearby town. Nick’s been getting into snooker quite a lot, something I played a great deal of in University back in the day. So I was game to go and play for a few hours. When we arrived, we found out that it was restricted to pool only, and the tables are all small 10 footers, but we stayed and had a good time anyway.
Nick kicked the crap out of me (turns out he played a lot in the UK :-) when we played Boston (solids and stripes) … but I got very lucky when we switched to 9-ball, as he was running the table but not getting the 9. It only takes one ball or one scratch to win a game of 9-ball …
So … a few shots from the mighty F550EXR … using my favored settings (obviously) …
F550EXR 1000ISO f/3.5 1/30
F550EXR 1000ISO f/3.5 1/30
Note the excellent dimensionality in those two images … the balls are smooth and look like they should. The fine marks from usage are intact and the colors are rich without being over saturated. Very nice …
F550EXR 1600ISO f/3.5 1/30
Nick here is preparing to miss the 9-ball. He hates it when he wipes the table clean only to leave me an opening. Focus is on the cue tip by the way … but the depth of field is sufficient at this presentation size to ensure a decent level of sharpness across the frame …
