What Bird Is That Forum

I don't use it very often, and I suspect that not many others use, and/or know about it, so i thought I would mention it here. Many cameras have a dedicated magnifier button/feature that allows the photographer to zoom in on their subject. On my cameras, I can zoom in before I press the shutter to fine tune my focus, or zoom in after I take the shot to get a quick magnified view of what i captured with just a quick push of the magnifier button. Some cameras, like my DSLRs and the Mirrorless Canon R6, have a dedicated magnifier button and others, such as my Nikon P900 and Charlie Spenser's Sony RX10 iv, have to be setup in the menu before using the focus magnifier, so I'm assuming it's an option available on most cameras if you look for it.

The reason I'm mentioning this isn't to encourage everyone to manually fine tune their focus, which can also useful, it's to make people aware of the feature and it's usefulness in viewing distant birds. While it might not be something used on regular basis, it can make a 500mm lens feel like a 1000mm spotting scope.

Just thought I'd share this because of the incredible views I had recently of distant Killdeerling while using the focus magnifier. I also thought it'd be a feature I'd want to know about beforehand if I was going on a cruise and expecting lot of long distance viewing. Hopefully Charlie Spencer will see this and get a chance to try the magnified viewing on his camera, if he hasn't already, and see if it fits his needs before he takes his cruise this month.

Lonestranger wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2026 11:31 am Charlie Spenser's Sony RX10 iv ... The reason I'm mentioning this ... to make people aware of the feature and it's usefulness in viewing distant birds. While it might not be something used on regular basis, it can make a 500mm lens feel like a 1000mm spotting scope. ... Hopefully Charlie Spencer will see this and get a chance to try the magnified viewing on his camera, if he hasn't already, and see if it fits his needs before he takes his cruise this month.

Funny you should bring this up. While I was refining my BIF techniques last month, I reviewed the owner's manual again. I don't know how I missed this feature in the past but you're spot on about using it as spotting scope! The RX10 IV allows two levels of magnification but at the max level you have to be very steady or be propped up on something for minimize the hand shake. Still, it can enable ID of birds at distance that may be too great for 8x or 10x binos. It's certainly worth a try on cameras that have the feature, and can save lugging a scope around under some circumstances.

Speaking of the RX10 IV, for those who may not be aware, the new RX10 V model has been released. The RX10 is one of the top bridge / superzoom cameras for birding, along with the Nikon's P950 / P1100. The IV model was discontinued around 2017 or '18 but demand for used ones has been high, often selling for several hundred dollars over their original purchase price. My guess is Sony saw the strong sales for their old units and the Nikon models and decided they should get back into this market segment. With the V model now available, people who've wanted a RX10 have options. Obviously they can buy the new V. But plenty of IV owners are selling off their IV cameras and buying V. The prices of used IV are slowly dropping, and should continue as owners sell them to fund replacements.

Charlie Spencer wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2026 1:10 pm Funny you should bring this up.

I'm glad to hear that you found the magnified focus feature and have already explored it's pros and cons.

Charlie Spencer wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2026 1:10 pm Speaking of the RX10 IV, for those who may not be aware, the new RX10 V model has been released.

I have been toying with the idea of unloading some of my accumulated camera gear to cover the cost of buying the new Sony. I have an old 300mm F/2.8 lens that takes great photos but is too heavy for me to use handheld and two DSLRs that have been sitting on the shelf ever since I bought the mirrorless R6. The Nikon P900 has incredible zoom that I love, but it's lack of a focus ring, and other issues, often leaves me too frustrated to use it. The Sony RX10 V might just end up being the camera of my future.

Interesting enough Grampa was telling me about the Sony just this last Saturday. He is considering getting one, so maybe I'll get to test one out.

I did know that the nikon coolpix models have the magnifying ability, I didn't know you could program it to do it on command. That would be very helpful when using manual focus. It does it automatically if you want but I don't like it, you can't see your framing so I turned it off. But if you could use it while focusing, then be back out where you can see to frame the shot.... that's helpful.

Lonestranger wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2026 1:42 pm The Sony RX10 V might just end up being the camera of my future.

Kevin wrote: Tue Aug 11, 2026 2:05 am Interesting enough Grampa was telling me about the Sony just this last Saturday. He is considering getting one, so maybe I'll get to test one out.

Hopefully I'm not violating any site rules.

I'll buy a RX 10 V in the next few months and will be selling my IV. If a forum member is interested, I'll give them a better price than the big online used camera sites are currently asking. Peer mail me if you're interested. Keep in mind the online sites usually offer a warranty, something I can't do.