That’s not saying the SX20 isn’t a good camera, it is, it’s just no good for extreme conditions.

Once you’ve got the speed trigger figured out, then you learn to time your shots for those best moments as the guy is coming down the hill. Not as good as shooting movie frame fast so you capture everything and edit late, but does result in good shots.

In terms of the EVF blacking out each shot, yes it does, but for a very short time so you can get used to it. One trick is to be using both eyes, so when the EVF blanks out you get in the habit of just opening the other eye to key in on how far the skier has moved, so you can track with the camera. Another technique is to simply shoot a bit looser, since with these huge file sizes you can crop tighter in post shoot processing, usually with pixels to spare.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still think the smaller prosumer SLRs are a cool solution (I’ve owned two digital Rebels), but the idea of one smaller camera with one attached wide range lens is very appealing fror my year-around photo work such as product shots, summer outdoor stuff, photo jobs for websites I do, and stuff like that. And as the ultimate ski action tool, nope, it’s not.

Oh, and let’s not forget that this camera DOES use AA batteries without any add-on battery packs or mods. That’s huge for backcountry use away from charging voltage, and is one reason I’ve been such a fan of the Canon A-series cameras from the start (though recent ones now lack the optical viewfinder that made models such as A720 almost too good to be true.)

One other thing. I’m pretty amused by guys going out and buying thousands of dollars worth of electronics and glass when nearly every shot I see from them could easily have been done with a good point-and-shoot. On that one, if the shoe fits wear it, and go take a photography class!