I have heard people talk of a Bridge Camera.
I have always liked Canon or Nikon so can someone point me to a good Bridge Camera? Not sure on budget but some ideas of which camera to go for should be great at this stage. Thanks You
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I have heard people talk of a Bridge Camera.
I have always liked Canon or Nikon so can someone point me to a good Bridge Camera? Not sure on budget but some ideas of which camera to go for should be great at this stage. Thanks You
What do you want it for, what's your budget, and what level of photography experience/proficiency do you have?
Going for a 'bridge camera' just because you've heard someone mention the term without knowing what it is might not be a good idea.
From what I interpret as a bridge camera and from little you've said, I'd recommend the Olympus EP2 or Leica X1, maybe consider the Sony Nex5 when they release it. Neither Canon or Nikon make a bridge camera.
They certainly do make bridge cameras... the Nikon Coolpix P100 or L110 and the Canon Powershot SX20, and depending on your definition of a Bridge Camera maybe the Canon Powershot G11* try Here for some examples and prices :)Quote:
Originally Posted by kalniel
As Kalniel said it depends on why you want a bridge camera, what do you think it will give you ?
*OT: The G11 incidentally is a first as far as i'm aware in photography, where the G10 it replaced was 14 Mpix and the new G11 has gone back to a 10 Mpix sensor. Canon have said that moving up to 14Mpix in a sensor of that size was too much and it was better to revert to lower pixels and keep the quality. Finally a recognition that more pixels does not make a better picture, and in fact can make it worse.
That's what I mean - I take bridge to mean a proper sensor but with more compact like controls. Neither Canon or Nikon make such a camera, unlike Olympus, Panasonic, Sigma, Lieca and soon to be Sony.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barakka
If you take it the other way and define bridge as a crappy sensor but with more SLR like controls then there are a ton of those from just about every manufacturer.
If you want a camera with good manual controls. I can personally recommend Panasonic cameras. They offer a really good range of aperture and shutter speed settings. if you keep the ISO rating low they teed to take reasonable low noise shots too.
Go to a camera shop and try some different models out for yourself. With a little haggling you can usually get internet level prices too.
I had a panasonic FZ28 and loved it, especially the huge zoom range..... images could be slightly fuzzy at the long end and the sensors used in bridges have probably improved since then.... Any idea of a rough budget? These cameras go from ~£150-£500 I think......
I'd also recommend the Fuji Finepix range here. I had an s9600 which was still going strong when I sold it recently. Worked like an SLR, good manual controls, 300mm zoom, and took AA batteries :D.
Been told the Fuji S1900 is a good bridge camera.
I like the idea of a bridge camera, being an inbetween of a compact and a DSLR. Can't afford a DSLR espec with the cost of lens's etc.
I would be using the camera for all family stuff, landscape, holidays, etc etc.
I'm still using my fuji :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruggerbugger
It's a really good camera with a heap-load of features and functions and has given me some really good images over the last few years.
Bridge camera tended to mean a big, SLR styled camera with a P&S sensor in it, like a KM A2 or an UZI. I had one of these once and imo they were the worst of both worlds, you got the size and bulk of an SLR with the crappy performance of a compact.
That type of bridge camera has pretty much died out today, and instead you've got enthusiast compacts (Leica X1, Sigma DP1 and 2, Panasonic LX3, Canon G series) which have proper controls and can shoot RAW and sometimes even have big sensors, and you've got mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras like the Sony NEX5 and the Micro 4/3rds offerings which are SLRs without the mirror.
Hard to offer you any more info without asking what you want - esp sizewise. You should also consider an entry-level DSLR, they're pretty tiny, you don't have to buy lots of lenses for them and they've still got the best autofocus around. Is it ever going to be important to have a decent flash system for example, and what's portable - coat pocket it trousers pocket?
Panasonic DMC-FZ38
What about this one guys?
Snapshot camera with a huuuuuuuge zoom. Gonna be great for slipping in your pocket and taking everywhere, with what looks to be decent photographic control and a sensor that'll cope just fine in the daytime. It also has a RAW mode.
On the downside, in comparison with an SLR the AF will be pants, the IQ will be awful over ISO 400 (so no shooting at night without flash/tripod), very limited control over your depth of field, shutter lag and no provision for accessories.
Is that what you want?
I would love a DSLR but i just can't afford one with all the accessories!
What is your budget then? Many DSLRs are cheaper than bridge cameras. Only compacts and some superzooms are cheaper than entry level DSLRs.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazer
eg £275: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Alpha-A...4775730&sr=1-5
That looks interesting Kalniel. Thanks. Will see if i can get some reviews of it.
I wouldn't terribly recommend it - it was just an example of pricing. They do fluctuate, but you can nearly always find a kit for sub £300. A while back there were several for around £240 but our exchange rate against the Yen isn't doing us any favours at the moment. Also pop into your local curries/dixon/PC World - they were doing the Olympus E600 for as little as £289 on special.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazer
And don't be afraid to check out second hand DSLRs at your local camera shop - they're more robust than compacts and a great place to start.