Bridge Camera £150 - £200

[Zadock]

Afternoon folks,

My father wants a bridge camera for his 60th birthday in July.

I've had a quick look today and I understand the features but I have no experience of using these kind of cameras.

He doesn't need it to do full HD video or anything like that just take really good quality photos, have a decent lens (MPs are mean nothing if you have a poor one), a decent amount of zoom and solid build quality.

I've been looking at the fuji models and they are all very similar and as typical there is a mix of reviews for them all.

Does anyone have a model they can recommend?

Oh the other think that strikes me is in the operation, with a compact digital camera you get that delay between when you press the shutter release and it actually doing it do you get a nice DSLR like shutter action and response time from these?

Cheers!

[MSIC]

I don't have any direct personal experience, but was helping a good friend of mine recently with a similar aim.
She boiled her choices down to:

Powershot G12
Coolpix 7000.

These are both above your price range though, sorry

I also personally gravitate towards Trusted Reviews for their experience (even though their new website is horrid).

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have seen the following cameras on offer in Jessops and Currys:

1.)Samsung WB650

Has a 24MM to 360MM lens and GPS.

2.)Samsung WB2000

Has a 24MM to 120MM lens and a 10MP backlit sensor.

3.)Panasonic TZ9

It has a 25MM to 300MM lens.

This is basically a cut down TZ10.

All these cameras get decent reviews. Both the Samsungs have AMOLED screens.

The cameras were originally around £100 to £150 more at launch.

The Olympus EPL1 micro four thirds camera can be had for around £280 from Jessops. It comes with a 28MM to 84MM lens which can be exchanged with other lenses. It was around £550 at launch.

Here is a review:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusepl1/

Edit!!

I would also look out for the Fuji HS10 which can be had for around £220 from Jessops.

This is the best review of the camera IMHO:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/HS10/HS10A.HTM

It was originally around £380 at launch.

[MSIC]

This camera, as reviewed by TR, might be worth a closer look:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/Canon-...-Camera_review

[Zadock]

That Cannon one looks promising on the budget cheers MSIC.

[oolon]

What exactly is a Bridge camera?

[Rob_B]

Kinda in-between an SLR & a 'normal' compact.

[MSIC]

What exactly is a Bridge camera?

Bridge cameras are also sometimes called superzoom cameras, are kind of like a half-way house between pocket / compact cameras, and 'full' / DSLR cameras.
They have a fixed lens which cannot be changed (like a compact), and are often physically smaller and lighter than DSLRs (usually), but have the extending zoom-type / higher quality lens of a DSLR when compared to a compact camera, and consequently can produce good quality photos.
Equally, bridge cameras often tend to have a high degree of manual controls, and DSLR-type functionality, and can be a great way to learn more about cameras instead of just 'auto' settings.

That all said, plenty of DSLRs are becoming smaller and lighter (see the 'mirrorless' type), and plenty of compacts produce great results with lots of manual adjustment of features, so it's not an exact science.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

That Cannon one looks promising on the budget cheers MSIC.

The Canon is built to budget. The other ones I listed are higher end cameras which have been reduced in price since they have just been replaced by the new £250 to £300 models. The equivalent Canon cameras are the higher end SX200 series cameras. The wide end is not that great though on the Canon. The 24MM/25MM lenses are much wider.

For instance the WB650 was rated much higher than the Canon SX210:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210...oom/page11.asp

The WB2000 uses a 10MP backlit sensor which has been found in quite a few high end compacts from many companies.

The Panasonic TZ9 is an improved version of the TZ8 borrowing a few features from the TZ10.

Here is a TZ8 review:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Panaso...-Camera_review

Quite a few of the TZ series have been highly rated. I have a friend who has the TZ6 and he travels quite a bit. The lens is really good and at the 25MM end he took some nice pictures of the Great Wall of China.

[oolon]

My partner just got a TZ10, we got the 10 rather than the new 20, while the 20 does have more megapixels, however lowers the resolution at time (like in low light). Also it has a touch screen on the back which can be operated by accident when the camera is in use. The 12x zoom (I believe) is equivalent to a 300mm lens, more than that and your need something to stabilse the camera. 35mm film is 9megapixels so at 12 you are getting a better than film camera. Like most cameras your father will have to get used to using a screen, rather than a view finder, however with anything non SLR this is a good thing, as the view finder on a compact never gave an acurate representation of the picture.

Compared to the Pentax Optimo (4mp) it replaced, its much larger feels more like an old film compact camera, however it does have great bit of glass on the front, (so attractive that my daughter put her finger on it the day we got it ). Small things however can be hard to control, so your father may find something a bit bigger easier.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A trip to Currys or Jessops is also a good idea as you can then handle the camera and have a look at the user interface.

[mikerr]

I would also look out for the Fuji HS10 which can be had for around £220 from Jessops.

This is the best review of the camera IMHO:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/HS10/HS10A.HTM

It was originally around £380 at launch.

Just bought a HS10 for £179 from fujifilm direct

[dendik]

Just out of interest, what camera did you go for? I am looking to buy Powershot G12.