Best Bridge Camera

[russellb]

Hi all, I would like to buy my wife a very good bridge camera. She is always the one to take lots of photos but she is not a technical photographer so I want something easy to use hence I am thinking bridge camera rather than DSLR. We have recently been on safari in Africa and she realised the limitation of her Canon S90 compact for those long distance shots. Quite a few people had bridge cameras on our trip and they all seemed to be getting really good photos. I am not too sensitive to price so please suggest what you think is best and also what to avoid.

[prelude]

If you are not too sensitive about price then I think you can go for fuji X300 I don't think any bridge camera can beat it on Imaage Quality thanks to its big sensor

http://fujifilm.co.uk/consumer/digit...inepix-f300exr

[gjtoth]

If you really want the reach & good IQ, the Fujifilm HS-10 or the new HS-20 is worth a look.

[DeadCisplatin]

I bought a Nikon P500 a couple of weeks ago and I loved it.

Testing out the new P500

[shoturtle]

If she really is into photography. I would look at a olympus epl1 or 2, and add a long zoom lens. They are very easy to use like a point and shot with scene modes and iauto mode with a bit more control. That way she get even high quality photos with the larger dslr size sensor. And when not needed, she can just use the regular lens to ramp around with.

It gives you the versatility and image quality of a dslr, with the simplicity of point and shot. And you will get photos even better then the s90 in low light. The megazooms uses a smaller sensor then the s90. So they are really limited when the light levels drop. Almost useless at night out of flash range, while her s90 is a much better camera when things get darker. Also with the regular lens, it is a little smaller then megazooms.

If you are set on a megazoom, the canon sx30 is pretty long reaching. Worth looking at two, if she likes the way canon process the jpegs.

[howiem]

Canon SX 30 IS
Nikon P500
Fuji HS10/HS20
Sony HX100V
Sony HX9V

All these cameras are excellent bridge cameras. If still photography is your wifes thing I would probably look at Canon,Nikon,Fuji but if she likes to video then probably one of the Sony cameras. I don't think there is a huge difference between any of them and I'd be happy to use any of them as a bridge camera. Do your research on each of the above and then make your mind up.

Good luck on choosing

Howie

[corkpix]

Originally Posted by russellb

Hi all, I would like to buy my wife a very good bridge camera. She is always the one to take lots of photos but she is not a technical photographer so I want something easy to use hence I am thinking bridge camera rather than DSLR. We have recently been on safari in Africa and she realised the limitation of her Canon S90 compact for those long distance shots. Quite a few people had bridge cameras on our trip and they all seemed to be getting really good photos. I am not too sensitive to price so please suggest what you think is best and also what to avoid.

Welcome to the forum.

There are a few very good bridge cameras available at the moment.
Panasonic FZ series cameras are among the best. FZ40/45 or FZ100
if you need a hotshoe for external flash. The new Fujifilm HS20 looks
very good. Have a look at some of the images in the Fujifilm P&S forum
http://forums.steves-digicams.com/fujifilm-22/

The Canon S90 is a pretty good camera. A superzoom will give you
more reach, but not necessarily better image quality.

You might also consider one of the EVIL (electronic viewfinder, interchangeable lens)
cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, Sony. Another option is a compact DSLR like the
Olympus E-620 with twin lens kit. This would give DSLR quality and something approaching
superzoom range in a camera no bigger than a typical bridge camera.

[mtclimber]

russellb-

Happy Easter and welcome to the Forum. We are delighted that you dropped by.

The ultimate choice for your wife, in my opinion, would be the Sony a33. It is a very small DSLR camera that uses interchangeable lens. However, it is very easy to use. Many, many users have little or no photo experience and are getting excellent image quality, as the camera is so capable, using the Automatic Mode. The a33 comes with a Sony 18-55mm kit lens that is also very capable. That lens would be ideal for snapshot and landscape shots. Later she could easily add the Sony 55-200mm telephoto lens that would allow her to reach out to distant subjects. In the same category as the a33 you will find the Olympus EPL1/EPL2, also mentioned previously in this thread. However, the Sony a33 with its larger imager will offer your wife better image quality.

The second choice would be the already mentioned Nikon P500 which is small and compact but also offers a lot of zoom.

Sarah Joyce

[gjtoth]

Did I miss something? When did this thread go from BRIDGE recommendation to DSLR? The OP specifically said "thinking bridge camera rather than DSLR". BRIDGE CAMERA!

[mtclimber]

Hi Gary-

You did not miss anything. It was me. I was following the budget and missed the no DSLR requirement. I apologize, as I was in a hurry.

Sarah Joyce