OMO - Digital Bridge Camera

[JAWs]

Ok, the Photo of the day thread has inspired me so I’m now thinking of buying a Bridge camera (as I don’t think I can afford or justify a full DSLR). I’ve got probably around the £120 to spend, been looking at second hand Finepix HS’s, has anyone had any experiences (good or bad) with these?
Or is there a better alternative?
Thanks

Looked at the Coolpix L810? Just got the daughter one. Not as fully functional as a DSLR but still a very nice camera all the same.

My personal opinion is to go with either Nikon or Canon (I shoot with Canon but I don't belittle Nikon (or any other makes really)) The only reason for suggesting either of those is if you did choose to step up later, it often makes it easier if you are familiar with the menu terminology and layouts etc.

I've had friends who had bad experiences with Fuji superzooms but then my FD at work ditched his 5D last year in favour of a fuji X-Pro1 I think it was and he loves it so they can't be all bad. I suspect what they do is build budget cameras well (like the slew of insults the SV will get in its stock form but for value it is hard to beat)

After a quick search in the Canon bridge range I came up with the SX500HS, but comparing it with the L810 mentioned by atassiedevil it looks almost identical in spec and a decent chunk cheaper in price:
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-Po...kon-L810/specs

Edit: just spotted one spec which MIGHT be a justification for the Canon, it does 15 second exposures where the Nikon only does 4, not a problem if you are into daytime shots and landscapes but if you wanted to get creative at night then 4s can be a little limiting.

[JAWs]

Thanks for these suggestions, but going forward, will these give me enough creativity later on ie changing the aperture/shutter priority, or are they both just left on manual?

Yep, either of the above suggestions will allow Av/Tv modes (aperture/shutter priority in canon speak) the main compromise with a bridge camera is the lens, it is a do-it-all lens, good at most things, not really great at anything. (that isn't a criticism)

You can achieve blurred backgrounds usually by engaging macro mode or zooming in if you are far away. They will allow quite a range of things and most times the limitations don't limit people as they don't want/need to shoot for several minutes at a time or do high speed shutter studio work etc (you will only find this out when you get started TBH so you HAVE to start somewhere and a bridge camera wouldn't be a mistake)

One of the best pieces of advice I've seen posted on deciding on a camera is go along to a big Currys or Jessops, somewhere you can actually get your hands on a camera and have a go with it for a few minutes, see which one feels more sensible to you.

Obviously in a week or two your budget might stretch further as the sales start.

A bridge camera is often seen as a lesser version of a DSLR but actually the way I think of them are like a complete kit bag, they do macro, portraits, zoom, super zoom and a range of features besides, what it lets you do is decide what kit niche you want to be in if you upgrade to a DSLR as exploring the ranges when you have to buy new lenses for each thing gets expensive.

Not a bridge camera but it is on a really good offer (I think) at the moment http://www.tesco.com/direct/nikon-1-...skuId=213-7349 it has the advantage over a bridge camera of supporting RAW format so you can process your images with more effect BUT it also requires you to purchase extra lenses for zoom or macro etc.

Just thought it worth mentioning as it seems like such a price drop.

Edit: Actually, ignore that, the RRP is historical, Jessops and Argos are selling it for £199 too so it isn't that much of a saving.

[NTECUK]

My EXR the supports RAW

[Kenzie]

I have had the Fuji HS10 for a few years now, great little camera, 30x zoom, can shoot in raw, multi position screen and a host of scene modes including scene auto and standard PSAM modes. Manaul zoom barrel is easy to use as well. The only thing you have to remember is that a bridge camera is a beefed up compact, and as such has a compact size sensor. If you can work around some of the limitations then they are great as you don't need to carry a host of lenses around. Try the HS20EXR if you can't stretch to the HS30EXR.
Just wondering, have you considered a used DSLR?

HS10 has quite a reach!

[NTECUK]

And the EXR are quite quick as long as you have the light

I currently have a Nikon D5100 which I like, but I have to admit to being a closet Canon fan. As a compact camera I use a Canon SX220 and I also have a Fuji s5000 and Fuji s9500, which is a kind of predecessor to the HS range.
I have owned an HS10 which I didn't get on with. I found it really hard to get consistently sharp images with. When it was good though, it was really good but in the end it was too irritating so I sold it. I really like the s5000 and you can pick them up for around £30 these days, but it is only a 3mp camera.
My advice would be to decide what you want the camera for - whilst I really like the D5100, I can't slip in in my pocket so when I go out on my bike I usually take the Canon. It produces pretty good pictures too, especially in low light. It has a range of manual controls but crucially doesn't allow auto bracketing.
It should be noted that a compact or bridge camera won't take pictures that are as sharp as a DSLR because of the smaller sensor size. Most also have a much more limited range of apertures, and it's harder to get shallow depth of field. On the plus side, compact and bridge cameras usually have much higher zoom ranges.
If I were in the market for a new camera now and had your budget, I'd choose something like the SX220 - I picked mine up in the sales for £99.
Don't overlook the second hand market though & why not go for a second hand DSLR? What about a Canon EOS 350D for £105? (I've owned one of these too and it was a great starter DSLR.)