I am not going to go the whole hog and buy a camera and a slew of lenses to be screwed on at crucial moments. I realised that what I actually do want is what is popularly known as a "bridge" camera - one down from the DSLR and one up from the point-and-click compact that I currently have.
By dint of several visits to Jessops (big, serious camera shop) and shops like Currys, I have narrowed it down to two possible choices: the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS and the Fuji FinePix HS20 EXR.
The Canon has the longer zoom - 35x optical zoom, 14 MP - and the zoom is button controlled (I can't remember the correct term, but I'm sure you understand me.) The Fuji has a shorter zoom (30x) and it's manual, but the picture is 16 MP.
Part of me is very tempted by the longer zoom. I also quite like the button-controlled zoom. However, my current Canon camera is protesting when I use the automated zoom (it's on its way out, hence the need for a new camera) and I am wondering whether a manual zoom might be better - the less automated bits there are, the less there is to go horribly wrong.
Then again, there's the battery. Canon has a lithium-ion rechargeable battery unit. Fuji uses AA batteries. I prefer the former, but maybe that's just because, back in the mists of time, rechargeable AA batteries used to be such a pain and never actually lasted any length of time. Maybe they've improved.
Mind you, since I have to save up the pennies before I can actually get round to purchasing one of them, I have got a bit of time in which to dither. However, if any of you people out there know of any good or bad things about these cameras (from personal experience, that is - I've already read several reviews online) I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Watch this space...
Some random thoughts from somebody who is a few years ahead of you on the film to digital point and click to bridge to DSLR journey.
ReplyDeleteCanon is the better way to go, because sooner or later you are going to head into DSLR territory and you'll have developed an understanding of how Mr Canon does things. You should also be familiar with Canon's software as well.
(Mind you, sooner a Fuji than a Ni**n!)
Don't worry about all those MPs, unless you are planning to blow pictures up to A1 or A0 or something, and you have the printer to cope with it.
Have you thought about second-hand?
To me, the speed of a camera is important-- I want to whip it out and take the shot before the moment passes. So I would definitely want an automatic zoom.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in practice I really have no need for pictures to be bigger than the 1.1 MP that my 2002 camera takes. But then I've never been anything like a serious photographer. :)
I have yet to have much success with rechargable AAs. I would go lithium ion.
ReplyDeleteRachel - the automatic zoom takes longer than the manual, which is a simple twist-operation...
ReplyDeleteI have the Canon! I like it very much :)
ReplyDeleteI have a previous version of the Fuji which you're welcome to borrow and testdrive (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000INUDMY/ref=oss_product) - I used to love my Pentax K1000 SLR in the pre-digital days, and was hoping to get a similar service from this. I have to admit to being disappointed, and prefer my little IXUS 85 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0015ULMXS/ref=oss_product) despite it only being a point and shoot. The Fuji got rave reviews and was supposed to be good for low light without flash (which I use a lot) -- it's OK, but that was a very expensive "OK" at the time! Battery life is quite good, and the fold out/up screen is a bonus for stealth shooting.
ReplyDelete