Beginner Bridge vs. DSLR

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TheMagicPaint

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I appreciate that this question has been asked thousands of times before, but I wanted to ask my own version of it and have some advice that focused not just on features, but on what's its actually like to use a camera.

I currently own a compact camera and would like to upgrade to something better, so that I can begin to do some more serious photography. At the moment, I'm at the stage of trying to take nice 'snaps' I guess you could say - I've just got back from a long trip abroad and i took lots of fairly standard landscapes, but was attempting to make them interesting. At the moment, I don't want to limit mysekf to any particular photographic genre.

So here's the question: do I get a bridge or a DSLR?

I know that I'm looking for something with potential for plenty of creative control, so it would need to have proper manual/priority modes, something which seems to be the case for many bridges now anyway. The other things I'm looking for are:
- ability to shoot RAW
- viewfinder
- reasonable performance in low light
- I want to be able to do the shallow depth of field blurred background stuff, which I know doesn't work so well with the smaller sensors that bridge cameras have, but I have been able to achieve some sort of Dof effects even on my compact
- ideally it would be cool to be able to use a remote/cable shutter release with it


I'm aware that many of the things that I want are many of the things that bridges seem to lack, but I'm daunted by both the size and expense of DSLRs. If I buy a bridge and decide that I need something more in a few years time, then that's ok, but at the same time, I don't want to restrict myself too much.

So does anyone have any suggestions? I'd really appreciate a few gentle pointers here.
 
Welcome to the forums.

Go for a DSLR (I have owned a bridge camera, long ago)
They have larger sensors so better high ISO performance - also keep in mind if you are not shooting longer exposures you may be able to purchase faster lenses ($$$) for a DSLR.
The DOF on bridge cameras is similar to compact cameras, mainly due to the small focal length lenses used on a bridge cameras.
The DSLRS I have used (Canon) do have remote shutter releases available.
The big thing for me is that a DSLR is responsive, however newer bridge cameras may also be responsive.
 
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to answer your question.. my Oh has just gone from using for past 2 years a canon 1000D DSLR with 18-55 and 55-250 kits lens, to a Fuji HS30 EXR bridge camera with a 30 x ( 24-720 zoom ).
the reason being.. she wanted to shoot wildlife and wanted "one of those big lenses" she sees people with ( the white ones as she calls them ) normally its some monster 500mm or bigger thousands of pounds lens which is wayyyy beyond budget.

So anyway canon sold and the fuji purchased.
so first things first.. sensor size... yes of course its much much smaller in bridge cameras ( there are one or two exceptions in extremely high priced ones ) . however the fuji hs30 has a slighly larger than most bridge camera sensors.

Secondly price.. we picked up the fuji for £121 ( a refurb model with full 1 year warranty )

features.. as well as the uber long zoom it has a host of features including the EXR mode, 11 FPS shooting, Full auto, and then AV, TV and full manual shooting. also has a manual rather than electronic zoom, , viewfinder, semi articulated LCD display ( tilt model up and down rather than full flip out and swivel ) and can be focused via single shot, tracking or manual focusing.

Also has a ton of other features found on pretty much all DSLR's too ( exposure compensation, AE bracketing, mutplie focusing options ( spot, average etc ) and all the rest of it.

so the downsides.. well apart from obvious smaller sensor and the inability to change lenses the onl other down side is the hs30 is contrast detect rather than phase detect.

oh it also has lens hood included and can take standard screw in 58mm filters too.
can also be fired with wired remote and attach external flash via hotshoe and has macro and super macro down to 1cm with excellent DOF and bokeh

the newer model the HS50 EXR is however phase detect, has a bigger 42X zoom ( 24 - 1000! )and articulated screen.. and can be picked up for around £230.

if you are looking for a bridge camera then i would seriously consider this
http://www.fujifilm.eu/uk/products/digital-cameras/super-zoom-bridge/model/finepix-hs50exr/

there are others to look at but they are quite a lot more price wise
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Panasonic Lumix FZ200

however you could find you outgrow a bridge camera in a years time and then have to pay out more money for a DSLR and lenses and lose a fair bit on the sale of the bridge over what you paid for it ( though tbh at around £200 its no more expensive than the cost of a reasonable DSLR lens)

just messing around with the fuji this was taken when our dog tried to push her nose up against the lens

as you can see image quality is pretty good considering i didnt bother to set the camera up and just fired it on exr mode without even bothering to compose or focus )

14565226455_f8e0ac2882_c.jpg


 
TheMagicPaint said:
So does anyone have any suggestions? I'd really appreciate a few gentle pointers here.
Click to expand...

The thread title needs to be Bridge or DSLR really. Each have their place, dean has given a great in depth review. If you need reach and convenience you're going to struggle to beat the HS50 as mentioned. The focal range is immense.

My advice would be that if you want a DSLR but not had one is go down the 2nd hand route to try one out and see how you get on. If you like it, can be bothered carrying it around and then want more features, just keep the lenses and get a better body. No point in just buying a brand new, bottom of the range camera with the kit lens to only find out it's not for you and take a hit on it. There is an old, 350d for sale in the classifieds with a lens for only £70, would be more than adequate to get to learn about how DSLR's function.
 
One other thing I'd consider is a CSC. They tend to be a better choice then a bridge camera, and nodays I think they're competitive with a DSLR unless you shoot very fast action (sports, wildlife etc...). Many have APS-C size sensors and lenses are available that are very capable of producing the blurred DoF you want.
 
Thank you for the advice guys

@Dean One of the cameras I've been looking at was the Fujifilm X-S1, which looks to be a pretty capable bridge. It's going for just over £200 on Amazon right now, which seems like a pretty good deal. It seems pretty similar to the one that you described and would definitely be convenient with not having to changes lenses.

@boyfalldown my impression was that CSCs are generally quite expensive and might not be within my price range. Do you know what might be a normal amount to pay for one?
 
My advice ? Get a cheap 2nd hand dslr body and a couple of half decent lenses like a nifty fifty. However to really improve your pictures u need to invest time in composition . Maybe a course , decent book like picture practice perfect and or studying professionals photos and technique . Trust me if u want to take better pictures u need to invest more time in composition than worrying about the camera too much .
 
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CSC camera ( i had the Fuji X-e1 ) cn be found quite cheap in the second hand market. but normally your limited to one kit lens with it and the cost of more lenses can be very expensive. also the budget priced CSC cameras tend not to have certiain features ( viewfinder for instance ) . certainly the X-S1 is a great camera ( think the HS50 may just edge it but its around £40 more though you may find it at the £200 price and of course it has that massive 50x zoom ) ..
as for CSC camers under £200 a quick look on ebay ( new not used ) brings up a nikon V1, olympus Pen pl1, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G3K and several others. all with standard kit lens though i dont think any of these will fullfill your requirements simply because of being limited to a single kit lens ( unless you can find a used bundle one with dual lenses )
 
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but just wanted to say thank you for the advice on here. I ended up getting the Fujifilm HS50 as a birthday present, so now all I need to do is learn how to use it properly! Hopefully I'll be posting some photos in the relevant part of the forum shortly.
 
cracking camera with a ton of features and full manual control, i took the moon shot i posted on the forum with the smaller HS30 and no complaints with image quality.
 
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