Beginner Just starting out, Bridge Camera advice needed

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djayk

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Daniel
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Hi All,

So I have always had an interest in Photography but have not done much about it, until now. I don't have a huge budget and would need to be able to buy on Amazon as I have some gift vouchers that would help to the cost.

As much as I would like a DSLR, I can't currently afford the cost and don't know enough about photography to use that sort of camera to its full potential.

I have been doing some research in to Bridge Cameras and one camera that keeps popping up is the Panasonic Lumix FZ200

The only downsides that I can see with this camera is the optical zoom at only 24x compared to a few other Bridge Cameras with larger range and only has a 12.1mp sensor.

Would this be a good camera for a beginner like myself to get into the realms of photography or is there something better on the market for around £250 - £275

Thank you in advance
 
Given a tight budget I would consider the Canon EOS-M which can be bought with an 18-55 lens and a flash for £ 199 from Argos. You can then add other lenses, and with an EF adaptor use Canon EOS DSLR lenses.
 
I am in danger of taking critism because you want advice about bridge camera and I,m going to give you advice about DSLR.

Bridge cameras are good but will never achieve what a DSLR can achieve. You can pick up a decent secondhand DLSR for £250 or buy a lower standard new one with a kit lens. Most if not all camera's have novice mode or set program on 'P' setting. Once you get use to 'P' you can move on to other settings. You will be surprised how quite you will progress.

Regardless what you deside Good Luck and I look forward to seeing your images.
 
If the zoom range and no. of megapixels is important to you, then ignore the posts above and stick with a bridge as you are unlikely to get what you want for your budget unless you want older generation gear. If the Panasonic gets good reviews then it will probably be a good buy. Bear in mind the product replacement cycle is quite short so you could probably get last months model for a bit less, or wait for next months model and get more features!

However, if you want to dip your toe into photography then something like a second hand slr or mirrorless camera would be a good choice, just don't expect all the wiz bang features you get on a brand new bridge. You'll also need to factor in either a superzoom lens or several different focal lengths.
 
If you want to get into photography a bridge superzoom will become frustrating very quickly. It might seem fantastic at first but you'll soon run into frustrations as your experience grows.
The superzoom lenses simply aren't very good quality for a start. Cramming that range into a fixed lens at that price sacrifices quite a lot of quality. You might not notice it at first, but when you do it could be disheartening.
 
djayk said:
The only downsides that I can see with this camera is the optical zoom at only 24x compared to a few other Bridge Cameras with larger range and only has a 12.1mp sensor.
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Welcome to the forum..

First, what interests you most as photographic subjects? - (saying "everything" is the same as saying "nothing") - portraits, landscapes, aircraft, motorsport, wildlife, etc.?


A couple of quick pointers..

"x24 zoom" does not mean the lens will make distant objects appear 24x bigger, I just want to get this in quick because it's a widely misunderstood term. The zoom is just the difference between the focal length of the lens at the shortest and longest end. It's quite meaningless on it's own, what you need to consider are the actual focal lengths which will usually be described as equivalents for comparison. The "normal" focal length range is around 24-135mm equivalent. If you've got that range covered you've got the basics and everything else is gravy. Shorter than that will give you wider landscapes, longer than that will work better with distant subjects. Too much optical zoom can indicate a lens that's trying to hard to be average at everything and excellent at nothing.

Megapickles are a marketing tool more than anything else, 8Mp in plenty for almost everyone, 12Mp is very respectable. Too many pixels on a small sensor of the type found in bridge cameras does not improve the image. Counting pixels are strictly a Top Trumps point scoring exercise, unless you're one if the very small number of photographers that has a genuine need for them.


There's a reason the premium compact/bridge cameras have lower values for both megapixels and zoom than the cheaper ones - they're trying to be excellent rather than mediocre.


Everyone has an opinion on bridge cameras, and most of us are talking from a position of constantly justifying to ourselves via the forum why we sent far too much money on our cameras. So you'll get a lot of negativity towards bridge cameras from folk that don't accept that £250 including Amazon vouchers won't buy a secondhand camera, and whilst you can get a cheap DSLR for you budget you can't afford a decent lens as well within the same budget. This sort of advice is par for the course for here.

I'm also not keen on bridge cameras, but from a different angle.. the better "compact" cameras can do everything a "bridge" camera can but in a smaller package that's more convenient to carry and consequently you're more likely to use it on a daily basis. It depends how badly you want a camera to look big/serious/professional rather than just be good. I'm not sure what's current on the market but generally anything by Panasonic, Fuji or Sony in the compact/bridge market is usually pretty good. The website DPreview usually keeps a reasonably up-to-date group test on the leading contenders. It's worth reading their reviews.

As @viewfromthenorth says it's worth buying last season's model - it will be cheaper and the difference between it and the new one is rarely significant.


I'd add the Canon G15 and G16 to your list to consider, Amazon list them just either side of your budget.
 
Hi, for what its worth, I started with a Panasonic Bridge and struggled to understand it, got a Canon Bridge as a replacement and loved it.

Now own Canon DSLR and a few Lens but still take out the Bridge when I need that extra Zoom.

So my advice get your Bridge Camera, learn how to use all the options ,Manual,AV,TV,etc and if you get on OK then spend out on a DSLR.
 
You don't want to listen to these guys with DSLRs telling you to get a DSLR. You don't know enough to make a wise choice. A good bridge camera will introduce you to all the features and photographic technicalities you'll find in the world of DSLRs while avoiding some of the annoying problems of DSLRs such as sensor cleaning and inaccurate focus. It'll probably take better pictures straight out of the box than a DSLR. You'll get more image quality for your money than an entry level DSLR with the kit lens that comes with it.

In a previous life in the days before autofocus had been invented I used a film SLR, had a drawer full of totally manual lenses, and developed and printed my own photographs in a darkroom. So I knew the basic technical facts of photography. I gave up photography for a few decades, long enough for digital cameras to be invented and develop to the point that there were lots of arguments about whether DSLRs would ever be as good as film SLRs.

I was attracted to cost free shooting and image processing of digital cameras, but had no idea what kind of camera I might end up preferring, from DSLR to good fixed lens compact. I decided to learn the basics of digital photography and suss out the marketplace by buying a 2nd hand good compact with full manual controls and RAW output. I wanted to try before buying so wandered around the local camera shops at times when there'd be few customers and I could take my time playing and chatting. One of them sold me a bargain bridge camera, just traded in, a bit bigger and more expensive than I'd intended, but a tempting bargain. It had an APS-C sensor, the same as a crop frame DSLR.

I joined a local gang of photographers who organised regular photo expeditions, and social evenings in pubs where we photographed each other's food and drinks. I soon noticed that the photographs from my bridge camera were as good as most of those from the gang's DSLRs. They were a bit snobby about my inferior toy camera and were waiting for me to get serious and buy a proper DSLR. I tried pointing out that my inferior toy was producing just as good images as many of theirs, but that caused unpleasantness, so I pretended to agree that my photos were inferior and that I was just trying to decide which kind oif DSLR.

In the end I decided that the DSLR was an obsolescent stop gap in the development of the fully electronic exchangeable lens digital camera. The DSLR is no longer the only kind of top enthusiast quality exhangeable lens camwra system. I'd say a bridge camera or top end compact such as Sony RX100 or Canon G bought second hand a model or two back from today's top model is your best value for learning what you want, and watching how the latest technology changes shake down in the marketplace.
 
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Alastair said:
I didn't know John Lewsis took Amazon vouchers, is this just your local store or nationwide?
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Oh i think i missed that,so its just amazon vouchers ,sorry should have read the first post,only read re the price of G16
 
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Nick Crane on the BBC Coast Program carries a Panasonic Lumix and he gets some great images. Goes in a pocket as well. I was very tempted to get one.

My Nikon DSLR only gets used when I have the energy and venue that needs it.
 
The problem with compacts and bridge cameras is their very small sensors. Meaning that potential image quality is reduced and in particular they're poor at higher ISO settings, and you can't control depth of field to put backgrounds out of focus at normal shooting distances.

Anyone serious about creative photography needs a larger sensor camera, ie a DSLR or CSC. They are no harder to use than any other camera with full controls.
 
My first 'decent' camera was a bridge Panasonic LUMIX FZ18- I absolutely loved this camera. Great shots, easy controls, a genuinely brill superzoom at the time. Would highly recommend something similar - I learned loads from it before going to DSLR.
 
stibz said:
DSLR is the way to go, end of.
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So, regardless of your needs, Finance, usage of, a BIG super car is a must whether you need one or not.!!!!

Talk about a Blinkered view of Life, surely theres room in Photogaphy (and this Forum) for all types of Equipment and users??
 
stryvya said:
So, regardless of your needs, Finance, usage of, a BIG super car is a must whether you need one or not.!!!!

Talk about a Blinkered view of Life, surely theres room in Photogaphy (and this Forum) for all types of Equipment and users??
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You said that, not me, all cameras have uses, but if your serious about photography, you need a DSLR, if you want snaps, there is plenty of choices.
 
stibz said:
You said that, not me, all cameras have uses, but if your serious about photography, you need a DSLR, if you want snaps, there is plenty of choices.
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Not sure I agree with that, there are plenty of non DSLR cameras that can be used for serious photography.......
 
stibz said:
You said that, not me, all cameras have uses, but if your serious about photography, you need a DSLR, if you want snaps, there is plenty of choices.
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If you think it's the gear that makes you a "serious" photographer, you've not got it and all the "street cred" of having a big camera swinging round your knackers isn't going to help you.
 
djayk said:
I don't have a huge budget and would need to be able to buy on Amazon as I have some gift vouchers that would help to the cost.

As much as I would like a DSLR, I can't currently afford the cost and don't know enough about photography to use that sort of camera to its full potential.
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From the original Post, so a Bridge Camera would suit Daniel`s needs i.e. "cheap" to buy (in comparison to ever more purchases for DSLR), Has all the settings found on a DSLR, and if it`s not for the him than not a lot of money spent.

Daniel, if thats all you can afford go for it, you can always go BIG later, it worked for me and I assume for lots of others on this Forum
 
I would like to point out, just in case people were not aware, that you can get 2nd hand DSLR kits on Amazon (3rd party sellers but means you can still use your vouchers). So if you are wanting to ultimately get a DSLR this maybe the way to go as there does seem to be quite a few within the sub £275 stated budget (though I can't attest to the value for money).
I am new to this so I cant offer too much advice on the matter, I am just employing the logic of "why by something less than you want if it will end up dead money?" and trying to find ways of you getting close to what you ultimately want but within your budget.
Hope this makes sense.
 
Alastair said:
If you think it's the gear that makes you a "serious" photographer, you've not got it and all the "street cred" of having a big camera swinging round your knackers isn't going to help you.
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Of course you right, any good photographer could take really excellent photo's with any cheap camera of any type. like you say, it's not what you have in hand, it's whats between the ears.

We must all have heard "All the gear & no idea" before.
My opinion was DSLRs are best.
 
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What a can of worms, haha. The G Cameras are a great start, as are the RX range from Sony, They allow you to have a go of manual settings to see whether you want to go that bigger camera route in the future, or just enjoy taking photographs casually. I haven't tried out the Panasonic ones, although the similar range ones will also be fine enough. The zoom range isn't typically something to worry about too much, just use your feet, unless you're behind bars! ;-)
 
Go for the bridge type camera. 16 years ago I got an early on bridge camera (Minolta A1) with the hopes of learning how to use it so photography would take up the slack when I became less active during retirement. And have been using it on and off, mostly off...in other words, never learned how to use it properly. I just stopped tennis (too many joint replacements) and started using the A1 again; but it stopped working my third day back to it. So, on advise that it would not be worth the money to have it fixed, I got a new bridge camera - Panasonic FZ1000K. WOW, what a camera and what a steep learning curve, of which I am now deeply into. Anyway, in order to learn how to use the camera, I've been spending a lot of time asking questions and learn things on the Panasonic Compact Camera forum of DPR. Most interestingly, and what I want to get to, is that a good majority of the guys on that forum have used the FZ200 and were making all kinds of comparisons to the new big brother on the block as they were interested in upgrading. These folks were very happy with their FZ200 and were trying to justify going with a more expensive version. So, in my eye (and I am just above beginner amateur level), if you were to go over to the DPR forum and review the discussions regarding the FZ200, I don't think you'd have any trouble getting one. Good luck.

PS: I'm brand new to the forum and would like to know why my avatar is so blurry...
 
Hi Flycaster, Your avatar seems fine to me? No less blurry or sharper than the others?
 
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