Which bridge for a round the world trip?

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Carlm90

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Hello everyone. I'm looking for a bridge camera for a round the world trip that I'm about to start.

I don't think I'm going to take an SLR because I don't have enough space for lenses in my backpack.

My budget is around £150 so I'm wondering what models you would suggest looking at? Many thanks!
 
Unfortunately I am not going to be taking a camera worth thousands of pounds on a trip with me especially when I can't fit all I need in my backpack.
 
Why a bridge? What about a decent compact such as a Panasonic TZ60;

http://www.johnlewis.com/panasonic-...3_1423709503_f3325b6c80335ac273edd37c19da9e6b

It's a bit over your budget, but has a great zoom range, an EVF, GPS, Wi-Fi and has RAW capability. My wife bought me one for Christmas and it's a great little camera for slipping into a pocket. Having a viewfinder is a bonus, too.

If the money is a bit too much, how about one of there;

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...-digital-camera-black-21354525-pdt.html#cat-0

Good zoom range but no viewfinder.

Either will take up less room than a bridge and should give you good results.
 
Hi Carl,
I only have experience with a couple of bridge cameras, Panasonic DMC-FZ range with Leica lenses and Fujifilm S series.
These are old models now and can be picked up for about £50.
They are light and produce good image quality but they will not produce SLR type of quality mainly because of their small sensors.
They also provide huge zoom capability with Panasonic having excellent image stabilization and good wide angle too.
You can search for reviews of these cameras and see some real world pictures and see if they will suit your purpose.
 
I would suggest the Sony DSC-H300, 20.4MP, 35x Optical Zoom. Currently Amazon have it for £99 with Prime: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00G37XCVI, leaving you some cash to get some rechargeable AA batteries, and a couple of decent memory cards. The only downside I could see about this camera is the lack of a view finder, saying that my EOS-M doesn't have a view finder and it hasn't bothered me yet.
 
daugirdas said:
You really must be joking, right?

You go on a once in a life adventure, costing £1000s... You will regret this if you do that. Good luck.
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He's traveling for a once in life time experience. Not on assignment for National Geohraphic!

In my experience it's best to take what you need. Not what you want. The times I've travelled and taken the kitchen sink it's been a complete waste of time. Unless you're going on a photo trip, like Iceland or something.
 
UaeExile said:
He's traveling for a once in life time experience. Not on assignment for National Geohraphic!

In my experience it's best to take what you need. Not what you want. The times I've travelled and taken the kitchen sink it's been a complete waste of time. Unless you're going on a photo trip, like Iceland or something.
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Depends on the trip and where's he's going, but it's a once in a lifetime trip around the world, so I'd suggest taking the camera he is familiar with and knows it's capabilities rather than buy something cheap that they won't be familiar with or might not have the same capabilities. Then there's the extra or different memory cards, batteries etc.

As the trip will no doubt be expensive, £150 seems a tiny fraction of the cost. I'd spend that on a small, lightweight travel tripod, similar to the manfrotto befree, extra capacity on memory cards and look at how light you can take your existing kit. There's been several people on here travelling with a slr backpack without issues.

Again, depends on where they are going, but SLR, wide angle, walkabout and telephoto lens, plus flash doesn't take up much room.
 
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Byker28i said:
Depends on the trip and where's he's going, but it's a once in a lifetime trip around the world, so I'd suggest taking the camera he is familiar with and knows it's capabilities rather than buy something cheap that they won't be familiar with or might not have the same capabilities. Then there's the extra or different memory cards, batteries etc.

As the trip will no doubt be expensive, £150 seems a tiny fraction of the cost. I'd spend that on a small, lightweight travel tripod, similar to the manfrotto befree, extra capacity on memory cards and look at how light you can take your existing kit. There's been several people on here travelling with a slr backpack without issues.

Again, depends on where they are going, but SLR, wide angle, walkabout and telephoto lens, plus flash doesn't take up much room.
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He's already said he doesn't have enough space in his backpack.
 
Couple of thoughts, though probably out of your price range. Firstly the Olympus TG-3, I bought one last year and it is great (although I would add the first one packed up after a few weeks but the replacement has been fine). Being waterproof really extends what you can do on the beach etc. and it is pocketable and tough, obviously being a compact it lacks manual focus and other manual options but it does have aperture priority and is pretty good in low light/night scenes.

The other thought would be to consider a second hand micro four thirds. I've a had a Lumix G3 for a few years and again it is a great little camera - the flip-out screen is really handy and if you just take one lens you may be able to beg/borrow/rent/buy different lenses if you feel the need.
 
And rent porters wherever he goes?
 
The Fuji X-Q1 might be worth a look, there's a couple of refurbs available (http://shop.fujifilm.co.uk/fujifilm-xq1-refurbished.html - use code PAYPAL12 for an extra 10% off), not a massive zoom but a decent sensor (same as X-20).

Enjoy the trip, create memories and don't spend too long behind the viewfinder ;)
 
FZ200 is meant to be a good camera f2.8 throughout the range. Still a small sensor though and maybe little out of the price range you mentioned
 
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UaeExile said:
Some backpacks would be more than his camera budget.
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A lot of cameras would be more than his budget, so your point is?

I have bought two small lowepro backpacks, neither were more than £60. That takes my 5d mk3 with 24-105, flashgun, 14mm wide, and whilst there's still room for a telephoto, I either take my 70-200 or 100-400, depending on what I'm planning to do. If I take the 70-200, then I add the 2x convertor, if the 100-400 I add the 1.4 convertor. There's also room to add my 50mm f1.4 if low light. Add in the couple of filters, spare battery, cards and other associated stuff and all loaded it's around 7kg. If I'm just on walkabout then stuff that I don't need gets left locked in the hotel room. Quite often I've got a fold up jacket etc in instead of the telephoto lens etc. stripped down to what I need for the day it's often just over 3kg.
Which is also why I suggested a small travel tripod.

Now I've no idea what the op has in the way of dslr, but possibly restricting yourself to a unfamiliar camera for a unique experience seems strange. Based on the budget, there are compromises to be made with compact choice.

A larger budget and then it opens up other possibilities.

There's times and places for small cameras, such as the person going to theme parks, I have a waterproof one for the beach and snorkelling, but for a unique travel experience, I'd be wanting to enjoy it and capture it, rather than worry about settings, what button does what etc.
 
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Byker28i said:
There's times and places for small cameras, such as the person going to theme parks, I have a waterproof one for the beach and snorkelling, but for a unique travel experience, I'd be wanting to enjoy it and capture it, rather than worry about settings, what button does what etc.
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Bear in mind that some people might put enjoying the experience as their first priority and recording it as a lower priority. Not everyone views such an opportunity in the same way.

Selecting a camera for such a trip may reveal other key criteria other than just put image quality. It depends how you are traveling. I can see why the OP might want a small, lightweight compact if he'll be living out of a rucksack for two or three months. Of this is the case I'd probably have similar priorities. Simple things such as USB charging could make all the difference between one camera and another.
 
You shpuld consider a sony nex 5/N. Won't have the zoom of a bridge but is light and fairly compact. It also produces great images. I bought my wife one a few years ago and im surprised buy the image quality every tine she uses it, on auto I should add. Can pick up a used for you budget.
 
For a trip like this, travelling light and £150 to spend, I'd go for a used Fuji X10.
 
Byker28i said:
A lot of cameras would be more than his budget, so your point is?

I have bought two small lowepro backpacks, neither were more than £60. That takes my 5d mk3 with 24-105, flashgun, 14mm wide, and whilst there's still room for a telephoto, I either take my 70-200 or 100-400, depending on what I'm planning to do. If I take the 70-200, then I add the 2x convertor, if the 100-400 I add the 1.4 convertor. There's also room to add my 50mm f1.4 if low light. Add in the couple of filters, spare battery, cards and other associated stuff and all loaded it's around 7kg. If I'm just on walkabout then stuff that I don't need gets left locked in the hotel room. Quite often I've got a fold up jacket etc in instead of the telephoto lens etc. stripped down to what I need for the day it's often just over 3kg.
Which is also why I suggested a small travel tripod.

Now I've no idea what the op has in the way of dslr, but possibly restricting yourself to a unfamiliar camera for a unique experience seems strange. Based on the budget, there are compromises to be made with compact choice.

A larger budget and then it opens up other possibilities.

There's times and places for small cameras, such as the person going to theme parks, I have a waterproof one for the beach and snorkelling, but for a unique travel experience, I'd be wanting to enjoy it and capture it, rather than worry about settings, what button does what etc.
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My point is I'm talking about a proper travelling backpack - the same as the OP. Not a Lowepro or camera rucksack.

Out of curiosity, have you ever done such a trip with that much camera gear? 7kg of dedicated camera gear is a hell of a lot when you need to fit your entire life into a bag. Not to mention the space it would take up.

I'm only taking from my own personal experience of taking a 5D and lenses in a Jack Wolfskin backpack around Asia. Spent most of its time in a safe.
 
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Carlm90 said:
Hello everyone. I'm looking for a bridge camera for a round the world trip that I'm about to start.

I don't think I'm going to take an SLR because I don't have enough space for lenses in my backpack.

My budget is around £150 so I'm wondering what models you would suggest looking at? Many thanks!
Click to expand...
Any more thoughts on what you might do Carl?

The Fuji X10 and Sony NEX5 aren't bad shouts.

I only wish your budget was a little healthier, then I could have made some of my own recommendations.

Where are you off on your travels?
 
Carlm90 said:
Hello everyone. I'm looking for a bridge camera for a round the world trip that I'm about to start.

I don't think I'm going to take an SLR because I don't have enough space for lenses in my backpack.

My budget is around £150 so I'm wondering what models you would suggest looking at? Many thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi Carl

I did a similar trip for a year in my mid-20s with a far worse camera than you will have. A compact film camera and a 2mb early digital camera. Both small, allowed me to take them with me everywhere and enjoy the experience. Personally I had them for the memories as opposed to anything else - it really is a case of the best camera is the one you have with you.

If you are backpacking I'd not want to trust my camera to the backpack which gets thrown all over the place and worse. I'd also not want to be weighed down with anything too heavy, and for that matter expensive for some of the places you may end up staying.

I'm not fully up to date with compacts but something like a Panasonic LX5 or TZ range would do the job I think, and maybe take a small gorilla pod style 'tripod' you can attach to random trees and things. In my experience most things you want to take are people and landscapes so massive zoom range not necessarily required, unless you want to try and capture some wildlife etc. TZ would probably work well enough for all these.

Either I'm very jealous, have a great time, you'll come back a changed person (for the better!)

Good luck

Al
 
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