Bridge camera vs DSLR?
Discussion
On my letter to Santa this year will be a new camera, what camera though is a good question. I take alot of different styles of photo, wildlife, airshows, family and general snapshots. I really would like a DSLR as it's the natural step up from my current camera, however some of the newer bridge cameras seem quite impressive. My problems arise from my photography styles, on a recent holiday I went on a boat trip, taking landscape style shots interspersed with close up wildlife shots, I don't want to be forever changing lenses. However, I also take alot of pictures of my young family, motorsport and airshows and get quite annoyed at the shutter lag you get from a non-dslr camera.
Budget hasn't been set yet but it will (most probably) be under (or a little bit over) £1000.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Budget hasn't been set yet but it will (most probably) be under (or a little bit over) £1000.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
The Jackal, I don't want to spend a grand, I want to spend as little as possible to get the right bit of kit for me. I've seen a D90 twin lens kit in Jessops for £1,200, yet I've seen a Canon bridge camera for £500 that'll suit me, however, both have their disadvantages.
Simpo, I know that, I just don't want to spend over £1k on a camera when perhaps a £500 camera would be better for me.
Pete, the G1 is one of the bridge cameras I've been looking at, would it suffer with shutter lag like my old Nikon coolpix, or are these newer cameras alot better?
Simpo, I know that, I just don't want to spend over £1k on a camera when perhaps a £500 camera would be better for me.
Pete, the G1 is one of the bridge cameras I've been looking at, would it suffer with shutter lag like my old Nikon coolpix, or are these newer cameras alot better?
zetec said:
The Jackal, I don't want to spend a grand, I want to spend as little as possible to get the right bit of kit for me. I've seen a D90 twin lens kit in Jessops for £1,200, yet I've seen a Canon bridge camera for £500 that'll suit me, however, both have their disadvantages.
Simpo, I know that, I just don't want to spend over £1k on a camera when perhaps a £500 camera would be better for me.
Pete, the G1 is one of the bridge cameras I've been looking at, would it suffer with shutter lag like my old Nikon coolpix, or are these newer cameras alot better?
No shutter lag at all - very quick.Simpo, I know that, I just don't want to spend over £1k on a camera when perhaps a £500 camera would be better for me.
Pete, the G1 is one of the bridge cameras I've been looking at, would it suffer with shutter lag like my old Nikon coolpix, or are these newer cameras alot better?
Really? I thought only a true SLR would eliminate any kind of shutter lag, as my Dad says, what you see is what you take!
Also at over £1k with interchangable lenses, surely thats DSLR territory? I'm not too bothered about size and weight, most bridge cameras are the nearly the same size as a DSLR?
Also at over £1k with interchangable lenses, surely thats DSLR territory? I'm not too bothered about size and weight, most bridge cameras are the nearly the same size as a DSLR?
DSLR; anything else is a compromise whatever they tell you. Yes you may have to change lenses but if your take your photography seriously and want the best results that's a price you pay (or get a 18-200mm and leave it on). Bigger chip, better controls too.
How about a good s/h system - that way you get all the grunt you need for a better price.
How about a good s/h system - that way you get all the grunt you need for a better price.
Edited by Simpo Two on Sunday 26th September 16:51
I've read bad things about the Nikon 18-200, allthough a great all purpose lens, it's not as good as it could be etc.
The DSLR deal I've seen is this one (yes I know I could get cheaper perhaps).
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77130...
Any opinions on the lenses?
The DSLR deal I've seen is this one (yes I know I could get cheaper perhaps).
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77130...
Any opinions on the lenses?
zetec said:
I've read bad things about the Nikon 18-200, allthough a great all purpose lens, it's not as good as it could be etc.
I'm not a big 'super-zoom' fan, but in their defence they allow a lot of flexibility in situations when you can only carry one lens. The Nikon 18-200 would seem to be regarded as one of the best of its type.I think the maxim of the-more-a-lens-does-the-less-it-does-well stands true. However sometimes you can't carry £4k's worth of heavy gear in a bag
So super-zooms are probably a welcome addition for a lot of people, you just have to acknowledge the compromises that are being made for their unbridled flexibility.
Oh, and the D90 looks like a great camera
Couple of lens reviews here: 18-105 and 70-300
Even over-the-fence in Canon-land people seem to think the D90 is a lot of camera for the money
Edited by flat-planedCrank on Sunday 26th September 17:27
zetec said:
I've read bad things about the Nikon 18-200, allthough a great all purpose lens, it's not as good as it could be etc.
Well, the more things you ask a less to do the lens well it will do them. I suggested it because it's an answer if you want a DSLR but find changing lenses scary. You will however get better image quality (less distortion and CA) by using several different lenses according to the task at hand. That said, you might be perfectly happy with the results from the 18-200. Don't read too many reviews, there will always be some miserable git finding a fault which may be of no interest to you! The best lenses are £1,000+ each, so you have to draw the line somewhere.Edited by Simpo Two on Sunday 26th September 17:32
I wouldn't buy second hand, because it means that you are usually buying old technology and things do move on a pace.
Look here for an example: http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Camera-Sensor/...
In a period of just over three years of progress, the sensor of a micro 4/3rds camera gives very similar specs to a good older DSLR and apparently, its just announced m 4/3rds replacement has a faster focus speed than most current DSLRs.
I don't know about its shutter lag but don't muddle that up with slow focus speed.
Look here for an example: http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Camera-Sensor/...
In a period of just over three years of progress, the sensor of a micro 4/3rds camera gives very similar specs to a good older DSLR and apparently, its just announced m 4/3rds replacement has a faster focus speed than most current DSLRs.
I don't know about its shutter lag but don't muddle that up with slow focus speed.
Elderly said:
I wouldn't buy second hand, because it means that you are usually buying old technology and things do move on a pace.
Yes, but unless you're trying to shoot black cats in cellars, does it actually matter? A new camera now will be 'obsolete' next year and youe take the hit in depreciation.It's clear that everybody is going to plug their own choice, so I'll bail and let the OP decide
I'm not scared of changing lenses, it's my 'oh thats a great landscape' to 'awww thats a lesser spotted warbler' style of photography thats the problem.
I know 200mm most probably isn't going to be enough for airshows and if I'm going to go the DSLR route I'm prepared to pay for the priveldge.
Simpo, I've been on these forums a while and appreciate your input.
I know 200mm most probably isn't going to be enough for airshows and if I'm going to go the DSLR route I'm prepared to pay for the priveldge.
Simpo, I've been on these forums a while and appreciate your input.
zetec said:
I've read bad things about the Nikon 18-200, allthough a great all purpose lens, it's not as good as it could be etc.
The DSLR deal I've seen is this one (yes I know I could get cheaper perhaps).
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77130...
Any opinions on the lenses?
Nikon 18-200 is a great walk about lens. The problem with the internet is that its full of people measuring tedious technical details. If they worried about technique, composition and effort more than nerd specs they'd have better pics regardless of the equip. Still, you can't buy those, they take hard graft.The DSLR deal I've seen is this one (yes I know I could get cheaper perhaps).
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77130...
Any opinions on the lenses?
Elderly said:
I wouldn't buy second hand, because it means that you are usually buying old technology and things do move on a pace.
That's only half the story though.Whilst the technology in the camera bodies might move on quickly, that of the lenses doesn't.
At the high end of the market, you've got current lenses such as the Canon EF600mm f/4L IS USM which was first launched in 1999. At the opposite end of the price scale, you've got the prime lens most Canon users are likely to have in their bag - the 50mm f1.8 MkII - which is still bought in its many thousands every year, despite first going on sale in 1990!
Of course, other lenses have been released since, and will continue to be released, but if you've bought a lens second-hand, the chances are you'll get more or less what you paid for it if you decide to sell, so long as you've looked after it.
Certainly you might want to upgrade the body more often, but you can keep on using the same lenses, and you'll get back a far higher percentage of the purchase price for a second hand DSLR body than you will for a second hand bridge camera of the same age, due in no small part to the fact that most DSLR buyers view a lot of the recent technical advances as marketing guff, whereas many bridge buyers will always accept that more has to mean significantly better.
As an all rounder the Nikon 18-200 is pretty good. No it's not a super sharp, no aberration masterpiece, but unless you are really fussy it's a good place to start. I hired one for a trip to Disney earlier this year to avoid carrying bags of kit all day and it did it's job very well as a general purpose 'holiday' lens.
zetec said:
Really? I thought only a true SLR would eliminate any kind of shutter lag, as my Dad says, what you see is what you take!
Also at over £1k with interchangable lenses, surely thats DSLR territory? I'm not too bothered about size and weight, most bridge cameras are the nearly the same size as a DSLR?
Well - I saw this and took it! Also at over £1k with interchangable lenses, surely thats DSLR territory? I'm not too bothered about size and weight, most bridge cameras are the nearly the same size as a DSLR?
Go for an SLR.
Doesnt have to be high end or new or whizzy, the versatility and perfomance is great and has been great for a fair while.
Even my ol 350D was fairly zippy.
The 18-200's are compromised BUT there no worse than the superzooms built onto bridge cameras and you still get phase AF and larger sensors.
Doesnt have to be high end or new or whizzy, the versatility and perfomance is great and has been great for a fair while.
Even my ol 350D was fairly zippy.
The 18-200's are compromised BUT there no worse than the superzooms built onto bridge cameras and you still get phase AF and larger sensors.
There are 3 types of camera been mentioned in this thread now, bridge camera, micro 4/3rds and DSLR.
Bridge camera's, e.g panasonic FZ38, which usually have a massive zoom range (i think some are in the 7-800's at the long end from 28 or so at the short end now!) are very useful for a multi purpose camera. You can fit in a small camera bag the focal range that would take up an entire suitcase (and cost thousands) in a DSLR set up. Downsides include poor noise control due to tiny sensors, slow autofocus, fiddly manual controls and lack of optical viewfinder
Micro 4/3rds, e.g the panasonic GH1, camera's have the sensor size of a crop body SLR in a body a bit bigger then a compact so a good recipe for image quality and noise control. However for me they are a little pointless, there isnt the range of lenses available for them as there are for DSLRs, and if you put a longer lens on them their small size becomes pointless as they take up almost as much space as a DSLR. I think these will mostly be bought as fashionable items for people who dont really care about photography, or by people who already have an SLR as a second camera to use when they cannot be bothered to lug it around.
To be honest if you are serious about photography, you will end up with and SLR. Total control over the image that you get, massive choice of lenses that will cover every type of photography you want to do and although it can be expensive investing in the kit, it doesent have to be and as has already been mentioned lenses tend to hold there value very well, so you can always sell again if you need to!
Bridge camera's, e.g panasonic FZ38, which usually have a massive zoom range (i think some are in the 7-800's at the long end from 28 or so at the short end now!) are very useful for a multi purpose camera. You can fit in a small camera bag the focal range that would take up an entire suitcase (and cost thousands) in a DSLR set up. Downsides include poor noise control due to tiny sensors, slow autofocus, fiddly manual controls and lack of optical viewfinder
Micro 4/3rds, e.g the panasonic GH1, camera's have the sensor size of a crop body SLR in a body a bit bigger then a compact so a good recipe for image quality and noise control. However for me they are a little pointless, there isnt the range of lenses available for them as there are for DSLRs, and if you put a longer lens on them their small size becomes pointless as they take up almost as much space as a DSLR. I think these will mostly be bought as fashionable items for people who dont really care about photography, or by people who already have an SLR as a second camera to use when they cannot be bothered to lug it around.
To be honest if you are serious about photography, you will end up with and SLR. Total control over the image that you get, massive choice of lenses that will cover every type of photography you want to do and although it can be expensive investing in the kit, it doesent have to be and as has already been mentioned lenses tend to hold there value very well, so you can always sell again if you need to!
Edited by jimmy156 on Sunday 26th September 23:30
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff