Trading in DSLR kit for Bridge Camera

[mattyn1]

I have a Nikon D90 and 5 lenses - 10-24mm, 18-105mm, 35mm, 70-300mm, 85mm but I just don't use it, especially not after the wet winter we have had. We have a significant holiday this summer and I just don't fancy lugging the kit (it is heavy!!) around with me, so to supplement my Insta 360 X3 and my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I am thinking of trading in the DSLR kit for a bridge camera:

Something like the

Canon SX70-HS or
Lumix FZ-330 or for a bit more money
Lumix FZ1000 II (second hand just in budget)

From what Wex says and what YouTube says any will be a decent buy - but I have a feeling they are all at least a couple years old - so am I missing anything and are those shortlisted a decent trio to choose from? What else should I consider for no more than £700?

what about 2nd hand mirrorless - something like

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/sony-a6000-digital-c...
and
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/sony-e-18-200mm-f3-5...

TIA.

Edited by mattyn1 on Monday 19th February 18:30

[Whoozit]

First question is, what types of photos do you take That'll help us help you

[DibblyDobbler]

I'm a big fan of the Sony RX10 (you could afford a Mark 3 I think on your budget) - tons of samples on this thread on Talk Photography https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/high-end...

[mattyn1]

Whoozit said:

First question is, what types of photos do you take That'll help us help you

I knew I had forgotten something! Landscapes mainly….. with a bit of portrait and wildlife and some candid holiday snaps…. Some low light and sunrise/sunset.

Edited by mattyn1 on Monday 19th February 19:38

[mattyn1]

DibblyDobbler said:

I'm a big fan of the Sony RX10 (you could afford a Mark 3 I think on your budget) - tons of samples on this thread on Talk Photography https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/high-end...

I think I saw one for £699 on one of the camera sites. Not keen on eBay as it happens.

[DibblyDobbler]

mattyn1 said:

DibblyDobbler said:

I'm a big fan of the Sony RX10 (you could afford a Mark 3 I think on your budget) - tons of samples on this thread on Talk Photography https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/high-end...

I think I saw one for £699 on one of the camera sites. Not keen on eBay as it happens.

Well they're a good all rounder - lens is sharp (f4 all the way from 24-600mm equiv) and a decent 1 inch sensor. High iso is poor though and the backgrounds can be 'busy' but any smaller sensor camera will have the same issues.

Happy to answer any queries or post a few samples if you are interested

[Whoozit]

Bridge cameras tend to have pretty small sensors which don't stand up well to scrutiny or to processing. However they could be a good balance of compromises if you aren't printing your work, if it's mainly for online use.

A couple of alternatives I can recommend might include firstly mirrorless as you mention in your post. I moved from a Nikon DSLR setup to a Fujifilm kit and haven't looked back. Secondly, if you really always want to have it with you, the RX100 it truly pocket sized with a great sensor. The latest version has a lens that goes from wide to 200mm. It may be out of your budget tho.

[Anastie]

The FZ1000 are good cameras and have lovely colour production. I found the colours in the FZ’s better than the RX10 iii I had.

The idea of a bridge camera to replace a DSLR is often discussed on Talk Photography forum and they have an excellent thread showing examples and discussions. Yes, the smaller sensors have limitations especially in low light photography and at short focal length being able to blur the background.

On the positive side it’s much easier not having to think about changing lenses and a bridge camera can be a lot lighter.

I’ve owned the FZ1000 and as said the RX10iii. I preferred the FZ but your needs may differ.

[mattyn1]

Really interesting stuff so thank you and pleasing I was sort of on the right lines. I am not sure succinct nuances between the models will affect me that much so need to get to handle them I think!

One thing we do want to produce after holiday is one of those coffee table photo books of our trip….. I can’t see that being bigger than A4 so does that have a bearing on your advice for choice?

(Probably should have mentioned that but the last post triggered my ailing memory!!)

[GetCarter]

mattyn1 said:

One thing we do want to produce after holiday is one of those coffee table photo books of our trip….. I can’t see that being bigger than A4 so does that have a bearing on your advice for choice?

No. Almost all cameras these days will produce files that are big enough to print into a book.

To give you an idea. To print 10" x 8" at 300 dpi (recommended), you need an image 3000 pixels by 2400.

As an example, My Canon compact produces a resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels.

[mattyn1]

GetCarter said:

No. Almost all cameras these days will produce files that are big enough to print into a book.

To give you an idea. To print 10" x 8" at 300 dpi (recommended), you need an image 3000 pixels by 2400.

As an example, My Canon compact produces a resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels.

[Bill]

I'm having a similar dilemma and have almost settled on a used FZ1000 but borrowed a FZ82 (admittedly the budget version) recently and found it slightly limiting as you have to take your finger off the shutter to use the zoom.

So you fix the focus, move the camera to reframe but can't then tweak the zoom. There's also a slight disconnect between the viewfinder and lense so zooming in on something small/far away that's moving is slightly tricky. But that's as much an issue of the enormous zoom as anything else, if it wasn't as long I wouldn't be trying to get photos of birds in flight!

I'm wondering if a good phone and SLR with 70-300 is a better combo. If you have the VR lense then maybe a body upgrade and keep that lense on all the time.

[spitfire-ian]

I went from an ageing Nikon D70 to a Panasonic FZ1000 mainly due to the D70 starting to refuse to actually take pictures when I really needed it to.

I find the FZ1000 perfectly fine for the general use that I need it for although I do struggle with it for pictures of aircraft in flight but I put that down more to me than the camera.

[spookly]

Bit more to lug around, but for complete flexibility and a "do it all" travel lens I'd go for keeping your D90 and getting an 18-200 or 18-300 DX lens.
Can be had for around £300 https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/product/nikon-af-s-dx-ni...

Saves faffing about with lots of lenses. Goes from decent wide angle to decent tele.

[Derek Smith]

I have owned two bridge cameras. Their quality convinced a friend to buy one.

I took pictures for a magazine and also published then online. The quality was good enough for both, with a bit to spare.

I also printed domestic pictures for my family use. The quality was better than the images I got from my film Minolta with a quality 80mm prime.

I think they are great if they can provide what you want. I went for micro four-thirds Panasonic, and, to a degree, the images are little better. What the camera gives me is the ability to crop to a greater degree.

A quality bridge is not much cheaper compared to a DSLR with the kit lens. However, throw in another zoom, and a quality prime (my most expensive lens) and things look a bit different in the cost bit.

I'm pleased with my MFT set-up. I'm glad I jumped. My friend, who went from a film SLR, is well chuffed with his Nikon bridge with, I think, an up to 1200mm zoom. He sends me images of the Moon. I dread clear nights. But they're very clear and of good quality.

Get what's best for you. Have a chat to someone in a camera shop. The trade-in value of a bridge used to be quite poor but, I'm told, it's comparable to DSLRs now.

[Busa mav]

There’s some useful info here after I asked a similar question a few weeks back

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[isaldiri]

DibblyDobbler said:

Well they're a good all rounder - lens is sharp (f4 all the way from 24-600mm equiv) and a decent 1 inch sensor. High iso is poor though and the backgrounds can be 'busy' but any smaller sensor camera will have the same issues.

Happy to answer any queries or post a few samples if you are interested

I'd second this - the RX10 mk3 is definitely worth considering imo if you're looking at the FZ1000. Colours are a bit subdued vs the Lumix I agree as a poster above has noted but you can increase the base saturation a bit to offset that. The extra reach is for me the big factor especially if you're looking to be taking pictures of wildlife as well. The autofocus will struggle somewhat with birds in flight though (certainly compared to a full frame with a large lens) but otherwise it's a very good all rounder I think as dibblydobbler says.

[mattyn1]

All seemingly consistent stuff so thank you. Am leaning to RX10 III based on the responses….. will get to handle them over the weekend hopefully.

Am I miles off with my mirrorless suggestion?

[YorkshireStu]

mattyn1 said:

All seemingly consistent stuff so thank you. Am leaning to RX10 III based on the responses….. will get to handle them over the weekend hopefully.

Am I miles off with my mirrorless suggestion?

The camera you want is the one you’ll enjoy using the most and can carry with you easily.

To that end…if, like me, you want the camera to do the heavy lifting with settings etc leaving you to concentrate solely upon composition then a good Bridge can be great. I prefer Mirrorless though with interchangeable lenses.

The Mirrorless models today are awesome. They really make photography a lot ‘easier’. Note: not better. Someone who knows what they are doing will produce awe-inspiring images with a 15 yr old DSLR no probs. But modern Mirrorless do make it easier for those of us who just want to compose a shot without too much fiddling. Get some scene presets plugged in to Custom modes and away you go!

So my vote would be the a6000….

[isaldiri]

mattyn1 said:

All seemingly consistent stuff so thank you. Am leaning to RX10 III based on the responses….. will get to handle them over the weekend hopefully.

Am I miles off with my mirrorless suggestion?

Depends on how much size of kit you want to be lugging around (and reach) I guess. Sensor size ultimately matters for quality of picture imo but the compromise is then size of lens for decent reach....

Assuming you did go down the A6000 route (and the 6100 has 4k video if that matters), I'd suggest a different lens to try as iirc, the 18-200 doesn't have a particularly good reputation. Would say something with less zoom range like the 18-135 OSS is considered quite a bit better a lens for not much more I think.