Bridge Cameras

[Fluke]

Hiya I'm looking at replacing my Fuji SL1000, now I'm looking at the Fuji s9400w, Panasonic FZ72EB or the Sony HX 300 any ideas which is best any ideas

[WTF]

I have no idea about Bridge cameras. They are awesome though, I got one for my old work place, and was pretty jealous with the one I got them!

I usually use a camera compare site to line up spec by spec what you get with each - two here

And the Fuji Vs the Sony I'd go for the Fuji. It's a simple thing but loving that it needs AA batteries. I've been unlucky before when my 3 battery packs have run out of juice and I'm in the middle of no where with no way of charging one.

But there's not too much in it.

[moranphotography]

All depends what you want out of your camera?

What features do you want the most?

[DaveB]

It's a simple thing but loving that it needs AA batteries. I've been unlucky before when my 3 battery packs have run out of juice and I'm in the middle of no where with no way of charging one.

Definitely a selling point for me, as is a viewfinder. . . both my current cameras, Pentax X-5 & Canon A1300 were chosen on those criteria.

In general I'd say don't be seduced by numbers. It's lens quality, not pixels, that makes picture quality, & big zoom ratios look good on paper but in reality I doubt if many users will need much more than 500mm equivalent.

[moranphotography]

you'd need some good stabilisation on a 500mm equivalent on a compact/bridge camera

[Fluke]

Cheers guys its mainly for like car shows and nature shots being able to get cars going round the track is a big big bonus for me the lumix has a af lock feature and by looks of it a good image stabiliser thing and it allows u to find something u #pecifically want to focus on which im guessing is going to be good for getting those creative shots

[Fluke]

Finally decided on the panasonic yet to test it out yet

[THP]

Look at the Canon SX50 too. It's slightly older now but Canon haven't seen the need to replace it because there's not much out there that will beat it. Incredibly good stabilisation at 1200mm, one of the sharpest lenses around and I'd argue the best low light performance. It has subject tracking too.

The FZ72 is pretty good, the 20mm end is noticeably wider than the competition.

The only Fuji bridge worth looking at is the HS50 but it's a big, heavy camera compared to others. It has full manual zoom which I really like. Off the top of my head, it's the only bridge that does.

If you're going for some of the new 50+ zooms, AA batteries are a bad idea. The stabilisers use a lot of power and AAs will drain very quickly. OK, if they die you can always nip into a shop and buy some more but you'll be forever buying them and you'll end up spending more on them than a few spare Li-Ion packs.

[DaveB]

If you're going for some of the new 50+ zooms, AA batteries are a bad idea. The stabilisers use a lot of power and AAs will drain very quickly. OK, if they die you can always nip into a shop and buy some more but you'll be forever buying them and you'll end up spending more on them than a few spare Li-Ion packs.

On the other hand, a typical Li-ion pack has a capacity of around 1,200 mAH while rechargeable AA's can go up to 2,900 (although I wouldn't trust anything above 2,400-ish) - multiply that by four for a bridge camera & it begins to look attractive!

[THP]

They still don't work as well though. I work with cameras and we have to charge/replace AAs much more frequently than the Li-Ions.

[Kat]

They still don't work as well though. I work with cameras and we have to charge/replace AAs much more frequently than the Li-Ions.

Yeah, I have to replace the AA batteries in my Fuji bridge camera far more frequently than I have to charge my battery pack for my DSLR, and my DSLR is used so much more than my bridge camera...

[DaveB]

They still don't work as well though. I work with cameras and we have to charge/replace AAs much more frequently than the Li-Ions.

I suspect a lot of that's down to the high self-discharge rates of NiMH cells.

[THP]

I suspect a lot of that's down to the high self-discharge rates of NiMH cells.

Well that's just another reason why they don't last as long.

Yeah, I have to replace the AA batteries in my Fuji bridge camera far more frequently than I have to charge my battery pack for my DSLR, and my DSLR is used so much more than my bridge camera...

That's slightly different though. SLR batteries last longer because their screens aren't used all the time. If you always use the bridge through the viewfinder, you should see battery life go up a bit.

[sh0wtime]

I suspect a lot of that's down to the high self-discharge rates of NiMH cells.

depends on which brands you go for..
Sanyo Eneloop as an example have a very low self discharge rate & should hold 90% of their capacity after 6 months and 85% capacity after 1 year of storage...

[Kat]

Well that's just another reason why they don't last as long.



That's slightly different though. SLR batteries last longer because their screens aren't used all the time. If you always use the bridge through the viewfinder, you should see battery life go up a bit.

I do use my bridge through the viewfinder, hate using the screen!