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Best budget Bridge camera?

  • 06-08-2015 8:03am
    #1
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭


    So we've been looking at these three cheap bridge cameras, each one has strengths & weaknesses, but which would you recommend and which would you advise to steer clear of?

    Not wanting to be a professional, just family snaps, landscapes, holiday pics, air shows, and our kids playing in all weathers + indoors ...

    We have read all the online reviews, but most of them are from Britain or the US where the choice is so much bigger than here in Ireland, so with this in mind, what bridge would you recommend for under €150 (in an Irish context) Inc delivery.

    Fujifilm Finepix S8650
    Nikon Coolpix L330
    Polaroid IE 4038

    Other?


Comments

  • #2
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    One hundred 'views' and counting . . . .

    Would love a reply/help, as I want to make my purchase this weekend :(

    Anybody?


  • #3
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    1st time to buy a bridge camera, so I need some advice - please.


  • #4
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    Many thanks for that aujopimur but I'm going to go for one of the latest 2014/15 crop!
    Brand spanking new and sealed in a box, off the shelf If you know what I mean . . . .

    Thanks for the offer though.


  • #5
    Keggy
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Keggy


    LordSutch wrote: »
    So we've been looking at these three cheap bridge cameras, each one has strengths & weaknesses, but which would you recommend and which would you advise to steer clear of?

    Not wanting to be a professional, just family snaps, landscapes, holiday pics, air shows, and our kids playing in all weathers + indoors ...

    We have read all the online reviews, but most of them are from Britain or the US where the choice is so much bigger than here in Ireland, so with this in mind, what bridge would you recommend for under €150 (in an Irish context) Inc delivery.

    Fujifilm Finepix S8650
    Nikon Coolpix L330
    Polaroid IE 4038

    Other?

    Have you considered the Panasonic fz200?

    I was in the same position as you a few months ago and decided to go for the Panasonic after deliberating and I absolutely love it. Great image quality, good battery life, brilliant range on the lens and really natural images.

    Around 499.

    One well worth considering if you haven't bought already.

    Check out conns or berminghans.

    Atb

    Keggy


  • #6
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    Don't forget that my budget only extends to €150.

    That Panasonic FZ-200 is €500, and beautiful and all as it is, it's a bridge too far (excuse the pun) :)


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  • #7
    Keggy
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Keggy


    With a budget of 150 I would save up and get something better as budget bridge cameras are not great in my experience.

    Anything less than the likes of the fz72 at around 330 euro is pretty average in my opinion and you would be better off looking at a good compact.

    Atb

    Keggy


    LordSutch wrote: »
    Don't forget that my budget only extends to €150.

    That Panasonic FZ-200 is €500, and beautiful and all as it is, it's a bridge too far (excuse the pun) :)


  • #8
    draiochtanois
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,655 ✭✭✭draiochtanois


    This post has been deleted.


  • #9
    Keggy
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭Keggy


    A decent deal but not a great lens for portraits given the wide angle. More designed for landscapes and with a 3/5 review in amateur photographer, I wouldn't jump at it given their criticisms.

    PentaX aren't really doing anything special and are more for the old school photographer. That's why I went for a Panasonic as they are innovative and won best photography brand 2013 & 2014.in which magazine.

    PentaX does fit the budget though.

    Keggy


    draiochtanois wrote: »
    It's just above your price range but this might be....


  • #10
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    Borrowed a Fujifilm Finepix S8650 at the weekend and I was very impressed, apart from a tiny thin red line which showed up each print on my laptop (new thread dedicated to this)*.

    The Fuji is very small for a bridge camera, it not too heavy, it seems solid to me, and the pictures seem very detailed, apart from that "red line" issue I've raised in a new thread.

    Currently the Fujifilm is €119 online from Curry's (white), or red/black, for twenty euro more!

    Actually the one I'm borrowing is an S8600, so I don't know of that's any different. Looks the same.


  • #11
    CabanSail
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 9,047 CMod ✭✭✭✭CabanSail


    It is really hard for many here to make recommendations as the features on a bridge camera which would be critical to a dedicated photographer may well be things which you would not consider important at all.

    As an example I would not buy a camera which did not record RAW files. You may never set it in RAW mode and it would not be an issue.


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  • #12
    Woodville56
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭Woodville56


    Considering investing in a bridge camera, mainly for nature / wildlife photography but which would also let me do some macro / close up photography, plants, insects etc. I don't really want to go for a SLR with interchangeable lens etc because of cost and the hassle of lugging kit around.
    In reading wildlife blogs and related photography stuff, some of it a bit dated now, a camera that seemed to get a lot of kudos was the Panasonic LUMIX FZ200, mainly because of a "constant f2.8 aperture" which, not being techie minded, doesn't mean anything to me. My question - is this camera still best value around for my budget (in or about €400) for what I need, or is there better / newer models out there ?
    Any advice comment welcome


  • #13
    CabanSail
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 9,047 CMod ✭✭✭✭CabanSail


    The FZ200 is quite an old model now, it seems to have be superseded by the FZ300.

    DP Review has a roundup of the best of the 2015 cameras in that class.


  • #14
    killym
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 61 ✭✭killym


    In my opinion...Get cheap pentax like k10d, You can get plenty of cheap lenses such as 50mm 1.7, shoot raw play around.
    I woudn't buy a new budget camera for like 200e...


  • #15
    shrapnel222
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,120 ✭✭✭shrapnel222


    CabanSail wrote: »
    The FZ200 is quite an old model now, it seems to have be superseded by the FZ300.

    DP Review has a roundup of the best of the 2015 cameras in that class.

    the FZ200 is still a great model though and at under 300 now is very good value for a really good bridge


  • #16
    Woodville56
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭Woodville56


    shrapnel222 wrote: »
    CabanSail wrote: »
    The FZ200 is quite an old model now, it seems to have be superseded by the FZ300.

    DP Review has a roundup of the best of the 2015 cameras in that class.

    the FZ200 is still a great model though and at under 300 now is very good value for a really good bridge

    Yeah, I read reviews of it from a year ago and seemed to be the bridge camera to beat then, having regard to its price and quality etc and was recommended for anyone not wanting to go for the high end SLR kit. Prices online still around the 350 mark, but much reduced on earlier cost all the same. Where did you see it for under 300 Shrapnel, you can pm me on that if you wish. Thanks !


  • #17
    shrapnel222
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,120 ✭✭✭shrapnel222


    Woodville56 wrote: »
    Yeah, I read reviews of it from a year ago and seemed to be the bridge camera to beat then, having regard to its price and quality etc and was recommended for anyone not wanting to go for the high end SLR kit. Prices online still around the 350 mark, but much reduced on earlier cost all the same. Where did you see it for under 300 Shrapnel, you can pm me on that if you wish. Thanks !

    i saw it on the panasonic site for 350 but they currently have cashback offers on a lot of their stuff and for the FZ200 you get 50 back

    https://www.panasonicstore.ie/product/bridge-cameras/dmc-fz200eb-lumix-digital-camera/


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