A little advice needed if anyone can help

Thanks for the information.
Snipped.

I’ve never used a photo editor before, and don’t know that would be something I’d have the patience for.

Again, thanks for the information you’ve given me. I’ve been afraid that the DSLR cameras may be far more than what I need, and wasn’t sure if the bridge cameras would fit the basics for what I do photography-wise. The information you’ve provided so far is helping me understand things that were very foreign to me.

Rob

Rob, go and play with a Bridge camera in the shop. IMO you don’t want to get into the depth of SLR shooting an all the editing etc. Of course, you can set the DSLR to Auto, set the sharpening up, set the picture style up……but all you are doing then is turning a DSLR into a point and shoot with a big lens.

You may even get a good deal on a 2nd hand bridge for those ppl that have moved onto an SLR from a bridge.

Battery life, A DSLR will probably have a better battery life. My Panasonic (FZ20 from 2004) has a terrible battery life, for a full day at an airshow I would take 3, yes 3 batteries. This canon 450 I have now will go > 1,000 shots before it’s down to 1 bar. The Image stabilisation on Panasonic is, IMO incredible, and better than Canon DSLR IMO. With that FZ20 I once took a 1 handed shot of an aircraft at 20,000 feet or so, on full digital zoom (48x). You could count the windows and read the reg. off the wing. Incredible.

So, if going for a bridge, consider a 2nd battery.

In case you didn’t know, Digital Zoom is only a gimmick. All it does is electronically enlarge the maximum true zoom. So, don’t get sold on a big digital zoom figure.
I used digi zoom as a mwessabout (Like the aircraft above) or a telescope!

Thanks for the information.

I’ve never used a photo editor before, and don’t know that would be something I’d have the patience for.

The one worry I have is getting a camera capable of taking action shots, and a camera…

Rob

I really don’t want to twist your arm into getting a DSLR, so please don’t feel like that’s what I’m trying to do.

Many bridge cameras have very good fps for shooting action, but they have never achieved the speed and precision of a dslr camera.

Your two main concerns (high speed and battery life) are much less of a concern with a dslr. Most come with several types of focusing (continuous for moving subjects and a shot mdoe called ‘SALVO’ where you can hold the shutter button and get a LOT of photos in one go, for the perfect capture). And you can buy an accessory for most dslr’s called a ‘battery grip’ which you can attach to the camera. It holds several battery packs, and will last for days without running out of juice (except for movie mode).

Not to mention that dslr’s are built like tanks, and made to last a life time for most people. With the standard they are at now, you would probably never have to worry about upgrading again.

I hope i’m not confusing you here, that’s not my intentions…I really am just a massive fan of dslr cameras (recently discovered photography myself).

I will recommend you register and post at a forum I frequent, where the people are very knowledgable and very helpful. If you’re not too keen on a DSLR, someone there will know which bridge camera will come closest to your needs.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/digital-photography/

Again, I’m glad to help.

Almost forgot. With regards to editing your photos. That will only be necessary if shooting in ‘RAW’ files and manual exposure modes. You can get excellent quality photos in other modes straight off of the camera.

Another useful forum is:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/

Remember, a dslr is versatile. It will never be more than you need, but will meet most or all of your needs! And don’t feel intimidated by them. It’s just a camera, after all. Cheers!

Thanks for the information.

I’ve never used a photo editor before, and don’t know that would be something I’d have the patience for.

The one worry I have is getting a camera capable of taking action shots, and a camera that has a good battery life. Battery life tends to be important to me because often when I’m taking the scenery pictures, I’m out in the middle of nowhere, and recharging could be an issue, as well as the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, where I easily burn through 500 pictures over the course of 2 hours or so.

Currently, I own a Canon PowerShot A570… it’s been a nice camera for me for a few years now, but I feel my needs have gone far past the limitations of this camera, mainly in the areas of the full zoom and any sort of action shots.

Again, thanks for the information you’ve given me. I’ve been afraid that the DSLR cameras may be far more than what I need, and wasn’t sure if the bridge cameras would fit the basics for what I do photography-wise. The information you’ve provided so far is helping me understand things that were very foreign to me.

Rob

The flipside of the above is the basic question about what the camera is actually used for?
If your hobby is Photography, and spend hours taking pictures and even more hours editing / messing about with them in Photoshop or similar….then go for the entry level DSLR.

If however (And I think this is you) you want to take quality pictures of everyday things and would just like a walk-about camera, then consider a Bridge type like you have already done. But don’t stick to the Canon, look at Panasonic (My preference) too. And Sony.
There are a lot of advantages to having one lens. I had a Bridge for 4 years and won several photo competitions (In a Camera Club) with the results from it.
Further flipside…..once you see the quality that is capable of these cameras, you may want to go for a DSLR!

Very good point. It’s widely acknowledged that to get the best results out of a dslr, at least minor post-processing is required (example, adjustments to vibrancy/clarity). That is at least when shooting raw. However, modern dslr’s have creative modes as well as manual modes, so you have the convenience of a bridge, but with the option to go manual later on if you feel like it. Of course, lenses tend to vary in size in weight, but I think the difference is negligible and worth it.

As said above, Panasonic have excellent bridge cameras, if you don’t want the versatility of a dslr. The Lumix range have good reviews, such as the Fz48.

The flipside of the above is the basic question about what the camera is actually used for?
If your hobby is Photography, and spend hours taking pictures and even more hours editing / messing about with them in Photoshop or similar….then go for the entry level DSLR.

If however (And I think this is you) you want to take quality pictures of everyday things and would just like a walk-about camera, then consider a Bridge type like you have already done. But don’t stick to the Canon, look at Panasonic (My preference) too. And Sony.
There are a lot of advantages to having one lens. I had a Bridge for 4 years and won several photo competitions (In a Camera Club) with the results from it.
Further flipside…..once you see the quality that is capable of these cameras, you may want to go for a DSLR!

Personally, I couldn’t justify the cost of one of these compared to an entry level dslr, which is way ahead in most if not all areas.

So, on that bombshell, I’d like to recommend you look at either a Canon 1100d or if you can stretch a little bit further, a 550d.

Apologies if these are out of you budget, but i’m looking at UK retail prices, and they are both pretty close to the SX30.

Her is a good list of the differences between them and why the 1100d would be better.

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-1100D-vs-Canon_PowerShot_SX30_IS