I'm looking to upgrade my fuji finepix s9600 this year, which I loved. My budget is £300 and I'd even consider a 2nd hand one. Can anyone recommend a good make/model? I would say im still a bit of a novice so any advice would be welcomed! Thanks!:blushing:
Hi mummabear - depending on how much camera you want to carry, here is my advice:
Point and Shoot "Bridge Camera" similar to your 9MP Fuji S9600:
12.1MP Panasonic FZ150,
£270 new at Amazon. This fixed lens camera will give you full manual control of your stills when you want it, or a great automatic mode when you don't. Electronic viewfinder, hot shoe for mounting external accessories, swiveling LCD for self portraits and unusual angles, high definition 1080p video, video autofocus and external mic jack for better sound on video. Good value for the money and, at about the same size as your S9600, the smallest camera on this list.
Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera:
16.1MP Panasonic G3,
£320 new,
£304 used at Amazon. This interchangeable lens camera is also a good upgrade camera with full automatic and manual modes. Electronic viewfinder, hot shoe, swiveling LCD, high definition 1080i video (not as good as 1080p), video autofocus, but no external mic jack.
Larger than the FZ150, but not by much.
Digital Single Lens Translucent mirror camera:
16.1MP Sony A37,
£300 new at Amazon. This interchangeable lens camera shoots 7 continuous frames per second (useful for fast moving toddlers). It also has an electronic viewfinder, hot shoe, tilting LCD (no self portraits), 1080p video, video autofocus and an external mic jack.
Somewhat larger than the G3.
Digital Single Lens Reflex mirror camera:
12.2MP Canon 1100D,
£310 new at Amazon. This interchangeable lens camera has an optical viewfinder (stops working in video mode), a hot shoe, a fixed LCD, 720p video (lowest resolution of the lot), no video autofocus and no external mic jack. It does have the widest system lens selection.
Largest camera on the list. Interestingly, it weighs 11g less than the Sony.
The most compact solution is the
Panasonic FZ150. I own this camera. It is very easy to use, and produces
very nice still images.
If you want the best combination of image quality and size, I would recommend the
Panasonic G3. I own the similar Panasonic GH2. The G3 is a small camera that produces
great images.
For a modern camera with high frame rate still shooting and lightning fast autofocus in still and video mode, the best choice is the
Sony A37. Along with the Canon, it has the largest sensor in the group and produces
high quality still images.
If you want to buy into a good DSLR ecosystem with hundreds of lenses and don't mind carrying a relatively large and heavy camera, the
Canon 1100D may be the best option.
Here are some examples of what this camera can do.
Any of these camera will produce fine images - but which are you most likely to carry with you?
Hope this is helpful and good luck with your decision!
Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution
