Best superzoom camera for vacations?

[StellaMarisB]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some advice on which camera to buy. I'm looking for a superzoom bridge camera and am having a hard time choosing.

Primary use: This is mainly for my yearly vacations on the Magdalen Islands, where I photograph birds in forests and on the shore. (Weather is of course variable there; equally bright sun and overcast days.) I also take photos of landscapes, night skies (constellations) and wild plants, and sometimes people. I share my photos on a blog, but I don't make photography the primary focus of my vacation moments.

Priorities in order of importance to me:
1. Clear superzoom capability (at least 50x zoom) for identifying birds
2. solid image quality
3. fast autofocus
4. reliable image stabilization (I have a slightly shaky hand)
5. decent macro capability
6. decent viewfinder
7. general ease of use.

Is there a camera that you would recommend more highly than others? Any cameras that you would suggest I avoid? Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much.


(P.S. Some that I am considering so far are Canon PowerShot SX60 HS, Nikon Coolpix P900 (or B700), Panasonic DC-FZ80K Lumix, Sony HX350...)

 

[chuasam]

CoolPix P900.
Image quality is so so but...83x zoom

 

[StellaMarisB]

Thanks, Chuasam! Do you mean the image quality is so-so relative to other superzoom cameras, or compared to a DSLR?

 

[480sparky]

The more a lens tries to do, the less it can do anything well.

So the more 'zoom power' you get, the less image quality gets.

 

[benhasajeep]

Actually the Nikon Coolpix P900 lens is actually very good. It's reach is amazing. It would be a very good travel camera if you want the big zoom capability.

 

[table1349]

Here are some real world samples of the Coolpix P900. Look at them at 100% and see if the IQ meets your needs.
Sample galleries: Digital Photography Review

As sparky stated, the more you try to do the more you have to compromise.

 

[goodguy]

Don't like superzooms but from my understanding the Nikon P900 is very good, probably what you are looking for.

 

[chuasam]

Thanks, Chuasam! Do you mean the image quality is so-so relative to other superzoom cameras, or compared to a DSLR?

so so compared to higher end Superzooms like a Sony RX10 III