Looking for a nice bridge camera with a decent pricetag :P

[LuigiVN]

Hi guys.

My compact Lumix camera doesn't satisfies my needs anymore. So, I'm looking for a pretty nice bridge. I'm not a skiled photographer, I do have some knowledge from some buddies who are pretty serious. They often say I take nice pictures and should step up to a better camera. My main option right now is the Canon Powershot SX30IS. Seems like a pretty nice camera except for some downsides like the sensor, or the lack of RAW. I'm not into editing the photos I take besides some filters to make them look older or more vivid. I don't have any brand preference but I do have a great trust in Canon because it's the brand I most have experience with.

Could you guys suggest some cameras to me, explain me why is one better than the other?

Thanks.

 

[cnutco]

Just step up to the Canon G12. It shoots RAW like you requested, but yet you do not want to edit...

 

[ishafizan]

what kind of shoots do u (normally) take?
i recommended the fz100 to 5 friends over the past 6 months. no complaints yet.

i used to own a fz28. the fz100 is huge leap forward. And yes, leica lens .... P, S, A, M modes and RAW
eg with fz28 Flickr: Search ishafizan's photostream

 

[LuigiVN]

Just step up to the Canon G12. It shoots RAW like you requested, but yet you do not want to edit...

Already thought of the G12 and the S95. G12 is kinda expensive for me, I don't think I can pay for it, plus one of the things that I love about the SX30IS is the zoom. I don't really mind a lot about RAW, since i'm not heavily editing my photos but it's still a nice feature to have... Any more suggestions?

 

[LuigiVN]

what kind of shoots do u (normally) take?
i recommended the fz100 to 5 friends over the past 6 months. no complaints yet.

i used to own a fz28. the fz100 is huge leap forward. And yes, leica lens .... P, S, A, M modes and RAW
eg with fz28

According to a friend of mine, the F100 lens sucks. The camera's specs are awesome, fairly superior to the 30OS (except for the zoom and somr otger stuff). She bought one of those and sold it like new and stepped up to a T2i..

I trust her knowledge and experiences, so... I don't knoe. Do you have any other recomendations?

 

[usayit]

Um.. The s95 and the G12 are not bridge cameras.

The Canon SX30 IS, FZ28, and the FZ100 are bridge cameras.

The Canon SX30 IS mentioned in the first post is about $379USD so that's probably the target price. Kinda confusing tho as the G12 is still in the same price range.

 

[usayit]

Oh forgot to mention, I've known people with the SX powershots and all of them have been happy. You'll probably be happy with it.

My only problem with these cameras is the smallish sensor they are all equipped paired with their size. I'd still place image quality as a priority and step up to a DSLR of some sort or place a priority on size and step towards a high end P&S like the S95 or G12. The bridge cameras (although they come with impressive zoom range) in my opinion tend to be a compromise.

 

[LuigiVN]

Oh forgot to mention, I've known people with the SX powershots and all of them have been happy. You'll probably be happy with it.

My only problem with these cameras is the smallish sensor they are all equipped paired with their size. I'd still place image quality as a priority and step up to a DSLR of some sort or place a priority on size and step towards a high end P&S like the S95 or G12. The bridge cameras (although they come with impressive zoom range) in my opinion tend to be a compromise.

The sensor in the SX30IS isn't that bad, is it? Because I wouldn't mind sacrifying some of that for the whooping x35 zoom that i really think i'm going to take advantage of. I'll be taking photos of birds flying, concerts (small ones in pubs'n stuff, Itn's not a great idea to bring a nice looking camera to some bigass concert), people, etc etc etc... G12 costs about $100 more and I'd rather use that money for some SDXC cards and a case. My parents are the ones who are gonna pay most of it (I'll put in my savings). I'm planning on buying the camera in Q3 or Q4 2011, Maybe for my birthday so I'm not in a hurry .

What do you think of the FZ100?

 

[LuigiVN]

Oh forgot to mention, I've known people with the SX powershots and all of them have been happy. You'll probably be happy with it.

My only problem with these cameras is the smallish sensor they are all equipped paired with their size. I'd still place image quality as a priority and step up to a DSLR of some sort or place a priority on size and step towards a high end P&S like the S95 or G12. The bridge cameras (although they come with impressive zoom range) in my opinion tend to be a compromise.

The sensor in the SX30IS isn't that bad, is it? Because I wouldn't mind sacrifying some of that for the whooping x35 zoom that i really think i'm going to take advantage of. I'll be taking photos of birds flying, concerts (small ones in pubs'n stuff, Itn's not a great idea to bring a nice looking camera to some bigass concert), people, etc etc etc... G12 costs about $100 more and I'd rather use that money for some SDXC cards and a case. My parents are the ones who are gonna pay most of it (I'll put in my savings). I'm planning on buying the camera in Q3 or Q4 2011, Maybe for my birthday so I'm not in a hurry .

What do you think of the FZ100?

BUMP