Travel camera

[Oneday]

Hi everyone!

I am caught up in the grey zone of deciding on a new camera. Rather urgently! As I am leaving on a two week holiday to South Africa and need something decent yet versatile enough.

Up to now I have been using a Canon SX210IS travel zoom and I absolutely loved it. Small, nice zoom and manual controls. I've taken about 18000 photos with it no issues, until very recently. I think there is some dirt on the sensor as all my photos have an ugly blur smack in the centre.

My initial plan was to buy a new DSLR, specifically the Canon EOS 650d/Rebel t4i with a bunch of lenses, however life happened, and I had a lot of unforeseen expenses, and Canon decided to take the 650d of the market.

However now I have the difficulty to decide on something more affordable which would still give me great travel photos.

Current list I am considering:
Canon SX280HS
Panasonic TZ40
Canon SX50HS
[h=1]Sony Cybershot DSC-HX300[/h][h=1]Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200EP-K[/h]
I travel a lot across Europe and need something which won't be too heavy to carry with me on low cost airlines ( weight restrictions ). That rules out DSLR and lenses, just too cumbersome.

I really enjoy photography and want to expand on my skills. So the camera should at least have full manual control and a decent zoom?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[brunerww]

Hi Oneday - I recommend the £359 Canon SX50 for your trip to South Africa. If you plan to go on safari, the 50x zoom will be great for wildlife. It has full manual control, shoots RAW, has a hot shoe and a fully articulated LCD.

I like the £380 Sony HX300v's increased resolution, but it doesn't shoot RAW, has no hot shoe, and the LCD is always exposed and cannot be turned around, which makes it susceptible to scratches.

The £380 FZ200's principal advantage is its constant f2.8 lens, which will give you the best low light performance at longer focal lengths. But you won't really need this feature outdoors. I shoot with the FZ200's predecessor, the FZ150, and I love it - but it has a shorter zoom range than the SX50 - and is a better video camera than a still camera, in my view.

Hope this is helpful - enjoy your holiday!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

 

[Oneday]

Hi Brunerww...

I think I spent about 3 hours in the shops playing with all of the cameras, and finally opted on the Panasonic TZ40.
Seeing as I am still keen on investing in a proper DSLR in the near future, I thought it wise not to spend a lot of money on a bridge camera, but rather something pocket-able which could act as a backup camera later on.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[brunerww]

Glad I could help - congratulations on your new camera - and look forward to seeing your photos when you get back!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution