Which Camera

[modeller]

My Canon Powershot 95 gave up the ghost recently. and I've got to the age where I dont want anything small and fiddley. I also find it difficult to hold the camera still for long .
I therefore need something solid to hold with an instant shutter action this points to a DSLR but with such a range to choose from its a difficult choice.


There is also the half way house a bridge camera but I cant find out in what way it is supposed to be between a compact and a SLR and whether it would fit my requirements.

I use to have a SLR before the days of digital but I don't want too much setting up as was then necessary.

All suggestions will be appreciated.

[nungate]

I have three digital cameras - I'm not boasting. My favourite one is the Nikon digital SLR that my daughter gave me for her birthday last year (long story) It's a Coolpix 100, with a 26xZoom 10.3 mega pixels and is just about all singing all dancing. It's nice to hold and the best feature is that you can switch off the screen and use a viewfinder which I much prefer to frame my pictures. It came from Jessops, and the people in our local store were pretty good with their advice. Not too much involved in the set up, charge the power and quick read of the manual and I was away. I'm also quite fond of my little Olympus which is easier to fit in a handbag - I loathe using a mobile to take pictures!

[Milvus]

The bridge camera uses the compact camera sensor (smaller then an SLR) with a single zoom lens, currently covering a bigger range than separate long lenses in an SLR (25m- 800+m). Shaped like an SLR they are comfortable to handle, and many also shoot HD video. A good all round camera.
Have a look at Canon Powershot SX30, Panasonic FZ150 and Nikon Coolpix P500 to get a start

[modeller]

Thanks nungate . When I mentioned setting up I was referring to taking the light levels, choosing the shutter speed, and size of the aperture. etc. So the more automatic it is the better. When you say using the view finder do you mean holding it up to the eye and viewing the object. ?

[modeller]

Milvus with the bridge camera is the shutter instantanious., like the SLR.
this is important to minimise hand shake.

[Milvus]

No, but all of these have very effective auto stabilisation (much needed if you are shooting hand held at 800mm. I use a Panasonic for wildlife shots and get no shake at full zoom

[Fitzer]

Shutter lag is what you're referring to I think Modeller and www.dpreview.com normally lists such things, as you have seen it varies immensely in compact cameras and in bridge models (to a certain extent in SLRs as well). All modern SLRs can be fully automatic so you don't have to do all the settings but some might say that removes the point of having the SLR if you let the camera make all of the decisions, up to you really. The advantage of the SLR with its bigger sensor is that you can get a shallower depth of field when you want it whereas compacts and evens bridges find this hard to do (with compacts impossible) as it is a matter of the physics of light. There is also another option which is the 'super' compact for want of a better description, such as the Canon G12, these are larger in the body than compacts but smaller than bridges, generally have better quality lenses (but shorter zooms than bridges) and can be fully automatic or allow a great degree of manual control.
The only real way to know is to go to an independent local camera shop where the people know their stuff and explain your dilemma, you may end up paying a bit more than you would with Amazon etc. but personal service costs.
PS. real, optical viewfinders (up to your eye) are a boon in bright sunlight as LCD screens can be very difficult to see.

[nungate]

Yes you just put it up to your eye and click! You do have a small button to press in order to get this function but other than that, set it to Auto and away you go! (trust me I am a housewife!!)

[VHG]

>> My favourite one is the Nikon digital SLR. It's a Coolpix 100,

A Coolpix 100 is not a digital SLR

[whiskeryron]

I have recently bought a Fujifilm Finepix S2950 digital camera & I am over the moon with it, I think you will find it is just what you are looking for, read all the customer reviews.

http://www.amazon.co....qid=1317280143&sr=1-1

Ron.

[modeller]

Thanks a lot I will investigate.