That does sound like a lot of money for a superzoom.
Niels
Yes but think of all the lenses you would be saving!
In my own case, post spinal surgery, I am unable to lug two bodies with lenses around with me on nature expeditions, so the Sony RX10 iii served well for my purpose. The Mk 4 is even better as it is blisteringly fast to focus and on continuous shooting mode it is superb.
Bridge cameras hold no concerns for me as I used to shoot with an early Panasonic FZ20 which with careful upsizing from it's tiny 4mpx sensor, it was capable of producing A3 size prints good enough for acceptance in international salons. These were usually taken in superb light though, a pre-requisite for good photographs using tiny sensors in my experience.
Cheers, Dave