What compact camera with optical zoom? (1 Viewer)

Hi all

After many years of relying on field notes, I’ve decided to splash out on a camera.

I’m after a compact that’s portable, durable and with a decent optical zoom and image stabiliser. I would be using it mostly for taking record shots when out rarities hunting, so bulk would be a bit of an issue, but would like one capable of taking decent shots.

I hoping to spend c. £300, but would be willing to fork out up to £500 if the top-end models are really that much better.

What make /model would people recommend and where would be a good place to get it from? Is the Fuji Finepix HS10 any good? I know it's a bit bulky.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Ilya

Look at a Panasonic TZ8 (12 times zoom) very pocketable - approx £200+. This camera has had excellent reviews.

I have got the panasonic 38fz that has 18x opitical zoom and can take good record shots it can be bought for about 230 ish ,this camara gets good reveiws ,also quite good for mothes, butterflies ,dragonflys if that is your thing ,also the video is good 2 Have a look on you tube this does not show its birding prowess it gives you an idea of what it will do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpxHpj4ww1A&feature=channel :t:

Ilya,

If you go to the Photography thread > Panasonic > then read about the FZ 38 (US model is FZ 35).

I posed this question a few weeks ago on here, and bought it on the strength of reviews/comments.

Chuffed to bits with it to say the least. Costs c. £220 and there is a 1.5 times adaptor for c.£6 from Warehouse Express.

Does everything I want and more - I wanted one for exactly the same purposes you do.
Also has a video with mic for filming/recording that calling Oriental Skylark........

Sods Law meant that they brought an upgrade out just after I bought mine - the 100 (?) which is nearly twice the price.

I'll let you read more and make your own mind up.

I have extolled the virtues of the FZ38 to folk here on Orkney, at least three others have bought, and are all very very pleased.

Cheers,

Paul

I've been really pleased with my Olympus SP-560UZ. I daresay it's several models old now but I guess the latest in the range should be at least as good. One goes up to 26x optical zoom.

I have the Canon Powershot SX200 with 12x optical zoom. I think it's very similar to the Panasonic TZ8 mentionned above. Does great pictures and is a truely compact camera. Not that durable though, i dropped it twice (which of course isn't a good thing to do to a camera) and that got it some good scratches but it still works fine...

Thanks all for the tips. Now just need to make up my mind...

Paul Higson said:

Ilya,
If you go to the Photography thread > Panasonic > then read about the FZ 38 (US model is FZ 35)... Costs c. £220 and there is a 1.5 times adaptor for c.£6 from Warehouse Express.
Paul

Click to expand...

That's a good price. Where did you get yours from Paul?
Sean

Another vote for the Panasonic FZ38.

I have an Olympus SP-560UZ - cost about £200 but at the time had the best zoom available. For examples of photos you can take with it, have a look at the link on my signiture.

Upsides: I can photograph birds to roughly the same distance as my 10x42 binoculars (tho not to as good quality) so for example, the osprey picture was taken with the osprey as a tiny black speck on the sky. It also does superb macro shots.

Downsides: The higher shutter speed you set it at you get horrendous noise on the image - generally I don't put it above 400, or 800 if I'm not zooming much. Also, it is lousy for doing indoor shots or shots at dusk or later unless you turn down the image size down from 12mpxl, otherwise it'll almost certainly blur.

It can also sometimes overexpose a lot and occassionally it'll autofocus on this air. Turning on manual focus is also irritatingly fiddly if you want to do it quickly.

Examples of how well good photos can turn out:
Skylark
Fulmar
Kestrel

Not so good photos but at long range:
Osprey as tiny speck in sky by eye
Avocet the other side of a reasonably sized lake
Tawny owl 30m up a tree with sun behind it

Basically, you get a mix of nice photos when in more favourably conditions are passable record shots when not.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the various tips. As it turns out though, I managed to get my hands on a very cheap second-hand Canon Powershot SX1 1S and am very pleased with the results this far!