Canon brigde camera recomendations (1 Viewer)

Canon bridge camera recomendations

Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice. I've been using a fuji hs20 exr for a while now, which produces acceptable (to my eyes at least) images up to around 10m, but any birds beyond this distance are just a bit too far for the lens. Images don't appear sharp and are quite noisy.

I understand that there has been significant advances in bridge cameras since this model came out (not using aa batteries for a start!) and I'd quite like an upgrade.

I can feasibly afford a good condition sx40 at the moment which has a greater focal length and uses a lithium battery. These two factors alone are almost enough to motivate me to take the plunge, but there are alternatives; I can to continue to save and get the sx50, or alternatively get a SX520 which is well within my budget and gives me the extra focal length and greater portability.

A lot of my birding friends use the sx50 and I was really impressed by the images they produced and the massive 1200mm eq. focal length is very impressive.

I've not heard much about the sx520, but the specs look good for my needs and I understand that it is considerably more compact than the sx40 & 50. I'd be very keen to hear of anybody using one of these. My only concern is that as it is one step down from the 40/50/60 series it won't handle challenging light conditions (e.g. east coast in october/rainforests ect).

My main considerations are: Battery life (only want a camera with a lithium cell), focal length, low light performance, ease of use (think record shots rather than David Bailey...), portability and cost (maximum budget is £200)

So I have two questions:
1) would either the sx40 or the sx520 provide a significant improvement over my current fuji?
2) if funds allow should I just wait and get an sx50 to stop myself wondering "what if..."

Thanks for any opinions offered!

Your HS20 seems closer to the SX40 than to the 520, simply because it has a viewfinder, while the 520 just has the LCD screen at the back of the camera. It may be worth noting that some of the BF commentators have noted that the SX40 delivers better images than the SX50, although the exact circumstances escape me.
That said, the 520 gets excellent user reviews
( http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_sx520hs/user-reviews ), so it seems the logical choice, as the SX40 is long out of production, so you'd get a second hand unit with correspondingly limited warranty.

Many thanks for the reply, hopefully I can find somewhere with one in stock and have a play with one!

There was a used sx50 that went for considerably less than £200 on here recently Daniel. Could be an option?

Rich

Hi Rich,

Yes I did notice that, sadly about 2 days after it had been sold. I'll keep my eyes peeled on the for sale forum. I think if another one comes up I will get the SX50, but if not then the SX520 sounds good enough for my requirements.

Hi,
Hunt down an SX50.
The 40 is noisy from iso200 up.
There's quite a bit of shutter lag.
The af is slow.
The 50 is quite an improvement.
The downside is the lack of manual zoom, I loved that on my HS10.
Better images out of the SX40, no way .... or at least not from my copy.
Have had SX30, 40, 50, no interest in the 60.
Fuji's and Panas.
Apart from the lack of manual zoom the 50 beats them all.
As noted above low mileage 2nd hand ones are pretty easy to find.

Thanks for the input Graham, has anybody used/seen the SX520 out of interest?

Having used a friend's 50 on a recent hol, I'd stay with my 60 anyday....how anyone can see thru that viewfinder to take a pic is beyond me

The SX50 are hide to find these days. But the Nikon P500 looks promising, albeit more pricey.

I'm wondering if it really is between the SX60 and Nikon, or whether other brands are as good. lumix or Sony for example.

I need at least a 50 optical zoom.

Any updated ideas on the best of the bridge?

Sounds like an SX60 is out of your budget (I own one and get great images at long range). That being the case, a used SX50 was certainly a close second (personally) when I was looking.

An SX60 might not be out of my budget. A P500 is a bit of a stretch. I'm wondering if there aren't any alternatives. Size is important to me, but an SX50 or 60 isn't bulky so they're the obvious choice.

Last time I took a DSLR but definitely need to scale down this time.