Bridge Camera for travelling

thierry

thierry

thierry

Associate
Joined
11 Jan 2004
Posts
38
Location
Reading
Hi all,

I'm going travelling in December/January (depending on cost of flights) and want to take some good quality photos when I'm away. I think I've decided on a bridge camera as they seem to offer the best compromise between size/weight and features.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience of the Fuji S5700/5800 or S8000? From what I can tell the only difference between the S5800 and S5700 is the mega pixels? The S8000 is appealing because of the 18x optical zoom but I'm struggling to find reviews of it.

I'll be going to the high street to get a feel for the size differences between them later in the week. Which other cameras should I be considering? I don't really want to spend over £200.

Thanks,

Henry
 
I had the Fuji S9600 (next one up-ish from the ones you mention I believe) and didn't like it, one of the reasons being it was very bulky for travelling (I'm not sure if the S5700 etc are as big). I'd recommend the Canon Powershot S3 IS or one of the Powershot Gs if you can get it for around that price. The Powershot S5 IS cost me £285; there are some pictures from it here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17780305&highlight=slovenija
 
The PowerShot S3 IS camera mentioned is a good camera, I bought my gf one before she went to teach english in Thailand. Good multiple purpose camera - large zoom and image stabilisation. Also fits easily into a smallish lowe pro carry case. 18x is nice but not absolutely necessary to be honest.

S3's might be phased out a little with the introduction of the S5 so might be a good time to buy. The fuji's aren't much bigger (S5600).
 
Thank you both. TheAlex, those pictures are really good. I'm not sure why I didn't consider Canon as my point-and-shoot is a Canon and I've been pleased with it. Both the S3 and S5 get really good reviews and I'm now torn between the two.

The S3 has been discontinued from what I can tell and the cheapest I've found is around £170, or about £215 for the S5. At these prices, is the S5 better value? I'm willing to exceed my budget if it's worthwhile.

I'm not sure if it's my lack of camera knowledge that's telling me to go for the extra mega pixels without the need for them.

What's the LCD screen like on them? It looks good but I'd be scared of it breaking.

Thanks again,
 
The LCD on the S5 seems great to me, really sharp and colourful. The only downside is a lot of images come out a lot darker than they look on the LCD, but there might be something I can adjust and if not I can learn to compensate from it, and there's a live histogram on the LCD that helps with exposure.

From my experience, I'd advise sticking to a Canon if that's what you own. I had a Canon before I bought the Fuji, and was luckily able to get a refund on the Fuji and buy a Canon again. A few members on here recommend the Fuji models you mention though, so perhaps they're worth thinking about. People always advise going to have a play in a local camera store to get an idea of what feels good, 'tis a good idea.

The main change from the S3 to S5 are (as listed on DP Review):

Higher resolution sensor (8MP vs 6MP)
Digic III processor (S3 IS was Digic II)
Larger, higher resolution LCD screen (2.5 inches vs 2.0 inches)
Hot shoe flash connector
Higher top ISO sensitivity (1600 vs 800)
Increased movie clip limit (was 1.0 GB, now 4.0 GB)
Couple of new features (including red-eye removal, face detection AF)
Reduced continuous shooting (burst) speed
Slightly heavier

Their comparison tool is quite useful too.

And megapixels aren't anywhere near as important as they're made out to be by camera marketeers...
 
Thanks all for your help. The Fuji's get good reviews and seem to be really good value. I'll take a look at them in town tomorrow, along with the Canon S5 and then make up my mind. It's proving a harder decision than when I was buying a car!
 
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