Hello folks... I'm after a camera to replace my ancient Fuji Finepix 6900 bridge camera. It was a second-hand purchase and I've been really pleased with it so will probably go in the same direction again. I have to say though, I find the current Fuji range bewildering. So many models....
Here's a little about what I have used the old camera for, and it will be the same with a newer one.
Mostly I keep the camera in the van with me and use it to take progress shots of the home cinema & AV installs I do. It is also used for Ebay pics, so macro is really useful. Then there's the general family stuff.
For what I do and where the camera lives most of the time it doesn't warrant a full DSLR. Nor do I have any great pretensions of being a photographer. I do make use of aperture, shutter speed and ISO controls. Manual focus is important too. But mostly it's just about having a bigger lens and getting sharper pics than I would with a compact.
I'm keeping my eyes open for another used Finepix camera. I just missed a 6000/6500fd for £70 the other day. That kind of fits the budget really nicely, but there's some flex too
The other thing I'd like to do is start using an external flash. So I could really do with some advice here as well. As I understand it there's some care needed choosing flashes beyond just the mount; something about the voltages frying electronics which sounds quite worrying. What should I be looking for?
Here's a little about what I have used the old camera for, and it will be the same with a newer one.
Mostly I keep the camera in the van with me and use it to take progress shots of the home cinema & AV installs I do. It is also used for Ebay pics, so macro is really useful. Then there's the general family stuff.
For what I do and where the camera lives most of the time it doesn't warrant a full DSLR. Nor do I have any great pretensions of being a photographer. I do make use of aperture, shutter speed and ISO controls. Manual focus is important too. But mostly it's just about having a bigger lens and getting sharper pics than I would with a compact.
I'm keeping my eyes open for another used Finepix camera. I just missed a 6000/6500fd for £70 the other day. That kind of fits the budget really nicely, but there's some flex too

The other thing I'd like to do is start using an external flash. So I could really do with some advice here as well. As I understand it there's some care needed choosing flashes beyond just the mount; something about the voltages frying electronics which sounds quite worrying. What should I be looking for?