Bridge Camera - Fujifilm HS20EXR

[Dave Dodd]

Hi all
I'm looking at getting a fujifilm s4000 and just wondered what peoples thoughts/experiances etc were ?

Update i got myself the titled bridge camera in the end, after reading endless reviews and not wanting a dslr.

I have started a photobucket album, to show my pictures/progress using this camera, which i will be updating periodically.

Click here HS20EXR

cheers Dave

[eyeayen]

It depends what you want it for. Bridge camera's can be expensive and for the price you could buy a used SLR. The quality will be much better but you might have to invest in a couple of lenses to equal that of the bridge camera.

I don't know much about the S4000, Fuji are generally good with colours. And it is a cheap camera, I'd still put some extra towards a used SLR, the quality will be miles better.

[Chris56]

You certainly get a lot of camera for your money with the Fuji!

With cameras its very much a case of "you get what you pay for" - although you get a large aperture and high zoom, at that price you are more likely to get better image quality from a top-end compact (the Panasonic TZ-8/10 range at a similar price is unbelievably good).

As eyeayen said, it depends on what you want it for: if you are wanting to get seriously into photography there is no substitute for an SLR. If you want to mostly take high quality snap-shots a high-quality compact will be good value (plus the added portability).

[Dave Dodd]

Thank you for the feed back, i know what your both saying and yes dslr would be better but its all the extra lenses

did all that 15yrs ago with 35mm film 55mm lens 200mm foom lens and 500mm lens + a doubler + huge tripod + big bag and that was just to photograph rally cars for fun (oh and trains )

it inc's the large zoom, does wot a compact does but looks like a dslr.

fujifilm do seem to have a large bridge range its just which one (ltd to approx £175 tops)

[eyeayen]

Get yourself on ephotozine linky and go through some of the reviews.

Similarly dpreview clicky are both to be trusted.

Tomorrow go to Tesco or a newsagent and purchase a copy of What Digital Camera, good reviews and a section in the back listing everything. Then when you're sure of what you want go to the shop, find one, look at it, try it, handle it, take a picture and ask them to print it. That way you'll know what you're getting. Even try a few different shops and a few different camera's.

£175 isn't a massive budget but you should be able to pick up something decent for that. I understand what you're saying with the extra lenses with the DSLR but I've bought bridge camera's for myself and my girlfriend a while ago now and wish I'd saved and got an SLR instead.

I'll look into it a bit more tomorrow and see what else I can turn up.

[Chris56]

Thats ok Dave - didn't realise you were a trainspotter!

Do you still have all of those lenses? if so you can look at buying a DSLR body that will take the lenses.

Be carful with buying a camera with such big zoom on a budget - its quite easy to build an optical system that will zoom in 30x, but its something else to obtain a stable, sharp image at that zoom.

[chris brown]

Hello Dave.
I sent you a pm.

[Dave Dodd]

Originally Posted by eyeayen

Get yourself on ephotozine linky and go through some of the reviews.

Similarly dpreview clicky are both to be trusted.

Tomorrow go to Tesco or a newsagent and purchase a copy of What Digital Camera, good reviews and a section in the back listing everything. Then when you're sure of what you want go to the shop, find one, look at it, try it, handle it, take a picture and ask them to print it. That way you'll know what you're getting. Even try a few different shops and a few different camera's.

£175 isn't a massive budget but you should be able to pick up something decent for that. I understand what you're saying with the extra lenses with the DSLR but I've bought bridge camera's for myself and my girlfriend a while ago now and wish I'd saved and got an SLR instead.

I'll look into it a bit more tomorrow and see what else I can turn up.

lot more to choose from... cheers

Originally Posted by Chris56

Thats ok Dave - didn't realise you were a trainspotter!

Do you still have all of those lenses? if so you can look at buying a DSLR body that will take the lenses.

Be carful with buying a camera with such big zoom on a budget - its quite easy to build an optical system that will zoom in 30x, but its something else to obtain a stable, sharp image at that zoom.

No sold it all, about 8 yrs ago, went Digital with a compact which i still have lol.. ive read a couple of reviews and the zoom sounds good

Originally Posted by chris brown

Hello Dave.
I sent you a pm.

cheers Chris

[Dave Dodd]

well got a bit more money for my b'day, so went for the Fujifilm HS20 EXR in the end.
looked at quite a few different models and brands..



prefered this one

[eyeayen]

You'll have to post some images up so we can all see what it's like, also if you put up your thoughts on using it that could help other people in the future ? Will be interested to see how you do with it if you photograph RC cars at speed ?

[Dave Dodd]

Originally Posted by eyeayen

You'll have to post some images up so we can all see what it's like, also if you put up your thoughts on using it that could help other people in the future ? Will be interested to see how you do with it if you photograph RC cars at speed ?

will using at worksop on sunday, i'm still getting to grips with all the settings
Will start a thread for it

[eyeayen]

The thing it took me the longest to get used to was where to press the shutter because of the lag between pressing shutter button and shutter firing. So on jumps where I'm stood in front I was having to sort of guess it, press the button before I could see the car and then hopefully find when I looked back I'd got the car in the air. Very tricky though. Make sure you get good at panning and keep panning a little longer than you think, shutter lag is the only downside of bridge camera's !

[showtime]

that & the small sensor & the noise !

the HS20 does seem a very well specced camera though. good choice

[Dave Dodd]

DSCF1338 by Doddy-1971


DSCF1335 by Doddy-1971


DSCF1458 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr

[Dave Dodd]

DSCF1484 by Doddy-1971


DSCF1331 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr

[wes j.]

DSCF1458 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr[/QUOTE]

Nice to see Rob clipping another apex .

[eyeayen]

On the Ansmann one with the chrome logo, if you'd stood a bit further back and zoomed in you'd have eliminated the reflection of your hands in it.

The others look okay, sharp detail, nice colours.

[Dave Dodd]

Originally Posted by wes j.

DSCF1458 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr

Nice to see Rob clipping another apex .[/QUOTE]

luckily he ran wide so i could get the shot soz Rob

Originally Posted by eyeayen

On the Ansmann one with the chrome logo, if you'd stood a bit further back and zoomed in you'd have eliminated the reflection of your hands in it.

The others look okay, sharp detail, nice colours.

Cheers Ian, was playing with the 1cm macro setting, didnt give the chrome a thought till i looked at the screen

it was difficult to get some of the high speed shots as the spectators could only view from one end of the track, so didn't have enough room to do many panning shots.. more coming soon..

Dave

[Dave Dodd]

DSCF1506 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr


DSCF1513 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr


DSCF1537 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr


DSCF1497 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr


DSCF1519 by Doddy-1971, on Flickr