Camera Opinions

Mike_J

After an opinion on these 2 cameras. TBH Ive seen both and my main question is does the "better" camera warrant the extra cost.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujifilm-FinePix-S4500-Digital-Optical/dp/B006Q8VAR2

or

http://www.wilkinson.co.uk/cameras/digital-compact-cameras/nikon/nikon-coolpix-p510-black.html

Nikon...PROS bigger zoom, 1080HD recording, 42 x zoom !!!!!!!.......CONS only 2 x digital & will ahve to buy and extra charger and batteries as it only comes with 2 x ion and is charged "in camera"

Fuji ....PROS 30xzoom, CHEAP!, Uses AA batteryies, 6.7digital zoom. CONS....appears to be considered by some as basically a compact with a big zoom

I know that both have various issues iver speed of focugin etc but this will basically be a P&Shoot camera used for family holiday photos BUT as both my kids like to take wildlife photos from a distance the zoom is a necessity and one daughter will seen be spending a couple of weeks in Africa.....(they both say their 12x on their compact just aint enough!)

Whilst Im happy to accept other suggestion, if anybody with experience of these two can comment (it took me ages to get it down to 2!!!). Online reviews for both cameras appear to be in the 4.3-4.5 out of 5 range.

Is the Nikon really worth paying 2x the price of the Fuji ?

kwikbreaks

I've no experience of either camera but I can say that a lens with 42x zoom and apparently no image stabilisation would probably need a tripod unless in very very bright light.

amcg100

If its just for holiday snaps would recommend a Sony compact. Does everything except interchangeable lenses and the quality is awesome.

Mike_J

kwikbreaks wrote: »

I've no experience of either camera but I can say that a lens with 42x zoom and apparently no image stabilisation would probably need a tripod unless in very very bright light.

A valid viewpoint as i notice the Fuji one does have it.

AMCG - they already have a compact camera BUT they tend to "let themselves" down when it comes to "zoom shots". Eldest recently went away with university and was disappointed with what he camera could do comapre to some if her classmates. This is something that the kids do try and use a lot when they want to get "closer to the subject", hence why I was considering these bridge cameras.

Johnmcl7

kwikbreaks wrote: »

I've no experience of either camera but I can say that a lens with 42x zoom and apparently no image stabilisation would probably need a tripod unless in very very bright light.

The Nikon does have image stabilisation which Nikon call VR - Vibration Reduction, it's a lens based system so tends to be a bit more effective than the sensor based system the Fuji uses.

To the OP - I wouldn't worry about digital zoom, it's just a meaningless marketting feature as technically the Nikon can crop slightly higher with its higher resolution sensor. I also prefer li-ion batteries over AA's, I know the li-ion type can't be bought off the shelf but in practice I found I was let down a lot more times with AA's than I was with li-ion batteries as the latter are very consistent and can last a while sitting around. I do use the Eneloop style AA's for my flashes but also find their performance can be unpredictable too so my preference is very much for li-ion batteries in cameras. I personally like in camera charging if it uses a standard cable as it's easier to charge it when I need to unexpectedly, for some of my compacts it can be a bit of a struggle finding the charger.

Unfortunately the Nikon is also just basically a compact camera sensor with a large zoom, the reason they can have such colossal zooms is because they use such a tiny sensor. That means the image quality will suffer when the light isn't great but that's the same with all of these bridge cameras, they make look like mini SLR's but they don't offer any step up in image quality over compact cameras.

Of the two you've listed, I would hands down go for the Nikon - it's not a bad price at £250 and I think it's well worth the extra over the Fuji as the one you've listed is a more budget orientated model. This is the Fuji I'd be looking at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujifilm-FinePix-HS30EXR-EXR-CMOS-Tiltable/dp/B006Q8VA2W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362923648&sr=8-3

Quite a few people seem to quite like it although it's a bit bulkier than the others, price wise it's not quite as much as the Nikon either. The other camera I'd consider is the Panasonic FZ150:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMC-FZ150-Compact-Camera-Recording/dp/B005LTRD5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362923464&sr=8-1

The zoom isn't as big as the other two but it does offer slightly better image quality at high iso I believe.

John

Mike_J

"Of the two you've listed, I would hands down go for the Nikon - it's not a bad price at £250 and I think it's well worth the extra over the Fuji as the one you've listed is a more budget orientated model."

Maybe I had already made my mind up, but this type of "confirmation" is what I suppose I was looking for. Its when (in pound note terms) you say...BUT ITS TWICE AS MUCH !!!!

Johnmcl7

I think the Fuji's cost is a false economy as it's not a very good camera so in time you'd probably want to get a better one anyway which makes the money spent on the Fuji wasted. The Nikon is pretty good value for money as it's a slightly older model now, it's RRP is around £400 and aside from a better sensor and image quality it does have some nice features such as a high resolution rear screen (three times the resolution of the Fuji, same as they use on the top end Nikon DSLRs) and I would expect a much better viewfinder.

John

chippy2u

I have the Fuji S4000 camera and have found it pretty awsome for a bridge camera! With 14mp and 30x optical what more can you ask from a £100ish camera. I took the pics for a friends wedding with this camera and the results where excellent even on A4 prints. Sorry Johnmcl7, your comment about it being false economy and not being a very good camera leads me to suspect that you have never used one!

kwikbreaks

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

The Nikon does have image stabilisation which Nikon call VR - Vibration Reduction

Yes I see it. Near top of the specs too - I'd simply done a search on the page for the industry standard term "image stablisation" - sometimes the marketing departments can shoot themselves in the foot...

[Deleted User]

I am not a great lover of long zooms over 18x, whatever the image stabilizer is like it will not work very well at those long ends in less than sunny weather. Better to take a sharp picture first and trim/crop it.