I know there are several Camera topics on the Forum, but I want to buy a bridge camera with +50x zoom and I’ve seen quite a lot of cameras, but I can’t decide. Are any of the Nikon Coolpix cameras worth buying even if they are old (e.g Coolpix P610)? Or are Canon Powershot Cameras better (e.g SX70 h…

(edited the topic title to make it more specific)

[image] maite39: better better needs context. what are you planning to use the camera tor? why do you need 50x+ zoom? how much are you willing to spend? why do you want a bridge camera as opposed to an interchangeable lens camera or just a mobile phone camera? what kind of camera(s) do you cu…

I’ll be photographing birds and insects and birds are usually far away, so a lot of zoom will help. I can spend up to $800 dollars and I want to bridge camera instead of an interchangeable lens camera because it’ll be my first one because right now I’m using clip-on lenses, but the telephoto one is …

I wouldn’t buy Coolpix P610. I think the software is outdated, AF has progressed a lot since. I have a Canon SX70 HS (upgraded from a 65000 frame SX730) and an OM TG-7. The other cameras I would consider are the Nikon Coolpix P900, P950 and the Panasonic Lumix FZ 80D. See comparisons on RTINGS.co…

[image] maite39: a lot of zoom will help it’s worth noting that these bridge cameras have relatively small sensors by today’s standards. it may not matter much if you plan to take most of your photos in bright lighting conditions, but all of these cameras will struggle in low light, which inc…

[image] pisum: at least one other person in the forum mentioned the same sort of thing happening to their FZ80 I think I’m the person you’re referencing. I just went back through my photos to get some data, and it turns out my FZ80 only lasted me one year. It was already two years old when I …

I can absolutely recommend Sonys RX10 (Mark 3 or 4) for Birding, they have an equivalent of 600mm focal length, but use a larger 1" sensor (4x the size of most other bridge cameras) with 20MP. The next step in image quality might be to go with a MFT-Camera with a 75-300mm lens, which would also giv…

[image] fluffyinca: I think I’m the person you’re referencing. I just went back through my photos to get some data, and it turns out my FZ80 only lasted me one year. It was already two years old when I got it but had been barely used during that time. yup. i went back and checked my observati…

[image] pisum: these are way outside the range of the maite39’s stated budget I paid 465$ (400€) on kleinanzeigen (german equivalent for…craigslist? its a subcompany of ebay) for a like-new one. I don’t know about US platforms, but on US-eBay I can find some within the price range right now. …

Bridge Camera Discussion

Nature Talk

dlevitis July 12, 2025, 7:03pm 5

I am very fond of my Nikon P900, a bridge camera with excellent zoom and a built in GPS. There is a discussion of it vs the P1000 here: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/opinions-nikon-coolpix-p900-or-p1000/30248

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