I got a bridge camera as a gift several years ago (Sony H300 camera), and I’m really enjoying the different functionalities of it, and taking a range of pictures, but would like to upgrade (potentially to one with separate lenses?).
I’d like it to be able to use it mainly for macro, but also birds and more general wildlife stuff. I also enjoy taking pictures of buildings and architecture so if there’s a good camera that also works well for that, thats a bonus! I climb outdoors sometimes, so any protection would be handy!
I’m looking to spend between £500 to £1000, as an upper bound! If anyone has any recommendations or suggestions that would be really appreciated!
There’s so much out there it’s hard to know where to start!
For macro I can wholeheartedly recommend the LAOWA 65mm lens. It’s seriously great and not too expensive. (It costs about 350€ used here)
However, shooting birds from any distance at all is not really that great. It is primarily for macro (though you can do something like portraiture with it too).
I don’t know much about camera bodies, but you can get something like the Sony Alpha 6000 for as little as 200€ used here. I haven’t used it ever, so I don’t know whether it is a good camera. But it seems quite nice and has 24 megapixels which should allow you to crop a fair bit into the image.
My first bit of advice is to buy second hand as you will get much better value for money (just make sure you inspect thoroughly before buying). Secondly would you prefer a DSLR or mirrorless camera? In general DSLRs are cheaper for what you get but they are older, heavier, and new lenses for them are not being developed. Mirrorless are lighter and newer (tend to have more advanced systems) but are also much more expensive then the equivalent DSLR.
I hope this doesn’t come across in the wrong way but having personally used the TG-6 it’s image quality doesn’t even compete with mirrorless and DSLR cameras and you could probably get a second hand DSLR and macro lens for the same price as a TG-7. The two things that the TG does have going for it are that it is lighter then DSLR/Mirrorless and it will hold up well if you drop it.
I have included a couple of my photos for reference. The first is taken with the TG-6, the second with a 10 year old EOS 60D and sigma 105mm macro. The detail resolved by the DSLR is just worlds away from the compact.
As a fellow tg user, agreed, it’s quality is decent for it’s compactness and ruggedness but cannot be compared to higher end cameras with quality lenses.
The tg series has kept from making unwise financial decisions by getting into a better macro setup by being just good enough, but I hope to get more serious someday. So I always appreciate any advice I come across and save it for the future.
I would recommend any DSLR with a zoom lens up to 200-300mm and a Raynox lens. I had an Olympus TG-6, and various macro lenses, from average to good, such as the Sigma 105, but I switched to a more versatile solution, this is a 70-300 zoom + Raynox 150 and Raynox 250.
Now I use Nikon D5500 and AF-P DX Nikkor 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3G ED VR lens + Raynox 150 and 250 lenses.
Here is a comparison of photos taken on the Olympus TG-6, Nikon 7200 + Sigma Macro 105, Nikon D5500 + 70-300: TG-6 - img1 TG-6 - img2 Sigma 105 img1 Sigma 105 img2 70-300 + Raynox img1 70-300 + Raynox img2
The TG-6 quality is much worse than a DSLR camera. At the same time, the quality of the 70-300 + Raynox is not much worse than a specialized macro lens, such as the Sigma 105. Plus, it is lighter, cheaper and more versatile, since you can adjust the magnification by changing the focal length, and you can also use it as a telephoto lens for birds and large animals. The price of my Nikon D5500 + 70-300 on the secondary market in excellent condition is about $ 550, + Raynox 150 and 250 for 50$ each. In my opinion, this is an excellent and versatile setup for macro.
Would you consider still using the bridge for birds etc? You can get a canon mirrorless EOS M and a lens from 7artisans and a Meike flash for well under £500. I went for this setup after seeing Thomas Shahan praising it, but I would say that the EOS-M body is probably not good for birds photography, since it is quite ‘slow’, I was quite underwhelmed while using it for normal social things with the kit lens, I dread to think how it would be for birding.
But since it’s a dedicated macro set up forme, I don’t mind and I appreciate the budget-friendliness.
I’ve been really impressed by the pictures people have taken with the Olympus TG series, but I don’t think that it will help your other needs, and it won’t be as good as a dedicated macro set up.
