Price: $517.5
Website: canon.com
With a massive 50x optical zoom, the 12.1MP
Canon will get you closer to your subject than other camera here. It's designed
to appeal to serious snappers, and gives you access to full manual control, and
the option to shoot in RAW format too.
With
a massive 50x optical zoom, the 12.1MP Canon will get you closer to your
subject than other camera here.
For a bridge camera the Canon looks pretty
smart, although the rough textured plastic casing isn't the most pleasant to
handle.
The X50's control layout is a little hg due
to the fiddly dial on the It consists of a rotating ring that surrounds the
familiar four- way D-pad, but the two controls have been too tightly combined
and sit too flat on the rear panel, so they get in the way of one another.
Fortunately the Canon's picture and video
quality makes it a real contender. The PowerShot delivers stills with strong,
accurate colors and good detail, with little distortion even at full zoom. Only
the Panasonic FZ200 beats it here.
Fortunately
the Canon's picture and video quality makes it a real contender.
Video is even better. The zoom motor is
smooth, silent and very fast, and once you've homed in on your target the autofocus
has no problem locking on assisted by excellent image stabilization that makes
handheld shooting at 50x a realistic option. As you'd expect, Canon has made a
solid snapper.
A combo of good low-light performance, up
to 13fps burst shooting and reliable stabilization make the Canon well-suited
to sports or wildlife shooting.
You’ve got to close the LCD screen or press
the ‘Display’ button twice to switch between the LCD and the EVF – a minor but
regular irritant.
A 50x lens plus 4x digital magnification gives
you an amazing 200x digital zoom. Clarity takes a hit, but it’s usable – so you
can get that secret yeti footage after all.
You’ve
got to close the LCD screen or press the ‘Display’ button twice to switch
between the LCD and the EVF – a minor but regular irritant.
Tech Specs
·
Sensor 12MP 1/2.3in
·
Screen 2.8in, 461k dots
·
Lens Sox optical + 4x digital) 24-1200mm
equivalent), f/3.4-6.5
·
Burst 13fps, 10 shots
·
Video 1080pLa7 24fps
·
ISO range 80-6400
Eyes on the prize
The sharp, bright electronic viewfinder is
one of the best here, but focusing it with the tiny diopter while looking
through it is a real challenge.
Self-shot
A decent LCD flips out sideways and can be
turned around and closed for safe keeping. When used for self-portraits it's
clever enough to show a mirror image.
Fujifilm HS3OEXR
Price: $360
Website: fujifilm.com
The Fujifilm looks less like a bridge
camera and more like a mini DSLR. All the styling is there and It’s got a 30x
zoom that you turn manually, but despite the design the Fujifilm is no hefty
beast: it’s only a few millimeters bigger than its rivals.
The
Fujifilm looks less like a bridge camera and more like a mini DSLR.
Framing the 16MP images and playing with
depth-of-field effects Is so much quicker and frankly so much more fun with the
Fujifilm. The directness of that zoom lens control and the manual focus ring
allows you to compose shots with a thoughtfulness that’s usually absent from
button- pushing compact photography.
It’s a shame then, that despite having the
largest sensor on test, image quality is a little off the pace. Stills are
perfectly acceptable but colors could be punchier, and there’s a softness when
compared to the best. Video quality follows a similar pattern: the autofocus takes
a moment to pick its spot and that barrel-mounted control makes it had to zoom
smoothly during filming. But footage can be impressive with careful handling.
If stills are your thing, don’t be put off
by the Fujifilm’s less than pixel perfect performance. This snapper Is more fun
and more Intuitive to use - which means you’ll get better photos with It, too.
Angled dials present themselves for easy
twiddling and the rest of the controls offer quick and intuitive access to
manual settings.
If
stills are your thing, don’t be put off by the Fujifilm’s less than pixel perfect
performance.
It’s not brimming with gimmicks but the
Fujifilm does have a full 3600 sweep panorama plus a range of film
simulations to subtly alter the mood of your shots.
That baby- DSLR design is hard to resist.
It’s great in the hand, with rubbery grips and a chunky build and aside from
swapping lenses it feels like its full-sized brethren.
Tech Specs
·
Sensor 16MP 111m
·
Screen 3m, 460k dots
·
EVF 0.l6in, 910k dots
·
Lens 30x optical + 2x digital (24-720mm
equivalent), 1/2.8-5.6
·
Burst 1 lfps, 16 shots
·
Video iO8OpJ3O1ps
·
ISO range 100-3200
Making the switch
An automatic sensor turns on the large EVF
when you hold it to your eye. It’s a great touch that means you’re more likely
to use it regularly.
Side screen
Screen articulation is tidy, popping out
and tilting up and down too. Unlike some others, though, it doesn’t flip out
sideways? You won’t be able to snoop around corners.
Olympus SP – 820UZ
Price: $345
Website: olympus-global.com
With the Olympus, you get a big 40x zoom on
a simple camera. Rather than trying to fill a middle ground between happy
snapper and serious shooter, the 14MP Olympus is content to keep it simple.
There’s no manual mode, no EVF and the rear panel Is almost minimalist compared
to its rivals.
But get stuck into that point and shoot
action and you’ll find the Olympus an easy camera to live with, uncluttered by
extras. That 40x zoom can be digitally doubled to 80x which is potentially
useful for any long(er) range video you’re shooting? But while it does an OK
job, it’s hard to be that impressed having seen the Canon’s 200x digital zoom.
Not to mention that stills are noticeably inferior to those of the other
cameras on test, with shadows falling into blackness too easily and over
sharpening quite apparent If you start cropping in.
With
the Olympus, you get a big 40x zoom on a simple camera.
But the Olympus? Video is far more
successful, beaten only by the Canon. A quiet (but still audible) zoom motor,
fairly rapid autofocus and decent stabilization team up for great results, and
there are special effects for creative types. Want to keep it basic and shoot
plenty of video? This easy to use super-zoom could work for you.
The Olympus has a new solid hardware
features: there’s a micro HDMI output for playing back photos and video directly
on a TC –handy for show and tells.
There’s
a micro HDMI output for playing back photos and video directly on a TC –handy
for show and tells.
Cost-cutting shows in the battery
compartment, which only takes AA batteries though off the grid, that could be a
good thing.
The Olympus is the cheapest Cam here based
on RRP, but with most of the others heavily discounted online, it’s less of a
bargain that it might seem.
The
Olympus is the cheapest Cam here based on RRP, but with most of the others
heavily discounted online, it’s less of a bargain that it might seem.
Tech Specs
·
Sensor 14MP 1/2.3in
·
Screen 3m, 450k dots
·
EVF No
·
Zoom 40x optical + 2x digital (22.4-895mm
equivalent) f/3.4-5.7
·
Burst 30fps, 34 shots
·
Video 1080pJ30fps
·
ISO range 80-5400
Dialing mods
The main dial gives quick access to plenty
of fun features, including panorama, a skin- softening Beauty mode, and some
neat pop-art filters. Will you use them? Probably not.
Sticking point
Don’t come snooping around here expecting a
fancy articulating screen. This 3m LLO panel is firmly stuck on to the back? But
it does its job just line.
