fujifilm HS10, the perfect bridge?

[busterben]

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/dig.../finepix_hs10/

strong points for me:
• bsi cmos backlit sensor with enchanced low light performance
• 30x optical zoom (24mm to 720mm)
• 3-inch tilting display
• Full HD-quality video recording with stereo mics at the front
• 1,000 frames per second high-speed movie capture (resolution will stink i guess)
• Triple Sensor-shift image stabilizer
• RAW & JPG format
• Motion Panorama mode like the sony sweep panorama function

will come in at 500$

the slomo is for some really just a gimmick but for me that is awesome as i can cross out the casio.
I hope the 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS is capable enough to compete with other bridges & the low light pics are good

opinions for a starting bridge user?

[itznfb]

30x zoom? wtf. 720mm 35mm film equivalent with CMOS shift IS = fail. That 30x zoom will be useless past 300mm with that crappy image stabilization. The camera body seems to have decent enough specs/features but it's far from a perfect bridge camera. They would have been much better off with a Nikon prime lens on that body.

If you're looking for the perfect bridge camera; the Canon G11 is probably the closest thing.

[busterben]

agreed that the zoom is a little overdone
20x would have been more than enough (in my point of view)

but the 5x zoom of the g11 just would not cut it for me.
also at 1st glance it looks more like a compact than a bridge to me

i can always use a gorilla tripod to make use of it, or is that still not enough to utilise it

[itznfb]

agreed that the zoom is a little overdone
20x would have been more than enough (in my point of view)

but the 5x zoom of the g11 just would not cut it for me.
also at 1st glance it looks more like a compact than a bridge to me

i can always use a gorilla tripod to make use of it, or is that still not enough to utilise it

With a zoom like that it's more than just the stabilization. The potential image quality drops exponentially the wider the zoom range. Especially throwing it in a small lens housing like that. I would really expect mediocre results. For point and shoot / bridge cameras I would really stick with Canon and Panasonic.

If you want something larger the Canon SX1 IS dominates that Fuji in every way. It has a much more usable zoom range with a much much much better stabilization system built into the optics rather than the sensor. Sensor IS = bad. Optics IS = good. It also has a much higher quality CMOS sensor.

[busterben]

i concur that canon & panasonic are great choices
they also make top notch cams

but i figured if the hs10 was on par with their previous s200exr
then the hs10 would not be so bad , not noticing it doesnt come with the exr chip so i guess i can throw that out the window

might as well go for the s200exr which does perform better in low light conditions as i read in reviews than any other bridge. or even wait a lot more for an following model

[itznfb]

Is there a reason you want to go with Fuji instead of Canon, Panasonic or even Nikon?

[busterben]

not particulairy no
but i wanted to buy something with a reasonable zoom, excellent low light shooting and hd filming. panoramic sweep & 1000fps are nice features for me as well.
and it looked like this one got it all so i was a bit blinded by its multiple uses to be honest.

[itznfb]

The Canon SX1 IS should have everything the Fuji does. +better lens +better stabilization +better video +better metering and a more widely used RAW format. Just a few things to think about.

[busterben]

Definitely will think about the canon IS and crack my brain a bit longer
ill wait voor the reviews nonetheless to be on the safe side
then go with the canon

thanks for the advice
appreciate it a lot

[itznfb]

No problem.
What are you going to be using the camera for? Any reason you aren't considering dSLR?

[busterben]

travels mostly.
so i do not really want to carry lenses with me all the time
and i wanted something that has more to offer than a compact.
a bridge camera directly came to mind.

[Mescalamba]

mikro 4/3? GF1 or E-P2 are really small..

[Marin]

mikro 4/3? GF1 or E-P2 are really small..

Thinking the same thing.

And Olympus just announced the E-PL1. So another option on the market.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10...olypenepl1.asp

And pairing it with a lens like this is pretty awesome.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...5mm_f_1_4.html

[inCore]

I also wouldn't go with a bridge camera. They're not any smaller than a Micro 4/3 format and usually offer worse picture quality.

[Mescalamba]

Yea that Voigtlander is pretty good, Ive tested it on my G1 before. Tough, Novoflex Leica M adapter not.. but now Panasonic is making their own, which is perfect. Variability of m4/3 is really nice thing.

Plus its small and behaves as compact camera if you want, but still has almost all dSLR settings, if you want or need them.

[busterben]

ok after some research on the 4/3
i would rather go for that than a bridge.
the small cmos is holding me back on that

still a big minus for me is the changable lenses.
but the size is just perfect. compact but with dslr like quality.

what do you guys think about the samsung nx10 then?
it has an APS-C size CMOS sensor, also changable lenses

[Mescalamba]

NX10.. It can be good, but lens will be problem for some time.. tough, if you dont want to change lens, probably no problem for you. I dont have idea how good or bad kit lens for that are.

m4/3 has lots of accessories, various adapters for almost all existing lens..

Btw. difference between APS-C and 4/3 isnt that big.

Just out of curiosity what you have against changable lenses? I mean, even kit lens are far better than any compact lenses.. (especially 14-45 from Panasonic).

[busterben]

it's just that i'm not a guy who wants to carry more lenses with me than the one on the camera
for traveling i'm looking for something more than a point-and-shoot
while not being too profesional but still make quality pics/vids

i am really favoring the pen e-pl1 from olympus right now
as it has build in flash/ direct movie record button
it's compact with live view mode
seems for me it hit the sweet spot and it comes in cheaper than the ep2
difference between sensors isnt that much as you stated
so im now just waiting for the reviews for both cameras

it's awkward how i shifted from liking a bridge camera to a m4/3 camera
when i think back on how convinced i was with the hs10

[Mescalamba]

E-P1 isnt bad.. tough E-P2 is definetly better in probably every aspect.

And I would get GF-1.

Well, you don´t need more than one lens, if you want.. 14-140 from Panasonic will be suitable. Image quality isnt excatly breathtaking, but still good. (it is 28-280 in full-frame, thats quite a lot).

You can pair Panasonic lens and Olympus body, if you want.. it works quite good.

[busterben]

E-PL1, not the E-P1
but the panasonic GF-1 looks great as well
going to keep it in mind as well