I'm really enjoying my project - though often struggling to fit it in, but I'm starting to find my little point & shoot a bit restrictive & I'd like to upgrade.
I'm not that knowledgable about 'proper' cameras. I think I probably want a bridge, but thought I'd consult the huge combined knowledge here for some recommendations.
Heres a couple of criteria it has to fit -
Small - I stomp about the countryside & clamber up/down/in various things quite a bit so I need to be able to stash it safely - I carry my current camera in a pocket.
Robust - see above!
Big zoom - this is one of my main frustrations with my current camera.
Decent macro option - some photos just don't get taken at the moment, to prevent the men in white coats being called for the looney woman yelling, 'that, that there, thats what I want you to focus on!' at her camera.
I don't want to put an actual price limit on, as theres no point me buying something just because its all I can afford if it doesn't do what I want (might as well save the money & stick with what I've got!) - but basically the lower cost the better.
I just got a Canon PowerShot SD1300IS for about $150 as a portable back upcamera to always have with me. It does a pretty remarkable job on zooming (see below) and is very small. It is still a P&S but at that price you might consider trying it.
It can do what ever the large DSLR's can do, except have it's lens changed. But it has settings that are like having 4 differnet lenses. Please feel free to look at my project. My photos are taken with the FZ 35 or my Iphone...it's labeled in the data, so you can tell which it is. I am very happy with my Panasonic Lumix. And if you want to learn more technical settings, they are all there. So you can P&S or do everything manually. And the lens is a Leica---one of the best brands available. The FZ 35 has gone up in price because they no longer make it. You can get a better model with more zoom that I have for less now. I have 18x zoom and it is anazing! :-)
it is a bridge camera like you said previously. You can still buy a lense adapter for it so you can add on different lenses. There are unlimited amount of lenses.
It is the only camera I use, I got it refurbished for £90 (about $70) though you could easily find it brand new for around £100. It is very small and dinky, the dimensions are: 8.1 x 11 x 7.3 cm ; 340 g, so very small.
It is 14mega pixels with a fantastic zoom. VERY worth it, the best thing I have ever spent £90 on easily! I cannot reccomend it enough, please, if you want to, take a look at my pictures, it does not dissapoint on quality
Olympus Pens may be the answer to your need for small, it gives you control, has smaller changeable lenses (but they can work with older lenses too) and takes an excellent photo.
And yes, my next digital will be an Olympus Pen, but have other spending commitments now.
I've never been a big fan of bridge cameras because the few times I have tried them out, they seem very restrictive...but that could have just been the models I happened to pick up...The two mentioned above seem alright at a glance so don't let me dissuade you if they fit the bill! Check out a micro 4/3rds camera...might be along the lines of what you are looking for....offers a lot of the same options a true DSLR has, in a smaller package.
Its dear, but Canon PowerShot G1X might be worth a look. It's SLR in a compact body. Full auto and manual controls. I have a G11 and really like it. No lenses to buy.
Here's my two cents - upgrade to an entry level DSLR, like a Nikon D3100 (which you can buy for around $540 street price with 18-55 lens). No p&s can do what a DSLR can do - isolate subjects with incredibly shallow depth of field. Also, I have found that you need both a proper viewfinder and full manual capabilities to have creative control of your images. The DSLR sensor is much, much bigger than a p&s so you not only get better control over DOF, but you also get much improved image quality. And the lenses make a huge difference.
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http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=sr_ex_n_1&keywords=DMC-FZ35&bbn=281052&qid=1288867366&rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A%21493964%2Cn%3A502394%2Cn%3A281052%2Ck%3ACanon%20PowerShot%20SD1300%20IS
It can do what ever the large DSLR's can do, except have it's lens changed. But it has settings that are like having 4 differnet lenses. Please feel free to look at my project. My photos are taken with the FZ 35 or my Iphone...it's labeled in the data, so you can tell which it is. I am very happy with my Panasonic Lumix. And if you want to learn more technical settings, they are all there. So you can P&S or do everything manually. And the lens is a Leica---one of the best brands available. The FZ 35 has gone up in price because they no longer make it. You can get a better model with more zoom that I have for less now. I have 18x zoom and it is anazing! :-)
it is a bridge camera like you said previously. You can still buy a lense adapter for it so you can add on different lenses. There are unlimited amount of lenses.
It is the only camera I use, I got it refurbished for £90 (about $70) though you could easily find it brand new for around £100. It is very small and dinky, the dimensions are: 8.1 x 11 x 7.3 cm ; 340 g, so very small.
It is 14mega pixels with a fantastic zoom. VERY worth it, the best thing I have ever spent £90 on easily! I cannot reccomend it enough, please, if you want to, take a look at my pictures, it does not dissapoint on quality
And yes, my next digital will be an Olympus Pen, but have other spending commitments now.
http://www.four-thirds.org/en/microft/index.html#SlideFrame_1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Four_Thirds_system