Compact or bridge for £200 or under?

Hi everyone,

First post here and as usual, looking for some advice. I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to cameras and photography but I have an interest which I'm looking to expand upon.

Basically I have a little Sony Cybershot S950 at the moment which has served me well enough but I'm looking for something with a little more as a next step. I don't really want to get into full blown DSLRs just yet, too expensive and I wouldn't know where to start with one. Oh and I mostly take pictures of people, buldings, airshows, motorsport, etc.

So, I've been looking at a few compacts and bridge cameras for £150-200(ish) and there a lot of choices out there! The 2 I've really been looking at are the Fuji HS20-EXR and the Olympus SZ-30MR, I like the looks of both, they both sound good on paper, the image quality seems a little better on the Fuji (as does the manual zoom/focus and more settings) but I do like some of the features, the more compact nature and the cheaper price of the Olympus. How would they compare in real life?
Obviously there are many other factors to think about but I'm very interested to hear any advice, other recommendations or from anyone who has any hands on experience with either of these cameras.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to seeing a reply or two soon :)
Nic

Hi Nic. When it comes to buying another camera I always spend weeks and sometimes months on reading every test on my chosen camera, and then look at the comparison charts to check how it performs against the other brands. WDC magazine provides excellent tests and reports as well as comparisons which will help you in your decision making. Of course we all have our preferred brand, but I'm not going to say to you get this or that for example. It's best if you make your own well informed choice after much studying has taken place. I did this before I spent a lot of dosh on my DSLR and lenses, and you know what, it was the best move I ever made as I still love it to bits and won't change for anything. Hope this helps.All the best.Mike.

I have to agree with Mike above!

One to consider also if you want a pocket compact (that has manual control and plenty of zoom) is last years Panasonic TZ20, now reduced to half price (a real bargain at £159!) http://www.photographyblog.com/revie...ew/conclusion/

I have bought from these people in the past with no problems and they offer 30 day cooling off period with no quibble http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mai...etcurrency=gbp

I shoot with the Panasonic TZ7 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk...highlight=zoom. I also now shoot with the TZ10 that has manual control,(thanks to my brother who purchased the TZ30 last week). TZ stands for Travel Zoom.

Cheers!

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