best "bridge" camera after CES 2014?

B

Bruce Watson

Veteran
I'm going to have to buy a bridge camera -- use is about 50/50 stills and video.

Top of my list right now is the Panasonic GH3 with the 12-25 zoom, at around $2k at B&H. I've looked at the brand new Nikon D5300 with for example the Nikkor 16-85 zoom, at around $1400 at B&H, but the Nikon is only specified to go 29 minutes (?) at 1080p30, which rules it out of some applications, like as an unattended lock-down camera (for example, at the back of a classroom or lecture hall, providing the "wide" view as B-cam). OTOH, it should do better at stills, should get more dynamic range maybe, but it's too new to have much information out there yet.

What else is out there that can challenge the GH3?
 
Sony RX10?

Sony RX10?

The Sony RX10 has some of the best video IQ I've seen for awhile,
perhaps related to 1" sensor without pixel binning or line skipping.
It has a fixed 24-200mm f/2.8 Lens Zeiss zoom lens., and while the
optics are probably quite good, the zoom control is not.
It even has ND filters.
Primary downside is the 29min recording limit.
Perhaps the next interation will fix that.
 
sbrenner said:
The Sony RX10 has some of the best video IQ I've seen for awhile,
perhaps related to 1" sensor without pixel binning or line skipping.
It has a fixed 24-200mm f/2.8 Lens Zeiss zoom lens., and while the
optics are probably quite good, the zoom control is not.
It even has ND filters.
Primary downside is the 29min recording limit.
Perhaps the next interation will fix that.
Click to expand...

24-200mm FF equivalent, I assume? Not actual 24-200mm before whatever the huge crop factor the RX10 has, right?
 
Yes, I think it may be more like 28-200 in video mode.

There is also the Pany FZ200 bridge camera option which has a 100min recording limit.
 
for a bridge camera, I would also say RX10, and dxomark aggrees: http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-RX10-review-The-definitive-bridge-camera

but all the options you're suggesting are not bridge, but m4/3 or DSLRs
in that category, I would say D5300 or BMC (pocket or 2.5k, your pick)
just because I value DR a lot more than resolution (the GH3 is sharper, but the D5300 has A LOT more DR), and I value IQ more than usability (many people still prefer Canon, even though IQ is worse, just because they are used to how it works)
if it is on your budget, the 5D3+RAW is better; but for less than $3K, I'd definitely say D5300 or BMC
 
If DR is high on your list, then you might want to consider the Blackmagic Pocket Camera.
Same 13 stops as the BMCC. If you rig it out with an external power supply, you can shoot
continuously in Prores for a decent amount of time or shorter for clips in RAW. No still capacity
unless you consider a 1920x1080 dng frame a still.
 
sbrenner said:
If DR is high on your list, then you might want to consider the Blackmagic Pocket Camera.
Same 13 stops as the BMCC. If you rig it out with an external power supply, you can shoot
continuously in Prores for a decent amount of time or shorter for clips in RAW. No still capacity
unless you consider a 1920x1080 dng frame a still.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but no. Video is only half of what I need, stills is the other half. Thus the need for a "bridge" camera.
 
If stills are important, maybe the D7100 is a better bet. It has alot better AF, faster still-bursts and better body. It won't get you 60p though.
 
Bruce Watson said:
I'm going to have to buy a bridge camera -- use is about 50/50 stills and video.

Top of my list right now is the Panasonic GH3 with the 12-25 zoom, at around $2k at B&H. I've looked at the brand new Nikon D5300 with for example the Nikkor 16-85 zoom, at around $1400 at B&H, but the Nikon is only specified to go 29 minutes (?) at 1080p30, which rules it out of some applications, like as an unattended lock-down camera (for example, at the back of a classroom or lecture hall, providing the "wide" view as B-cam). OTOH, it should do better at stills, should get more dynamic range maybe, but it's too new to have much information out there yet.

What else is out there that can challenge the GH3?
Click to expand...

The GH4 is supposedly coming out in February, will have 4k capabilities, and be ~$2k.
 
Bruce Watson said:
How much more is "A LOT" more? One stop? Two? I'm asking because dynamic range is high on my list too.
Click to expand...

Well, I can't really say how much, because I haven't measured it. Or, more accurately, I've measured it, but something must have gone wrong because the GH3 came at around 3 stops less than the next one, and the difference is obvious but doesn't seem THAT big. I would say a couple of stops, but it's a subjective measure.

Also, now I get what you mean by "bridge": stills+video. The appropriate term for this would be "hybrid", I think, because "bridge" already has a very well defined meaning in the camera world: a fixed-lens camera that has the shape of a very small DSLR, and aims to bring consumers closer to that more expensive market. That is: something like the RX10 that we were all suggesting when you asked about the best bride camera...
 
Yeah, I thought a "bridge camera" would mean, somethign to hold you till the "real" camera comes out. At this point, all cameras are intermediates. So, just go with your gut.
 
Definitely the GH3 for best hybrid camera. Yes, the GH4 may be out soon so you may want to hold out to see what that's like but some reports say its going to be a video camera first and foremost and will lack many still features. All rumour at this stage of coarse.

RX10? personally, lens interchangability is high on my requirements so the RX10 is a non starter for me, you may have different priorities but from what I have seen of the RX10, it also suffers from a lot of 'mud' issues and heavy blocking in the shadows/blacks.

The GH3 still gives you the most options and best quality in a hybrid camera. 5DIII is better in RAW mode but who wants to bother with that?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top