I've gone down the rabbit hole of researching compact and bridge cameras, and I think I'd benefit from a bit of advice (a whole lot would be even better!). While on holiday last year, I borrowed my mother's camera, a Canon SX720 HS. I had fun with it, and like the photos it took, even though I never touched any of the settings. I'd now like a camera of my own, and the choice is completely overwhelming.
I've educated myself on the basics of megapixels and sensor size, so I have a bit of an idea what to look for and expect (i.e. I want a camera that does everything perfectly and for it to not be expensive). Up to now, I've mostly looked at 1/2.3" sensor cameras, but I'm willing to consider larger sensors, and possibly even DSLRs/mirrorless.
My interests are landscape and wildlife photography, and I like a dynamic zoom range. When I was using the SX720, I was going up to around 30x zoom, maybe a little over (I found the 40x zoom a bit unwieldly, but I was often standing up at the time, so I wasn't supporting the camera well). If I could go over 40x, I probably would. I also help my mother put together a calendar every year, so printing is another requirement (roughly 12"x 9", so 12MP would be the minimum I'd want, and I'm hesitant to go over 16MP in a 1/2.3" sensor camera).
If I were to go with the smaller sensor cameras, based on my research, I wouldn't go for the upgrades of the SX720, and I'd also avoid the Canon SX70 HS and the Panasonic FZ82. The Nikon P series superzooms carry a heftier price tag (and weight), although they are still a possibility, I just haven't looked into them that much. The Kodak Pixpro AZ series in particular has caught my eye due to the amazing image quality when compared with the sensor size and price, and also the zoom range (except one option, the AZ528, is only available in midnight blue at the moment, and I'd prefer black). I'm hesitant to go with either the AZ652 or AZ901 due to them being 20MP versus the 16MP of the AZ421 and AZ528, but they do offer the ability to shoot in RAW (not sure how much I'd make use of that feature to begin with), and also have a greater reach.
I'd like to get something before I go away in June, and to get it in good enough time to practice with it and get used to it. I'm not opposed to other options, and I don't want to go cheap for the sake of going cheap. I also don't want to overthink it (but that ship probably sunk a while ago). I prefer to buy new (I'm a very fussy person).
Any advice is welcome and greatly appreciated.
I've educated myself on the basics of megapixels and sensor size, so I have a bit of an idea what to look for and expect (i.e. I want a camera that does everything perfectly and for it to not be expensive). Up to now, I've mostly looked at 1/2.3" sensor cameras, but I'm willing to consider larger sensors, and possibly even DSLRs/mirrorless.
My interests are landscape and wildlife photography, and I like a dynamic zoom range. When I was using the SX720, I was going up to around 30x zoom, maybe a little over (I found the 40x zoom a bit unwieldly, but I was often standing up at the time, so I wasn't supporting the camera well). If I could go over 40x, I probably would. I also help my mother put together a calendar every year, so printing is another requirement (roughly 12"x 9", so 12MP would be the minimum I'd want, and I'm hesitant to go over 16MP in a 1/2.3" sensor camera).
If I were to go with the smaller sensor cameras, based on my research, I wouldn't go for the upgrades of the SX720, and I'd also avoid the Canon SX70 HS and the Panasonic FZ82. The Nikon P series superzooms carry a heftier price tag (and weight), although they are still a possibility, I just haven't looked into them that much. The Kodak Pixpro AZ series in particular has caught my eye due to the amazing image quality when compared with the sensor size and price, and also the zoom range (except one option, the AZ528, is only available in midnight blue at the moment, and I'd prefer black). I'm hesitant to go with either the AZ652 or AZ901 due to them being 20MP versus the 16MP of the AZ421 and AZ528, but they do offer the ability to shoot in RAW (not sure how much I'd make use of that feature to begin with), and also have a greater reach.
I'd like to get something before I go away in June, and to get it in good enough time to practice with it and get used to it. I'm not opposed to other options, and I don't want to go cheap for the sake of going cheap. I also don't want to overthink it (but that ship probably sunk a while ago). I prefer to buy new (I'm a very fussy person).
Any advice is welcome and greatly appreciated.
