Camera WTB :: Camera with excellent zoom

sunny27

Stig's Indian Cousin!!!
Skilled
What's your budget?
Rs.15,000 to Rs.20,000 (would prefer it to be on the lower side)
Camera type?
Bridge camera or Point and Shoot with an excellent auto mode

Body Style?
Compact or Bridge (bulky)

How much zoom do you want/expect?
A lot! I want to take snaps of wildlife at a distance and landscape

Do you care for manual exposure controls?
I would prefer the camera with an excellent auto mode

What's the purpose?

Hobby/Home use...

What will you be shooting with this camera?

Wildlife/low light/action/landscape

Do you have any particular model(s) in your mind?
No

Any brand preference? Like/dislike
No.

From where will you be buying?
Online/Local store

Any specific features you need?
Excellent low light capabilities, decent battery life, rugged build quality and reliability

Anything else you would like to tell us?
No
 
In my view, pretty much all the cameras in that budget will produce decent image in auto mode. Buy the one you like, just avoid cheapo bridge cameras like Sony H series, Fuji S series, Panasonic LZ series, Samsung WB series. Since you have good budget avoid Nikon L series and Canon SX500/510 too. Wow!!! Seems like I have managed to kicked out more than a dozen models ;)

If you want,
Compact - WX350 or SX700
Bridge - P600, FZ70
Personally, I like HS30/35EXR for the level of controls it offers. But I don't know whether you will appreciate it.

PS: Every cameras has its own + and -, including the ones suggested above. Know them before you buy... :)
 
I got myself a Sony HX50V for 17.5k from a stock clearance sale at reliance digital. Backed with 2 years of warranty, I thought it is a good purchase. The camera is compact, rugged, an excellent performer and has very good zoom capabilities for the price it sells for. It has features like GPS and Wifi, which I didn't want and may never use. I would have rather had some more zoom and a bigger battery but then that's just wishful thinking on my part. All in all a good purchase!
 
Congrats on your purchase. While this tip is too late to apply in this case, I hope it will be of use to those who will refer to this thread in future.
The biggest gripe I have against superzooms of today is the reliance on propreitary batteries. THere are excellent superzooms available used at throwaway prices like the Canon SX20IS (which I own, I bought it used for a ridiculous 6000!). IT has a lot of excellent features, which even the SX30IS doesn't - but the icing for me is the rechargeable AA battery compatibility. As I already have invested in a lot of rechargeable AAs, I don't have to sweat everytime I go on a trip - I just strip all remotes, clocks, wireless KB/ mouse etc off their AAs and take them along!

I consider the SX20IS as the last "real" superzoom, the last and best of a breed. The ones that followed, irrespective of the manufacturer, were stripped of important features (like external hotshoe, articulated LCD, AA battery compatibility) etc and bloated with irrelevant features like smile detection! Another thing that was bloated, ofcourse, was the price tag -
 
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