Thanks , I enjoy taking pics and I have improved ! I can capture the bikes easier than I can my running hounds lol !

Well my birthday is in a few days and seeing as I still haven't got a camera I think it will be on my list.

I have been reading about bridge cameras which might be the sort of thing I'm after.
Budget is still around £200. Light enough to carry about and put in a bag if possible, but good enough for dog photos (which seem to be my life these days )

I am busy re-reading through reviews from cameras mentioned in previous posts and just about to pop over to YoP too

I was looking at this after someone pointed out the offer ..
All i want is a decent point and click with a decent zoom ...
Someone on here bought one for there other half not sure what they thought of it ...
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...xt%3ENIKON.htm

In red too.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...xt%3ENIKON.htm

Thanks Murf, I have actually just been looking at that

Cant find many example photos though.

You can use the fuji bridging cameras (and I think the Nikon too, but you'd be better checking that) on auto setting with a zoom of about 24x (optical) for about £160 I think. Thats not the one I got but one I considered. Basically you get a better zoom than a compact but can use it like one.

IMHO you'd be better forgetting example photos and think about what it is that you really, really want from the camera. Some example photos can be taken badly, really well depending on what they 'reviewer' wants to achieve in their piece. Also on the official sites often, the images are "simulated" and they never state what conditions, settings etc the photos were taken on, then of course theres the editing that goes on before photos reach the websites.....

I'd say that as long as there aint 99% negative reviews ( ) and the camera does what you want from it, thats all you can go on really. It wasnt until I started looking around at photography stuff that I realised how 'purist' some peoples opinions can be on a camera that they have absolutley no experience of... so I'd say look at your own priorities and then go from there

Thanks dobermann.. Did you get a bridge in the end? I'm struggling whether to go for a bridging camera or a good portable digital one. Both around £200 seem to take pretty good quality images.

I don't really understand the difference between the 2? Obviously a bridge will take better pics but in what circumstances?

For me, maybe a good but more portable camera is better.

On some of the user images posted on amazon both cameras achieve an out of focus background (which I like!) does this only usually happen in macro mode or can you set it to do this?

My sis sweared by the lumix compacts before she moved up to the dslr's ...

Panasonic Lumix TZ20 seems good under 200 ..

Thanks, someone else recommended a similar camera in yop. I am going to have a go of stalking Flickr groups to find photos taken by people of each camera.

I'm starting to think I would probably take more pictures with a quality compact than a bridge just because I would prop ably not fancy carrying the bridge around. Just need to see if the compact pics are a good enough quality..although anything is better than an iPhone which all my current pics are taken on!