The Bridge Not For Me

I tried making photos with a new camera today. It's new to the market and especially new to me, as I’ve never owned a bridge camera.

The Lumix FZ80D is an upgrade from an earlier model of the same camera with a zoom lens from 20mm to 1200mm. This type of camera with advanced capabilities is often called a bridge camera that fits between a simple point-and-shoot and a more professional digital camera.

Most of the more popular camera manufacturers have made or are making one. It can be smaller than a fully equipped DSLR and only slightly larger than a point-and-shoot. The extreme telephoto makes it popular for nature photographers.

Bridge camera sensors are smaller than DSLR sensors and are more similar to those of P&S cameras. The smaller sensor size limits the file size and the dynamic range for color and contrast.

The Lumix I shot today suffered from both those difficulties.

The camera was easy to handle. Small and light enough to be carried about. The controls were in all the right places and large enough to be used without stumbling into the wrong control button or knob or fumbling trying to find the one you need to press. The EVF was bright, as was the rear LCD.

The problem was sensor quality.

There is a tiny sweet spot that makes a good photo. When the ISO is moderate, the f-stop at the middle range, and the zoom is set to a wide angle or a short telephoto, the photos look good. Not great, just good.

At the more extreme setting, the image quality is less than that of my iPhone. Digital artifacts are present, and sharpness is gone. Nothing was sharp whether I set the focus manually or used the autofocus setting outside a normal range.

Here is a sampling of what I shot on Tuesday. All are soft. The smaller sensor size does not allow rich tones or fine details. The photos look fine on a small screen but fail when enlarged.

Note the purple and blue chromatic aberration in the full moon photo below. It’s correctible in Photoshop, but I would not want to have to do it for all my photos.

I’ll return it on Wednesday and put its cost to another foolish idea.

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