Bridge camera photography

Cameras, cameras and more cameras 

Firstly I’m just your average photographer. I take photos to capture a moment so that I can look back and think “I remember that”. I’ve had a number of cameras over the years including Polaroids, pocket cameras, multi-lense SLR’s, bridge cameras and off course my mobile phone camera. In my view each has a use depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

My most convenient camera is my mobile phone. It's always with me and I can use it to snap a photo at a moments notice. However it doesn’t have some of the features or capability that an actual camera does (for example decent long exposure & optical zoom to name two) so I have an actual camera that I use when I’m looking to get a better shot. I didn’t want an SLR as I couldn’t be bothered messing about with lenses and most new SLR’s were comparatively expensive, so I chose a bridge camera - the Panasonic LUMIX FZ72. I’m not going to say it’s the best bridge camera, nor am I going to say it’s as good as a professional full frame SLR. What I will say is it’s a great camera for me and in my view represents excellent value for money as the latest version can be picked up new for around £250. 

You need an SLR for good photos - don't you?

Professional photographers will tell you that you need an SLR to take great photos - and in a way they’re correct. Most SLR cameras will have better lenses, larger sensors and enhanced features that will enable you to take a more professional photograph - if you have the skills to operate them and compose the shot, however they can still take a bad photo. I’m not after a professional photograph - I’m after a memory that’s good enough for me, and to occasionally share with friends. In my view a bridge camera is good enough to do that. It’s also a good way to learn how to take photos before you plunge into spending hundreds or thousands on equipment.

So let's get on with some photos ....... all of these were taken with my FZ72 and unless stated otherwise they are unedited, unfiltered and taken in IA Mode (Auto). I'll also be the first to say that they're not 100%, some are slightly over exposed, others a little out of focus. What I can say is that they are all mine and all taken with my Lumix FZ72 which I've had since 2018.

Sky at night

I'm lucky enough to live in a rural area so there's not a lot of light pollution. However even in cities you can get a good sky shot with a little bit of effort. Given night shots are usually low light you'll typically be using a long exposure, so you're best using a tripod and taking the photo using the cameras timer. This will ensure minimal movement which may blur the image.

One note about using the FZ72 for Astrophotography - it has a pretty small sensor and whilst it can get some great shots of the sky, its constellations and even some of the planets, it's small sensor means it is limited in being able to take good shots of the Milky Way. I'm still experimenting but as yet haven't been able to get one I can publish.

Noctilucent clouds

Most of you will have heard of the Aurora, but how many have heard of Noctilucent Clouds? These clouds are only visible overnight in mid-summer and they light up the night sky with bright colours and a spectacular display. The first four photos are of Noctilucent clouds. If you happen to be up late at night in mid-summer look north, they are amazing to see.

This shot of a Lunar Eclipse was taken using manual settings:

Shutter Priority mode, F 5.9, ISO 1600, 2 second exposure

These shots of the Aurora were taken in Iceland using Starry Sky mode, 60 second exposure

Long exposure

A good long exposure can add mood to a photo and give the feeling of motion. So I did some experimenting with slower shutter speeds to photograph waterfalls and get the "silky" effect of the water flow. This shot has no ND filter, is in full Manual mode, aperture closed down (F8), ISO 100 and 3.2 second shutter speed 

More experimenting. This time it's star trails using 20 individual shots taken with "Starry Sky" mode. Each shot is a 60 second exposure and all 20 are stacked using Starstax (free PC software). One thing you may notice is that each star trail is a series of dots with small gaps between. That's caused by a "feature" of the FZ72 called Long Shutter Noise Reduction. Effectively for ever long exposure you take it takes a similar blank exposure to identify any noise created by the sensor. Unfortunately you can't turn it off and in this case it meant for every 60 second photo there was a 60 second delay before the next photo was taken. As such the small gaps between each star trail.

Wildlife

One of the great things about a bridge camera is how quickly they can be up and running and set for a shot. No lenses to fit or apertures to play with, just point and shoot. This enables you to grab some good "spur of the moment" wildlife shots. It's worth pointing out that all of the bird shots except for the buzzard where taken through glass (and dirty glass at that) - when the FZ72 gets focus properly its like the dirty glass isn't even there. 

 

Landscapes 

The first of these shots has been edited using the FZ72 inbuilt editor and creative retouch feature.  

Sunsets

General Photography

Zoom

One of the great features of the FZ72 is its 60x Optical Zoom. The 3 shots below show this in practice and there was still more zoom left after the 3rd shot!!

 

Coloured Moon

This ones a bit of an experiment. It is an edited version of the moon photo using steps outlined in a YouTube video on how to do a colour version of the moon. The video tutorial can be found here 

So what do you think - is a bridge camera good enough? 

As I said at the start, I'm not a professional photographer and nor would I want to be. I just want to be able to take a good photo so I have something to remember a time, location or experience better. I love my Panasonic Lumix, even with its limitations, it takes good enough photos for my needs.

So get out there and get snapping. Experiment a little and try that shot you've been thinking of. You have nothing to lose and only good memories to capture.