Canon sx60 or SonyHX400? Well my Fuji is dead so off to find a new bridge camera. I did plenty of research and went to Best Buy to check out my two best choices. Canon sx60 and Sony...

ssohl Loc: NJ

Well my Fuji is dead so off to find a new bridge camera. I did plenty of research and went to Best Buy to check out my two best choices. Canon sx60 and Sony hx400. I like the thought of the Zeiss lens on the Sony and the shutter speed is faster than the Canon but I heard that it isn’t so good in low light. The Sony has a tilting screen and the Canon has an articulating screen...both will work for me. Has anyone used both that can give me some advice? Thank you.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

ssohl wrote:

Well my Fuji is dead so off to find a new bridge camera. I did plenty of research and went to Best Buy to check out my two best choices. Canon sx60 and Sony hx400. I like the thought of the Zeiss lens on the Sony and the shutter speed is faster than the Canon but I heard that it isn’t so good in low light. The Sony has a tilting screen and the Canon has an articulating screen...both will work for me. Has anyone used both that can give me some advice? Thank you.

The key is how it feels in your hands. I had a SX50..previous version and liked it. Cannot speak about the Sony HX400.
Good luck on your decision.

PS Lived in BoundBrook for six years.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

I have an SX50 and it is excellent for outdoor shots on bright sunny days. It also works fine indoors with decent lighting. However, it is not so good in low light. I don't know about the Sony, but the bridge cameras with a very small sensor are typically not great in low light situations.

df61743 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX

I had an SX20, then SX50, now SX60. Obviously, I love 'em. I find the fully articulating screen to be incredibly useful, so much so that I consider it a must have "minimum requirement" in a bridge camera. I also like the 65X wide-angle to super zoom lens. The SX50 is my wife's and the SX60 is mine, and these are our travel cameras. I'll throw a waterproof Nikon AW100 in the bag if I think I might go snorkeling or otherwise get wet.

That said, I have to confess the Canon's are the only bridge cameras I have first hand experience with. It looks like the HX400 shoots JPG only, no RAW, so for me it would not be a contender.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Consider the Nikon B700. Zooms to 1440mm, 35mm eq., and shoots both JPEG and RAW.

dalekohl

Both are good cameras but I would choose the Panasonic FZ300. It is under $500 has a Leica constant 2.8 lens. It is also weather resistant. It is rated higher by camera decision. I believe it is rated # 4 out of over 100 bridge camera tested.

James56 Loc: Nashville, Tennessee

The Sony has a far better lens than the Canon but doesn't shoot RAW. But RAW is overrated...I never needed it with the Sony.
Here are some image samples from the Sony HX300 (predecessor to the HX400):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/james-frazier/albums/72157646216293167

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Back to shooting raw, or not. If raw isn’t important, another option is the Nikon P900.

df61743 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX

dalekohl wrote:

Both are good cameras but I would choose the Panasonic FZ300. It is under $500 has a Leica constant 2.8 lens. It is also weather resistant. It is rated higher by camera decision. I believe it is rated # 4 out of over 100 bridge camera tested.

I would also consider the Panasonic Lumix FZ80, the latest addition to their bridge cameras. There is only one thing I don't like about it, and that is the fixed LCD. I find the fully articulated display on the SX60 to be extremely useful.

Things I like about the FZ80... It can be had for $350.00, it shoots 4K video, it has a 60X optical zoom, you can capture 30 pictures per second in 4K photo mode then save exactly the one(s) you want, it shoots 10 FPS at 18.1MP, you can shoot RAW if desired, and the "post focus" feature allows you to set your focal point after the picture has been taken.

Dick

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

I've owned/used SX50 and SX60 and the Sony HX400v... I sold both Canons and kept the Sony... Neither the Canon nor Sony are too good in really low light, but in medium to bright light, the Sony is wonderful. If I need to capture in low light, then I'll use the 5D3. The tilting monitor vs fully articulating monitor wasn't a big deal. The Sony works all of the time, and video is very good as well. One cool feature is that when recording video, in Sony-native format, when the 30 minute limit is reached, the camera instantly starts another 30 minute file... result is virtually seamless when stitched together. However, when recording video in MP4, the camera won't automatically restart- YOU have to restart it- not good when trying to stitch the individual video files together. Battery life is good on the Sony. IMHO, it's the best $400 you can spend for a very versatile camera.

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

I've had the canon sx50 and the sony hx300..the sony doesn't come anywhere near the canon in quality shots. The articulated screen on the sx50 (and sx60) is a godsend, and of course the canon has raw capabilities!

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I have the SX60 and love it. But I also see great reviews on the Sony. I would bet either would serve you well. So which one can you get the best buy on? Bet you will love it!

epd1947

ssohl wrote:

Well my Fuji is dead so off to find a new bridge camera. I did plenty of research and went to Best Buy to check out my two best choices. Canon sx60 and Sony hx400. I like the thought of the Zeiss lens on the Sony and the shutter speed is faster than the Canon but I heard that it isn’t so good in low light. The Sony has a tilting screen and the Canon has an articulating screen...both will work for me. Has anyone used both that can give me some advice? Thank you.

If you are happy with the results from a camera with a 1/2.3 inch sensor - then I would suggest you look at the Panasonic Lumix FZ300 - it has a 24-600mm (equivalent) zoom lens that has a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range. It is also a weather sealed camera and shoots video in 4K. I think it is much better camera than either the SX60 or the HX400.

Perhaps now would also be the time to consider a major move up to a bridge camera with a one inch sensor - which will give you far superior images and much better low light performance. You have a couple of choices there - the Sony RX10 (most current version is the Mark IV - but earlier versions are still readily available) or the Panasonic LUMIX FZ2500 (or its immediate predecessor the FZ1000) - both of these cameras are a bit bigger physically but the one inch sensor provides a very major upgrade.

df61743 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX

epd1947 wrote:

If you are happy with the results from a camera wi... (show quote)

Good points all. However I really like the super zoom that's available on the smaller sensors. Not possible on the one inch sensor cameras.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

df61743 wrote:

Good points all. However I really like the super zoom that's available on the smaller sensors. Not possible on the one inch sensor cameras.

As a fellow Super-Zoom user, I agree. The longest reach of the 1 inch sensor bridge cameras is currently 25X, which is half the focal length that my Canon SX50 is capable of. I was able to get some wildlife shots on a Safari last summer, which simply would not have been possible with a 25X zoom, or with any reasonably manageable lens on my DSLR. The Super-Zoom camera is unrivaled as a versatile travel camera. With my travels in Kenya, it was necessary to carry everything of value with me at all times. Lugging heavy DSLR zoom lenses around was not an option.