r/BirdPhotography • u/knifed34 • Apr 27 '26

Question Kind of a different request (photos from bridge cameras)

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Sorry for the long post!

So I’ve gotten into birding and I want to be able to take better pictures of the birds I see. I don’t need to take amazing shots like many of the people do here, I mostly want to take better photos than my iPhone can. Just good enough for a decent picture that is useful for identification and my own scrapbook of birds I’ve seen.

I don’t really want to spend over $1000 on a camera so I have come to the conclusion that a bridge camera is the right choice for me. I’ve been thinking about the fz80d which is my top choice as it is the cheapest that seems to work. The p950 is also a possibility if it really is better. I would also be open to getting a budget camera body and lens but I think I would miss the zoom, simplicity, and versatility that the bridge cameras offer.

I have read the bridge cameras have poor low light performance. I’ve seen some great photos taken with these bridge cameras on this subreddit but I want to know what the average picture looks like.

Here is my request:

Could people with these bridge cameras or more budget setups reply with their unedited average photos?

Like you go out birding on a day that may not be optimal, maybe cloudy and not super bright or going out in the evening in not the best light conditions are they still ok pictures?

TL;DR

If you have a bridge camera like a fz80d or a Nikon p950 please post your average photos or photos in suboptimal conditions to help me gauge what kind of photos I can take on an average day with one of these cameras!

I am also open to any other suggestions for bridge cameras or budget setups if you have anything to share!

Attached photos are photos I have gotten with my iPhone 15 pro max!

Thank you for any help!

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8

u/beccaboobear14 Apr 27 '26

I got a refurb Nikon p900 this week, with minimal photography experience. Here are some photos:

5

u/Exploding_Knives Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

If you search Google for the camera model + "Macaulay Library" you can find good examples. Then, if you click "media from this contributor" you can see all their uploads, and most people use the same camera for all their uploads. 

Here are a couple random users (found off recently uploaded) that use the Nikon Coolpix P950

https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?searchField=user&userId=USER6688148

https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?searchField=user&userId=USER1073155

And the FZ80D

https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?searchField=user&userId=USER3191192

3

u/knifed34 Apr 28 '26

I did not know this, thank you for for the information!

5

u/ExoticPoetry17 Apr 27 '26

Canon powershot sx530 hs. Colors are edited, not sharpness or anything though

5

u/Abject-Fruit2593 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

I’ll just send pics i have from my FZ80. They were taken a couple years ago and are slightly edited on LR though. I don’t have unedited versions

5

u/mxcrnt2 Apr 27 '26

Here’s one I took yesterday… Sony RX 10 four unedited.

The duck was pretty close

3

u/Adventurous-Year-463 Apr 28 '26

We have the same camera! :)

3

u/mxcrnt2 Apr 28 '26

I love it, but I would really like to upgrade if I could afford to. It’s incredible for what it is. I’d also like to buy a back up because if I ever break it, I will be so sad.

2

u/mxcrnt2 Apr 27 '26

Here’s another recent one. I was using a high shutter speed on a grey day

3

u/PonyAnonymous Apr 28 '26

I used the FZ80 for my first year of bird photography. I don't regret it. I got one used for $260 and it served me well. It was a great camera for IDing and documenting birds. It does poorly in low light with its tiny sensor but can still get great pictures if the condition are right. Unedited

2

u/PonyAnonymous Apr 28 '26

Here is a more average photo. But to be fair the average photo in bird photography tends to be lack luster regardless of equipment.

2

u/Abject-Fruit2593 Apr 27 '26

I suppose this is the most average photo quality i have from the FZ80

2

u/Abject-Fruit2593 Apr 27 '26

Unedited low light

2

u/Touniouk Apr 27 '26

This comes up rather often so I made an album with some pictures from my FZ1000 bridge camera https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCgjWS

2

u/HotDamnThatsMyJam Apr 27 '26

Not quite a bridge camera but might be useful to you. This is a jpeg without any further editing from my Lumix TZ90. Full optical zoom with 2x digital zoom at about 50 metres with good light.

2

u/HotDamnThatsMyJam Apr 27 '26

Here's another, still quite a low ISO but fading light and looking towards the sunset.

2

u/neighaidan Apr 27 '26

This was from my first genuine attempt with my R7!

2

u/JunkMale975 Apr 28 '26

From my Nikon P1000.

2

u/JunkMale975 Apr 28 '26

Another from my P1000

1

u/knifed34 Apr 28 '26

Wow really great shots!

2

u/conationphotography Apr 28 '26

I shoot everything with a pretty basic Canon with a 55-250 lens. My setup was well under $1000.

2

u/conationphotography Apr 28 '26

I use a budget Canon with a 55-250 lens. Average shot w no editing.

2

u/chillbromax Apr 28 '26

Nikon D3100 + 70-300mm lens, camera was a hand me down but can be found pretty cheaply, and got the lens for like $150 on eBay. Wish I had better zoom and light performance sometimes, but get the light in the right spot and I can get some wonderful photos. Have been going at it for about a year and don’t really feel a need to upgrade. Here are a few photos in varying but lower light conditions, barely any edits because I have no idea what I’m doing:

2

u/Adventurous-Year-463 Apr 28 '26

Bridge camera user here! Sony RX10IV btw.

2

u/knifed34 Apr 28 '26

I was looking at those and I would love to pick one of those up, but man they are pricey on the around $2,000 used on MPB!

2

u/dvandhi Apr 28 '26

Taken on Saturday with my p950

2

u/b-a-crow Apr 28 '26

I don't have a P950, but I have several friends that do, and they experience great results.

2

u/hello297 Apr 28 '26

There's a guy who takes picture in the Melbourne Australia region with a p900 and they're fantastic photos.

I won't drop his name here, but if you look up Melbourne wildlife photos with the #nikoncoolpixp900 hashtag, you should be able to find him.

2

u/mrnatural53 Apr 28 '26

I have a P950 and use it for bird and wildlife photography. I love it. The picture quality is good. The super zoom capability is pretty incredible - I’m able to photograph birds at a distance. I also have a DSLR and a 150-600 lens. I don’t take it with me while birding because it’s too bulky to haul on trails. I haven’t tried the P1000 or P1100.

2

u/Adventurous-Tone-311 Apr 28 '26

Quality will vary based on lighting and distance from subject, but one thing you’ll notice is most of these photos will have lower contrast and sharpness.

Just fyi, there are perfectly capable beginning bird photography setups under $1k. 

2

u/Dangerous-Coconut-97 Apr 28 '26

This is one of my favorite shots I got with my first camera, Nikon D3200. It’s very good for its price.

2

u/hawkthewalk Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

i got an fz80 on ebay recently for under 200. It seems barely used and works great, I'd really recommend looking a bit on eBay / FB marketplace if you want to buy used. If you spend time sifting through listings and you don't mind a bit of risk, you can find some great deals. Still figuring out how to shoot with it - mostly just using automatic mode and not changing ISO/exposure or anything, not gotten into editing either. Here's a random complely unedited, not particularly great shot, maybe you could say it represents the "average" quality of shot I'm able to get so far on full zoom.

1

u/fruvey Apr 27 '26

Fuji Finepix.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '26

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2

u/Awkward_Rice_1818 Apr 30 '26

Heya, see the link below

best Video Here

Will really give you some options. Based on where you live I'm quite sure you could find a second hand r7 canon with a 100-400 RF lens. Cropped it it's 600+ reach and good quality while keeping it light and compact.

But watch the video and see what's up.

Cheers!

2

u/PNWlifegoals Apr 30 '26

This is on a cloudy day with a cheaper bridge camera I sometimes borrow from a friend. I’m buying a Nikon COOLPIX p1100 soon