Two cameras designed for travellers
Bridge cameras are appealing and are a popular choice for travellers. Mogens Johansen tests out two of the options.
Bridge cameras fill the gap between digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and small point-and-shoot cameras. They are compact, with similar styling to DSLRs, but generally have large-range, fixed-zoom lenses and are also referred to as "mega-zoom" cameras.
On the face of it, bridge cameras are appealing because everything is contained in one compact unit: the huge range of their zooms means there is no need to fill your camera bag with a lots of lenses, making them a popular choice for travellers and photographers who want a camera that is ready for anything, anywhere.
But are they a credible alternative to DSLR and compact mirrorless camera systems?
The Canon PowerShot SX60 and the Leica V-Lux are two of many bridge cameras on offer from various manufactures. I picked them to test because they offer slightly different features and are at the opposite ends of the price range for this type of camera. The Canon retails for $649 and the Leica for $1399.
The first thing I noticed when looking at the two cameras was the size difference. The Canon SX60 is a compact, well-designed camera with rounded edges, whereas the Leica V-Lux is bigger, with sharper and more defined edges. The body of the Canon is better padded and feels more solid but the Leica feels better to hold because it is slightly bigger, with more room for the dial and buttons.
The Canon SX60 and Leica V-Lux. Picture: Mogens Johansen
Both have a comprehensive range of shooting modes for stills and video, electronic viewfinders as well as three-inch flip-out screens on the back, autofocus tracking with face detection, image stabilisers and much more. The Leica also has 4K video recording.
I used the two cameras in a few different situations to see what they have to offer and how they performed. I wanted to see how they compared in zoom size and lens resolution.
The Canon has a very impressive 65x optical zoom (21-1365mm 35mm equivalent) against the Leica's 16x optical zoom (25-400mm 35mm equivalent), but the Leica has a 20.1 megapixel Live MOS one-inch sensor which should outperform the smaller 16.1 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor in the Canon.
First I set up the cameras on my tripod near the Narrows Bridge in South Perth to capture a nice view of the Perth CBD with the wide angle, and another where I zoomed both cameras to the maximum focal length. I was impressed to see the Canon zoom picking out the top eight floors of the Duxton Hotel way down St Georges Terrace on the other side of the river, whereas the Leica's more modest zoom leaves plenty of room around the hotel and its neighbours. Both cameras produced good results that would satisfy most photographers but when I examined the results closely on my computer the Leica's lens and the larger sensor produced sharper, more detailed images.
View of the Duxton Hotel from South Perth, taken with the Leica V-Lux. Picture: Mogens Johansen
The Duxton Hotel from South Perth, taken with the Canon SX60. Picture: Mogens Johansen
For the next test, I headed for the Melville foreshore to snap some pictures of windsurfers taking advantage of the afternoon sea breeze. This would test both the zoom and the autofocus tracking. I decided to hand hold the cameras so I had freedom to change direction quickly as picture opportunities presented themselves. I began with the Canon and again I was impressed with the huge zoom range, but I found it a bit difficult to hold the small camera steady on the maximum zoom setting while tracking windsurfers, and the autofocus struggled to keep up with the windsurfers. The larger body of the Leica, the lesser zoom size and the better viewfinder made it easier to hold the camera steady to track the windsurfers, and the autofocus did a better job keeping up with the action.
Windsurfer on the Swan River near Applecross, taken with the Leica V-Lux. Picture: Mogens Johansen
I also wanted to see how the two cameras handled low-light situations. I had them with me on a trip to Pemberton, so I set them up for a night-time shot of the main street, using a tripod to ensure I got identical set-ups for both cameras. I used the aperture priority setting and chose f/8 for maximum depth of field; the cameras both chose a shutter speed of 1/4 second on ISO 1600.
The Leica's larger sensor and better lens trumped the Canon, producing noticeably sharper images, with the higher light sensitivity of its larger pixels producing less "noise" (visual distortion). The image from the Leica is clearly crisper and has better resolution; the Leica lens also coped better with a streetlight in the centre of the frame, producing a nice even "starburst", whereas the Canon lens produced a more diffused look with some minor flaring.
A night shot with the Leica of the main street of Pemberton. Picture: Mogens Johansen
Later the same evening, the Leica performed remarkably when I set it up for a really long exposure over Big Brook dam. It was nearly completely dark. I set the ISO to 125 for the best possible quality and set the camera on the program setting; the camera picks an exposure of 50 seconds at f/5.6. I set the self-timer to a two-second delay to avoid any camera shake and let the camera do its thing. The autofocus searched very briefly before it began the exposure and it produced a very impressive result with very little noise and very fine resolution.
Night shot at Big Brook Dam in Pemberton, taken with the Leica V-Lux. Picture: Mogens Johansen
During an early-morning walk at the Cascades at Lefroy Brook just outside Pemberton, I did one more test. The morning light created quite extreme differences between highlights and shadows as it tried to penetrate the forest canopy. I chose a scene looking down the brook where the morning mist hung over the water and the sunlight caught some trees but left others in deep shadow. Both cameras produced nice images but again, once I got them on to my computer screen and compared them, the larger sensor and the lens of the Leica produced the best resolution with the most detail in both the highlight and shadow areas.
Early morning mist on Lefroy Brook, take with the Canon. Picture: Mogens Johansen
Time didn't permit me to fully test the cameras' video capabilities. They can both record in 1080 HD but the Leica also offers 4K video recording with a 3840x2160 resolution, so it can get superb clarity with a frame size equal to an 8.3MP. This does require large, fast memory cards as a 100Mb/s data rate means a 16GB SD card will only be large enough for 20 minutes of 4K video.
The Canon PowerShot SX60's huge zoom range and user-friendly design makes it is a good all-rounder and excellent value for money. It will satisfy most buyers of this type of camera. The Leica is more than double the price so you would expect more, and it does have quite a few extras - the big sensor and the Leica lens are two major pluses but it has many clever menu features, better viewfinder, excellent autofocus, 4K video and image quality. Leica also backs the V-Lux with a three-year warranty and the price includes Adobe Lightroom editing software.
Both cameras performed well and will have wide appeal with travellers and occasional photographers looking for an easy-to-use all-round camera that will give good results whatever picture opportunities they are faced with. But they do have a few limitations, so enthusiasts looking for the best possible result will still be better served by a DSLR or mirrorless camera system with a selection of fast, quality lenses.
There is a big price difference and you get what you pay for.
Leica V-Lux main features
20.1 megapixel Live MOS 1inch sensor
16x optical zoom Leica lens, equivalent to 25-400mm, f/2.8-4.0
Three-inch rotate and tilt screen, 921.000 dots
Electronic viewfinder (EVF), 2.360.00 dots
12fps continuous shooting
4K video recording, 5-axis image stabilisation
Face detection, AF tracking
Auto focus down to -4EV, 49 focus points
Wi-fi/NFC connectivity
Flash hot-shoe
Canon PowerShot SX60 main features
16.1 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor
65x optical zoom lens, 21-1365mm equivalent, f/3.4-6.5
Three-inch rotate and tilt screen, 922.000 dots
Electronic viewfinder (EVF), 922,000 dots
6.4fps continuous shooting
Full HD video at 60fps
Optical image stabilisation
Face detection, AF tracking
0cm macro mode
Wi-fi/NFC connectivity
Flash hot-shoe
Both cameras were loaned to Travel by Camera Electronic, 230 Stirling Street, Perth. cameraelectronic.com.au or 9328 4405.
