Help with upgrade from bridge camera to DSLR

[willow572]

Hi, I am thinking of buying an entry level DSLR (such as Nikon D3000 or D3100) to replace a Panasonic Lumix FZ38 (bridge camera) as I want to be able to take better photos in low light conditions without a flash.
I don't understand ISO levels, aperture or shutter speeds etc (yet!) so I need some help from some experts.
From what I can gather, the higher the ISO, the better the ability to take photos in low light? Is that correct?
I am also confused about the lens. The Nikon D3000 comes with a 18-55 mm VR lens whereas my existing Panasonic says it has a 28x zoom (27-486mm) lens.....am I being stupid or does this mean my old camera has a better zoom lens??

Please help. I don't want to spend money on a new camera to find it's no better than than the one I have already.

[Roderick]

Originally Posted by willow572

Hi, I am thinking of buying an entry level DSLR (such as Nikon D3000 or D3100) to replace a Panasonic Lumix FZ38 (bridge camera) as I want to be able to take better photos in low light conditions without a flash.
I don't understand ISO levels, aperture or shutter speeds etc (yet!) so I need some help from some experts.
From what I can gather, the higher the ISO, the better the ability to take photos in low light? Is that correct?
I am also confused about the lens. The Nikon D3000 comes with a 18-55 mm VR lens whereas my existing Panasonic says it has a 28x zoom (27-486mm) lens.....am I being stupid or does this mean my old camera has a better zoom lens??

Please help. I don't want to spend money on a new camera to find it's no better than than the one I have already.

Hi, I am using a Panasonic FZ 100 and I am pleased with what it does. The advantage of a bridge is that there is no lens changing at inconvenient moments and the very long zoom. True, there is more noise in low light conditions, but if like me, you usually photograph in fairly good light, I see no probs. Bridge is fine, it all depends what you want it to do. I have taken pics. outside when it was almost dark, and the results were good with hardly any noise.
Roderick.

[willow572]

Thanks
I do however want to upgrade to a DSLR for a number of reasons....1) I'd like to take up photography on an amateur basis and would like to do a course and b) I am going trekking in Rwanda for gorillas next year and have been warned that black animals under a tree canopy in the mist means I need a good camera for low light.
However maybe a better bridge camera is all I need?
Confused....

[RichardTaylor]

Low light performance depends on three things.

(1) The camera body - specifically the sensor performance.
Generally speaking the larger the sensor the better low light performance.
P&S cameras (including bridge cameras) have the smallest sensors.

This DPS thread may help.
Exposure (2) ISO + Intro to Aperture

(2) The maximum aperture of the lens (in other words you can collect more light for a given time period)
The lens on your FZ38 does not have a large maximum aperture.

Have a look at parts 2&3 of this series. The whole series is an introduction to exposure.
Exposure (1) A balancing act

You can purchase lenses with large maximum apertures for a DSLR, howver they may be very expensive.

You may find this post of interest.
Lenses #6 - Fast lenses

(3) The ability of you to extract the maximum quality from the captured image during post processing. This is helped by shooting in RAW format. Most P&S cameras do not make RAW data available. All DSLRS, to the best of my knowledge, do.

The zoom range of a lens is not an indication of its quality. It is a part indication of its versatility. Generally the larger the zoom range the poorer the image quality.

P&S cameras can capture good images in low light, however you will need to be shooting at low sensitivities (ISO) which may mean shooting at long exposures which means you may not be able to hand hold your camera or stop action. Shooting under a forest canopy usually means shooting in low light.

I shoot with both a P&S camera and DSLRS

Personally I would not go with a bridge camera, and I have used them, if you want to get good results.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by willow572

Hi, I am thinking of buying an entry level DSLR (such as Nikon D3000 or D3100) to replace a Panasonic Lumix FZ38 (bridge camera) as I want to be able to take better photos in low light conditions without a flash.

While an entry-level dSLR will be better at low light conditions without a flash than a bridge camera, it does not guarantee that you will get shots in low-light conditions, and can be much more challenging to use in some ways than a bridge camera. Just be aware that part of the equation here is not just the camera, but also the lens, and your ability to use both (as well as post-process).

My "A dSLR is not a P&S upgrade" lecture.

I don't understand ISO levels, aperture or shutter speeds etc (yet!)

Great attitude. My recommendation for learning sources is Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure.

From what I can gather, the higher the ISO, the better the ability to take photos in low light? Is that correct?

Mostly. The higher the ISO setting, the higher the sensor's sensitivity to light, and the faster the shutter speed or smaller the aperture you can use to get a good exposure. However, using a higher ISO setting can also introduce more noise into the image, particularly if you underexpose and then attempt to adjust the image to be lighter in post-processing.

I am also confused about the lens.

This is not surprising. It is confusing.

The Nikon D3000 comes with a 18-55 mm VR lens whereas my existing Panasonic says it has a 28x zoom (27-486mm) lens.....am I being stupid or does this mean my old camera has a better zoom lens??

Depends on your definition of "better". Does it have more reach? Yes. But, a lot more of this is due not to the lens, but to the fact that your FZ38 has a much smaller sensor.

A smaller sensor is kind of like cropping off the edges of a photo. You get more "zoom"/magnification when you crop. This is the same deal. The "24-486" number is only a theoretical framing equivalent. It's not about actual focal length and reach of the lens. If you look at what's printed on the front of your lens, you'll see that in reality, it's a 4.8-86.4mm f/2.8-4.4 lens.

In other words, the "crop factor" on your FZ is 5x. The sensor is one fifth the size of a frame of 35mm film, and the lenses are proportionately one-fifth as long.

Please help. I don't want to spend money on a new camera to find it's no better than than the one I have already.

In terms of dSLRs vs. bridge cameras, they're radically different tools. You really need to decide which tool is going to work the best for you. A bridge camera is kind of like a tricked-out Swiss Army Knife. Lots of different capability, compact, inexpensive, but not great for some tasks (like pounding nails/low-light capability). A dSLR is kind of like a big red tool box that you still have to buy tools for: expensive, heavy, but gives you the right tool for the task.

You may actually want to consider getting a different kind of P&S (one that trades off zoom reach for low-light capability) or a mirrorless compact (just as expensive, and fewer lens choices than a dSLR, but similar image quality and low-light capability in a much smaller package), rather than a dSLR.

[willow572]

Originally Posted by inkista

You may actually want to consider getting a different kind of P&S (one that trades off zoom reach for low-light capability) or a mirrorless compact (just as expensive, and fewer lens choices than a dSLR, but similar image quality and low-light capability in a much smaller package), rather than a dSLR.

Thanks so much for your detailed reply - it's been really useful. Re the above - can you give me an example of a mirrorless compact - I genuinely have no idea what I'm looking for! So sorry to ask such stupid questions! You are all very patient!

[ceremus]

Originally Posted by willow572

Thanks so much for your detailed reply - it's been really useful. Re the above - can you give me an example of a mirrorless compact - I genuinely have no idea what I'm looking for! So sorry to ask such stupid questions! You are all very patient!

Good explanation of those here: The Mirrorless Camera: Digital Photography Review