I am a huge Canon fan ......the only SLR I would consider.....but I do still have a bridge camera in my armoury (neither Canon or Fuji I might add) as well as a CSC, Compact, Medium Format & 35mm SLR.....I actually used to own an HS30 Fuji Bridge camera & was surprised by how good the results were

The decision in this case would be easy however & I would choose the Fuji over the Canon....because of 1 factor alone.....the viewfinder !! The lack of a viewfinder on a bridge camera means that you are stuck with the perpetual issue of having to hold the camera out in front of you to take a pic & the issues that can be caused by that in bright daylight

I'm very tempted!!! I do want a camera and I want to use it properly, but the options are such a minefield I don't know where to start

I won't say it's a real good deal, you can get a half decent second hand DSLR for that price

My bold. You have to watch the shutter count on a second hand DSLR and you never know what its been trough, not something you'd buy from somewhere liker cash convertors, and if you got one from a reputable camera shop I'm sure it would still be a similar price if not more then this deal.

As I say. Perfect for getting into photography and not spending DSLR money (on a new one), to find its not your thing and ending up selling at a big loss.

I am a huge Canon fan ......the only SLR I would consider.....but I do still have a bridge camera in my armoury (neither Canon or Fuji I might add) as well as a CSC, Compact, Medium Format & 35mm SLR.....I actually used to own an HS30 Fuji Bridge camera & was surprised by how good the results were

The decision in this case would be easy however & I would choose the Fuji over the Canon....because of 1 factor alone.....the viewfinder !! The lack of a viewfinder on a bridge camera means that you are stuck with the perpetual issue of having to hold the camera out in front of you to take a pic & the issues that can be caused by that in bright daylight

The problem with a bridge camera like this is the sensor is tiny which accounts for the zoom range but if you want decent image quality and some sort of shallow depth of field i.e blur the background or even have decent low light performance indoors then 1/2.3 Sensor is not going to cut it unless the lens is f/2.8 all through the range like the FZ330/FZ200 or Olympus Stylus 1s for example. However the cheapest DSLR i.e Canon 1300D is £289 new and the cheapest CSC is the Canon M10 for the same money. That said with either APS-C sized sensor camera you can crop in on a computer and still get a better quality image than the average bridge camera.

Really ?? Which given uses are those.....at age 8 my first camera was an SLR ........a new camera user learns more about taking pice with better features.......do you know her daughter does not wish to progress ?? If a point & shoot is all that is wanted then there is little gain with a bridge camera over a compact ......all cameras without viewfinders suffer the same issues with viewing a screen & holding a camera out in front of you is not the most stable way to take pics & composition of an image is also more difficult

well if you read the thread you will see the uses suggested, progression isn't only dependant on the existence of a viewfinder but you almost swayed me by your heartwarming tale about a wonderfully relevant 8 year old.

I would say the best bridge cameras for that purpose are indeed the Fuji HS range as they get the user accustomed to more SLR style controls including a lens mounted zoom ring rather than camera or lens switch mounted zooms .....the zoom is also infinitely more accurately controlled with this manual style zoom ring

But many of the video uses can as easily be done using a wifi enabled action camera.....no need for a bridge camera....mine produces excellent 4k video, takes 16Mp stills & cost less than £70......they are far more the choice (along with phone cameras) for Vloggers

why are you telling me that?

Just pointing out that if they are all the OP wants a camera for then there is no need for a bridge camera at all....let alone the debate over which of the two is most suited to the purpose.....

The OP stated that she seeks ultimately a route toward an SLR/DSLR.....in which case learning to handle a camera in the way you would a DSLR (using a viewfinder) has it's advantages

100% agree.Outside in sunny weather a viewfinder is essential.

Personal preference......I said the only SLR I would use....have played around with NIkon, Olympus, Sony & Pentax......but would always choose Canon (I prefer the colour reproduction, AF system, metering etc).....it helps that unlike Nikon all my former EF film lenses fit the new Canon DSLR .....I also like the fact that apart from the EF/EF-S sensor images that all the lenses work with all the Canon range.....something not true of Nikon....where different cameras require different lenses to use the AF........I also like my cameras to use CF rather than SD cards

Both types have their benefits. I have both and the fuji finepix is used on a daily basis as i have a ebay shop and i need decent shots. This will be my 4th finepix and have handed mine down as i've upgraded. for someone on a limited budget this will do what you ask of it. My canon eos is hardly used. its big, has too many buttons and wont do some of the things that the fuji does. My major problem is taking close ups of items some which are quite small. The canon will do it if i buy a really expensive lens on top of the initial high price. If this is the price range you have then i would recommend the fuji. maybe get a more expensive camera later on. Even with both when you go out you may find you bring the fuji as it will do macro to zoom where if you took a "proper" slr you would be bringing out a heavy bag with 3 lenses possibly changing them between photos.

there have been comments like
the only SLR I would consider ....... which you actually wrote.
you can get a half decent second hand DSLR for that price
.at age 8 my first camera was an SLR
However the cheapest DSLR i.e Canon

I was not the only one mention them and i did say I had the fuji and gave a recomendation

Im after a camera too but i only want it for spying on girls at the beach so i think I'm gonna wait till Summer. Thanks anyway tho

Even this camera is better http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras-and-camcorders/digital-cameras/compact-and-bridge-cameras/sony-h400b-bridge-camera-22074689-pdt.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istItemId=wxqpxmaiq&istBid=tztx&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~0001+%28PLA%29+COMPACT+CAMERAS~All+Compacts~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&s_kwcid=DS!700000001497021!146791589454!!!g!!PRODUCT+GROUP&device=m&ds_kids=92700015669681012&PLA=1&gclid=COnA-7qE_9ACFeUy0wodTkoNag&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKKLlLuE_9ACFemiUQod-rEF4w

Akita, what would you buy between this fuji vs Sony DSCH400 for £199 ?