Olympus IS series or other "bridge cameras"

[spaceman spif]

First off, I know that these are not truly P&S cameras, but this question doesn't seem to fit anywhere else.

I keep seeing the various iterations of the Oly IS series, the Canon Photura, and other so-called "bridge cameras" here and there -- ebay, thrift shops, and whatnot. (I guess Oly called theirs a "Zoom Lens Reflex" or "ZLR".)

Does anybody regularly use these guys? Are they worth messing with?

Thanks for any intel you all might have....

 

[bensyverson]

At the very least I'd say they're great deals... I've seen these at thrift stores, and they're never more than a few bucks. The downsides are pretty obvious (slow lenses, noisy, bulky), but my guess is that the image quality is pretty good.

I used a Yashica Samurai for a while, which is in this same category but half frame, and the lens was incredibly sharp. Unfortunately, the autofocus system didn't match the lens, so it was hard to actually get the thing in focus.

Ultimately, if you're into cameras, a bridge camera is a fun novelty, but you'll eventually find yourself wanting it to be more like a compact or more like a "real" camera.

 

[btgc]

Ultimately, if you're into cameras, a bridge camera is a fun novelty, but you'll eventually find yourself wanting it to be more like a compact or more like a "real" camera.

Agreed! They are either too big for their specs or lack something adult cameras can offer 🙂

 

[David Hughes]

I've an AZ-300 SuperZoom by Olympus in the heap and it seems to me that they were aiming for something a bit better than a P&S and then used the camera's spec in the later compacts. The AZ-300 dates from the 80's from memory but had centre weighted or spot metering, EV compensation, a fairly serious lens (38-105mm, f/4·5 and 12 elements in11 groups), automatic loading and so on. All things that appeared later on in tiny little cameras but which were very advanced for the time (and fairly large, too).

So interesting from a historic point of view and they take a decent photograph too. And dirt cheap to buy but they need two CR123A's and that can be expensive as they'd have to be kept as a pair to be used together.

Regards, David

 

[Ranchu]

I have an Olympus IS-20, I've only gotten to the looking at pictures on flickr stage. No film through it yet. I can say I find it very charming, light, functional, responsive. Has a very polite little beep when AF locks, not bothersome. No exposure comp, but does have aperture priority. Handles well. Seems well worth the 10 bucks I paid for it.

 

[btgc]

I were tempted to get one of those bridge cams, Olympus or Ricoh (they have also shared model sold by both). They have tiny built-in flash but regular flash is dedicated instead of generic X or PC connectable.

Finally for same price or couple of bucks more I got early AF SLR with 1.8/50mm lens (nothing you will meet on bridge cameras), 28-70 and 70-210 zooms. Delicate AF confirm beep, displays exposure in finder, assissts focusing when in manual focus mode. Dedicated TTL+AF assist flash, takes any other flash, too.

You have to really love gear to go for bridge cameras!

 

[Greyscale]

I have a Minolta Maxxum Qtsi. I suppose it is technically an SLR, but with no real manual options other than manual zoom, and being able to choose manual focus over autofocus, practically speaking, I consider it a point & shoot. It seems like a nicely built camera with a pretty fast AF, but I haven't yet put a roll through it.

 

[John Lawrence]

I've owned a couple of Olympus IS cameras in the past and found them to be good all round performers. I think I also had the 'extra' hand grip, wide converter and dedicated flash. Overall they did what they were designed for, and to a high standard.

One I gave to a friend in Africa and the other I sold on Ebay many years ago.

John

 

[shashinka-ichiban]

Ah bridge cameras, the modern day version of the zoom lens reflex. It seems like every other day there's a new term for something. (example, EVIL, or IRC...)

 

[kuzano]

Fuji discovery 3000

Fuji discovery 3000

All of the Fuji Discovery series point and shoots have been good on IQ, but the one that looks more like an IS Oly, or a Mirai, is the Fuji Discovery 3000.

I would seriously include that camera in the list of potential superzoom slightly bigger than PS... kind of a flat pancake body.

Serious lens.

 

[David Hughes]

I were tempted to get one of those bridge cams, Olympus or Ricoh (they have also shared model sold by both). They have tiny built-in flash but regular flash is dedicated instead of generic X or PC connectable.

Finally for same price or couple of bucks more I got early AF SLR with 1.8/50mm lens (nothing you will meet on bridge cameras), 28-70 and 70-210 zooms. Delicate AF confirm beep, displays exposure in finder, assissts focusing when in manual focus mode. Dedicated TTL+AF assist flash, takes any other flash, too.

You have to really love gear to go for bridge cameras!

Mine came with a case, two manuals and a little label saying "Faulty £2" and I bought it because I wanted the manual. New batteries sorted out all the problems and it performs as you'd expect an Olympus to perform.

If you think £3 for a camera is a lot of money and stick (mostly) to that limit you can have a lot of fun...

BTW, the Ricoh version is a simplified version of the Olympus.

Regards, David

 

[spaceman spif]

Well, I pulled the trigger on an Oly IS-30 on the usual evil auction site. Should arrive tomorrow. Fifteen bucks for the camera plus TWELVE new CR123's. Figured it was worth it just for the batteries, but perhaps the camera will be a pleasant surprise as well...

 

[Harlee]

I recently picked up a Canon Epoca 135 and I'm very impressed with it. One of the things I look for in a "compact" zoom is the speed of the lens. The Epoca 135 runs from
F3.2-F8, which is as fast or faster than most compact zooms. While it's not exactly what one would call "compact," it's easy to handle and the adjustable viewfinder is crystal clear. I'm not sure of the difference between the Epoca and the Photura, but perhaps the Epoca wasn't intended for export. I've only shot a few shots with it and was very impressed with the results, and I hope to take it with me to Ukraine in April. My problem is how do I pack my XA, Minolta Himatic S, my Pentax P3n, my Canon Epoca along with my Fuji digital, film, tripod and any other accessories in my carry-on bag! I know that every time I go through security they take one look at the xray of my carry- on bag, they're going to open it up, take everything out of it and then say OK. Especially when I have my small tripod packed which I picked up in Japan back in the
70's. Oh yes, I'll also pack my cable release if I also take my Yashica GSN or MG-1 with me as well. That also stirs up their curisoty. The Epoca'S shutter speed also goes down to approximately 3 secs. I think it's a great camera, as good as or better then my Oly IS 30.

 

[spaceman spif]

Interesting that you should mention the Epoca. I recently acquired a Photura for $1.31 USD. (I thought it should be worth that.) It's the 35-105 model, and while it's pretty fast wide (2.8) it's 5.6 at 105. The Oly is 28-110 4.5 - 5.6 I believe, which while considerably slower on the wide end should make for a more even shutter speed from one end to the other. It'll be interesting to A-B them when it arrives.

Packing for a trip is always an exercise in futility for me, especially if flying. I always wind up thinking about what I should have brought. But then I think that I'm making excuses -- whatever I have with me is still better than nothing.

Years ago I used to work in a photo store, and one day someone asked one of my associates, "What's the best tripod?"

His answer, which I thought was pure genius, was "Whichever tripod you are willing to carry around with you." I guess that's true of cameras too.

 

[Harlee]

Two cameras I've been taking with me lately are either an XA or my mint XA3, and my Minolta Hi-matic S, which takes very sharp B and W pics. I would say that the Hi-matic S probably takes sharper images then my XA or XA2/XA3 which very good too. I know I will take one of the XAs because of their small size and I can carry it in my jacket pocket, and probably my Hi-Matic S which is considerably smaller than a GSN or a
MG-1. I'll also carry a lightweight SLR, probably as I stated my Pentax P3n which is small in size as well as light. I'm anxious to see what the Pentax will do, and E. Europe is a great place to experiment with different cameras. Perhaps my Canon Z135 will end up in my carry on as well.