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The 4 Best Bridge Cameras - Fall 2024

Updated Oct 01, 2024 at 02:05 pm
Best Bridge Cameras

Bridge cameras—so-called because they're meant to "bridge" the gap between point-and-shoots and DSLRs—aren't as popular as they once were. If you're looking for a DSLR-like shooting experience and a long zoom range, but in a convenient all-in-one package, a bridge camera is the way to go. While their smaller sensors don't offer the same image quality as crop sensor and full-frame cameras, they combine the simple usability of point-and-shoot cameras with unparalleled zoom range for the size, making them a good fit for casual wildlife and sports photography or family and travel photos.

We've bought and tested over 110 cameras, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best bridge cameras. If you're looking for a compact fixed-lens camera, check out our recommendations for the best compact cameras. If you're a beginner looking for your first camera, try the best cameras for beginners instead. Or, if you're interested in a camera specifically for birding or nature photography, you can check out our picks for the best cameras for wildlife photography.


  1. Best Bridge Camera

    The Sony RX10 IV is undoubtedly the Rolls-Royce of bridge cameras. While it isn't cheap, it's one of the best bridge cameras on the market. That's primarily because of its relatively large 1-inch sensor, which is a step above most bridge cams and point-and-shoots. It also features a 'stacked' design that allows for very quick 24 fps burst shooting and reduces rolling shutter distortion. Beyond that, it's a very well-built camera with weather-sealing, excellent ergonomics, and premium touches like a top display to check your settings and battery life at a glance.

    Image quality is great straight out of the camera, with RAW shooting and manual controls for more advanced users. On top of that, you get Sony's typically reliable autofocus, with a highly effective tracking feature that makes it a great choice for birding and wildlife. The camera's built-in Zeiss zoom lens also covers a wide-ranging full-frame equivalent focal length of 24–600 mm, meaning you can shoot everything from landscapes to far-off wildlife.

    See our review

  2. Best Mid-Range Bridge Camera

    If the Sony RX10 IV is out of your price range, the Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II is an excellent mid-range option. It's an especially good choice if you don't need more premium features like weather sealing. Like the Sony, it uses a 1-inch sensor, allowing for better image quality than most cheaper bridge cameras. It isn't a stacked sensor, though, so the camera doesn't have the same advantage with burst rates and rolling shutter as the Sony. That said, its 11 fps burst shooting speed is still very respectable and will suit most casual photographers just fine.

    The FZ1000 II's 25-400mm equivalent focal length is quite versatile, giving you a fairly wide zoom range to work with. The camera's also packed with extra features, including a '4k PHOTO' mode that lets you pull stills out of 30 fps video clips, along with features like 'Focus Stacking' and 'Post-Focus,' which let you expand an image's focal plane or adjust the focus point after the fact, respectively. However, the camera uses a slower contrast-detection autofocus system, so it isn't as quick or reliable for tracking fast-moving subjects. Despite that, the FZ1000 II offers a lot of value for its price, making it the best all-around option for most people.

    See our review

  3. Best Budget Bridge Camera

    The Panasonic LUMIX FZ80 is the best budget bridge camera you can get. While older models have been discontinued, the FZ80D is an updated version of the camera with a new higher-resolution viewfinder and higher-resolution screen. It's cheap, lightweight for a bridge camera, and packed with features that make it a great-value option for casual and family photographers who want an all-in-one camera without spending too much.

    The camera feels more cheaply made than its higher-end counterpart above, and like most entry-level bridge cameras, it uses a smaller 1/2.3-inch sensor, so image quality is notably worse than the pricier options above. Still, the FZ80 includes plenty of neat extra features, including a '4k PHOTO' mode for quick subjects and creative shooting modes for nighttime and macro photography. If you want something with a slightly longer zoom range and slightly better build quality, with a fully articulated screen, the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS isn't a bad choice either, but it's pricier than the Panasonic.

    See our review

  4. Best Superzoom Bridge Camera

    While every camera on this list has a zoom lens, the Nikon COOLPIX P1000 is the bridge camera to buy if you're looking for the longest possible zoom range on the market. Its built-in lens has a remarkable 125x optical zoom, allowing you to zoom in to a max equivalent focal length of 3,000 mm, blowing all other bridge cams out of the water. It's so long that it can capture details on the moon's surface, though it's also suitable for landscapes or everyday photos at shorter focal lengths.

    The trade-off of having such a long zoom lens is that the camera is very heavy and bulky, so it isn't very portable or well-suited to travel. However, considering how much range you get, it isn't bad. While it has an electronic stabilization feature, you'll still need to use a tripod when shooting at the tail end of its zoom range to avoid camera shake. Its small sensor also means that image quality won't be as out-of-this-world as your potential subjects, but images taken in broad daylight still look decent, and you won't find this kind of zoom capability on any other point-and-shoot camera.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Nikon COOLPIX P950: The Nikon COOLPIX P950 is similar to the Nikon COOLPIX P1000 and can be found for cheaper, but it has a shorter maximum full-frame equivalent focal length of 2,000 mm. While this is still a substantial amount of zoom and may be enough for you, it falls considerably short of the P1000 and is only marginally more portable. In this case, go big or go home. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Oct 01, 2024: We added the Panasonic LUMIX FZ80 back as the 'Best Budget Bridge Camera' to replace the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS, as the newly-released FZ80D variant offers better value overall.

  2. Jul 04, 2024: We reviewed the picks in the article to ensure they're still available and represent the best options for user needs.

  3. May 08, 2024: The Panasonic LUMIX FZ80 is discontinued and harder to find, so we've moved it to Notable Mentions. We also renamed the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS to 'Best Entry-Level Bridge Camera' to fill the gap left by the Panasonic model and better capture its market position.

  4. Mar 12, 2024: We've brushed up some of the article's text for better readability.

  5. Jan 23, 2024: No changes to recommendations after reviewing that the picks were still the best choices for users.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best cameras with zoom lenses built in. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability (no cameras that are difficult to find or almost out of stock in the U.S.).

If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for bridge cameras. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There is no single perfect camera. Personal taste, preference, and shooting habits will matter more in your selection.