Advice please for

[Deborah]

Hello. I've been taking photos with an I-pod Touch I'm often happy with the results as I like that I can just press the button -and, presuming the image is in focus, crop them afterwards. But even I realise that I can't get very far with this! I was looking at a Purple Hairstreak earlier with my binoculars and wished I could take a photo of what I could see. My question is: is there an easy to use, lightweight camera which can 'zoom in', much like binoculars? I'm almost embarrassed by my ignorance. Can anyone give me any recommendations or advice?
Thanks in advance.

[toadie]

...

[Charles Nicol]

i use olympus sz bridge cameras...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRONZE-OLYMP ... SwTfdbM2hb

it fits in your pocket & can reach hairstreaks with ease.

[MikeOxon]

I think a so-called 'bridge camera' might fit the bill. These are reasonably lightweight and have lenses that can zoom from wide angle to long telephoto. Many have touch screens that can work in a similar way to your iPhone and they also have an electronic viewfinder, which is much easier to use in bright sunlight. I know that many of the photographers on this site use models from the Panasonic Lumix FZ range and the results they present speak for themselves.

I have used a Lumix FZ200 and the only problem I found was that it is quite slow to start up and to zoom in onto a subject. These factors led me to change to an Olympus 'mirrorless' camera, which is similar in many ways but takes interchangeable lenses. I like this because I am an 'enthusiast' photographer and tackle subjects like birds-in-flight and macro photography but a bridge camera will do a great job in good light on fairly static subjects.

I have found that John Lewis stores stock a good range of cameras and it is easy to pick them up and try the 'feel' of them - size, weight, and the quality of the screen and viewfinder are factors that you need to assess for yourself.

[Deborah]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. Lots to think about. Hopefully, next year there will be lots of Purple Hairstreak photos!