Cameras: get the best of both worlds

Buying a camera used to be simple: if you were serious about photography you bought a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera; if you weren’t then you went for a compact. Both formats had their advantages, but there was a gulf between them.

But in the last couple of years this gap has been filled by a new breed of cameras combining interchangeable sensors with compact size. Some call them ‘bridge’ or ‘hybrid’ cameras, but we prefer the term ‘compact system camera’ (CSC). But are these new snappers the Buddhist middle way to Nirvana – or just middle of the road?

On the surface, CSCs combine the most attractive elements of compacts and DSLRs, especially for the travel minded. They’re smaller and lighter than DSLRs but still take a range of lenses, giving you a wider choice of focal lengths and wider maximum apertures than your typical compact. Also, zoom lenses tend to have a manual zoom ring, which offers a greater deal of control over the zoom setting.

Because the CSCs don’t have the moveable mirror that allows you to see through the lens (present in DSLRs), they can have smaller bodies. But on the other hand, CSC bodies tend to be bigger than a compact camera, so you get better access to your camera’s manual functions, instead of having to scroll through endless digital menus.

CSCs also tend to have much bigger sensors than a compact, which gives you better quality.

One major drawback of a CSC is the lack of optical viewfinder. You can’t view through the lens as you do with a DSLR; instead you will have to compose your shots via either an electronic viewfinder (sometimes available as an optional extra) or – in many cases – an LCD screen.

You’ll also have to buy into a new technology. Olympus and Panasonic have developed a shared Micro 4/3 format for their CSCs, so you can swap lenses between the two – but with other cameras you’re stuck with that manufacturer’s lenses. Without an adaptor, none of your existing DSLR lenses will fit any of the CSCs. Of course, there’s also the usual DSLR problem of dust getting in when changing lenses.

As the format is new, there are only a few manufacturers making CSCs – and this list doesn’t currently include the two big players in the camera world, Nikon and Canon. The big two are rumoured to be developing CSCs but there’s been no official word yet so the timescale is anyone’s guess.

The format’s recency means that a lot of the projected economies (smaller, cheaper bodies and lenses) haven’t yet materialised. As competition hots up, bargains will emerge as well as – hopefully – the greater degree of standardisation that will allow third-party lens-makers to step into the fray too. But if the format doesn’t take off, you could be left with the camera equivalent of a Betamax video.

So, who should invest? Anyone who wants the quality of a DSLR but finds them too big and bulky for comfort. Certainly they’re ideal for travellers, and for anyone who wants to take more control of their photos without the weight or handling size of a conventional DSLR.