Welcome to the fourth and final part of my series looking at camera sensor sizes, their use-case scenarios and who they are aimed at. The first three articles Is Micro Four-Thirds Half As Good As The Other Systems Or A Relevant Camera System?, Why APS-C Sensor Cameras Are Not a Compromise, They Are the Perfect Sweet Spot For Most Photographers and Full-frame cameras are the gold standard for a reason, but it may not be for you. have been phenomenally successful and through feedback they have helped many people decide on their next camera system. For even more balanced and non-bias information on the best camera for you, why not check out the last article as it could genuinely make a difference if you’re looking for a new camera.
“What are tiny sensor cameras exactly?“
We’ve talked about the three main sensor types which are the larger camera sensors of micro four thirds, aps-c and full frame cameras in the three previous articles mentioned above. Bridge cameras (literally cameras that bridge the gap between a small point and shoot and a full DSLR type camera, usually looking like small modern DSLR cameras) and many super-zoom point and shoot cameras use sensors that are genuinely tiny.
Most often these tiny sensors are 1/2.3 inches in size, to put that in perspective, that’s a massive 30 times smaller than a full frame sensor, and roughly 9 times smaller than a micro four thirds sensor!
“Small Sensor, Big Advantage And Big Problem…“
It goes without saying, having such a small sensor comes with many issues, but one big advantage. Because of physics, and the fact that these cameras come with long, zoomable fixed lenses, they offer huge zoom ranges!
Many modern bridge cameras come with zoom lenses that can reach between 20mm and 3000mm, while their smaller cousin, the point and shoot camera often cover between 20mm-720mm. Basically, small, light compact cameras that can do it all, from wide landscapes to distant shots of wildlife, landscapes and even craters on the moon!
Of course, with such a small sensor, there are plenty of downsides, including very bad low light performance, slow and inaccurate autofocus, noisy images even at low ISO, the inability to get nice out of focus backgrounds at standard lengths, not much detail in raw files (if it does raw!) and so on.
Because of this combination, you’ll usually find that most users of these cameras tend to shoot static or very slow moving subjects too!
“Who are these cameras for?“
Not surprisingly, because of the tiny sensors in these cameras, the cameras are often dismissed by many photographers as no more than curiosities, however, this is simply not true and bridge cameras in particular are powerful tools that can get you great results.
Generally, bridge cameras are used by people who want a light, all in one solution. You’ll find many people with these cameras photographing wildlife, birds, landscapes, people and more! With the smaller super-zoom point and shoot cameras you’ll find them being used for travel, family moments and opportunistic shots that more professional cameras don’t always allow, because that zoom range is just so generous!
There is one thing you need though using one of these cameras… Plenty of good light. Because of the tiny sensor, light is a must to get good images. So if you only shoot in daylight, you’ll be fine with one of these cameras. Just do not expect good quality images if it is even slightly overcast!
Locally, there are a few talented wildlife and bird photographers who have deliberately moved to bridge cameras from micro four thirds and full frame for their size and zoom capabilities, and you can see their images in our downloadable magazine. Both Kevin and Thomas in the magazine shot those images with bridge cameras, and I think you’ll find it hard to tell that it wasn’t a larger sensor camera! They’ve both have had work published and regularly get images on TV and in the newspapers and are not the only ones using these cameras for birds, wildlife and more in the community. It is a deliberate choice, and one which works well for the wildlife they usually shoot (birds, foxes, deer etc).
Of course, a big market for both these types of cameras is the travel market, where you can literally put a point and shoot camera in your pocket and pull it out while on a city to photograph the cityscape, or out in the mountains to capture distant landscapes, or on a safari to capture wild animals from a safe distance.
“In Conclusion…“
It has been an interesting series to compile, and for many of my readers, it has been a bit of an eye opener. Only a few articles ago I wrote about the cameras that were used for my wedding, one of which was a bridge camera! If you look at what other photographers do with tiny sensor cameras, from weddings to wildlife and birds, all with excellent results, you can see why photographers actively choose these cameras for work and play, rather than following the crowd and buying a larger sensor camera. Of course we like to think they are not in the same league when it comes to quality of the image, but for social media, their websites and A4 prints (which is more than most people do with bigger sensor cameras!) they are perfectly adequate.
Should you buy a bridge camera or modem tiny sensor point and shoot as your main camera? They are not cheap these days for decent ones, and you can actually buy a used micro four thirds, aps-c or even full frame set-up for a similar price (without the zoom range of course). Only you can decide. As a second camera though, there should be less hesitation as they can genuinely be useful to those of us with other gear.
Tiny sensor cameras are not for everyone, but after this series, and the conversations I’ve had and continue to have based on the first three articles in this series, I will never question if someone uses a camera that should not be used for a job that you would not associate with it (such as the recent blog where I met someone photographing a wedding this month with a Nikon P1000!).
There are reasons why pros choose certain cameras for tasks, but amateurs (and no doubt some pros from comments) choose what works best for them.
Just to finish off the article, I will not be writing about medium format cameras or cameras with 1-inch sensors as I have not used these cameras, and all advice and writings are based on use, both as a hobbyist and as a professional photographer. It would just not be fair to comment on something I have not used.
My name is Mark G Adams. I am a professional photographer from South Wales, shooting weddings, events and portraits as well as running meets and workshops. For fun I like to shoot landscapes, wildlife and occasionally do street photography. Enjoy my website as I share my knowledge learned over decades of working and having fun in photography.
You can find all the latest articles and blogs on my homepage here.
My main photography social media page is my Facebook One Camera One Lens Photography page.
Nikon Recipes for the Z system can be found here.
You can find a complete list of my gear here.
One Camera One Lens Photography 