This is my first question in /photography. I'm a very amateur photographer, doing things wrong and by eye with lots of trial-and-error all the time.
I currently own a reflex Nikon D70 my uncle gave us after he bought a better one. It has some nice settings, and he bought a a Nikkor 28-80mm F/3.5-5.6 zoom lens for it. It behaves nicely, but it's getting old (it has those old cartridges before SD cards existed) and every new charge takes longer than the last.
I'm planning to upgrade to a better camera, and there are some neat offers on a nearby superstore (MediaMarkt), this one catching my eye:
Sony DSC-H400 63x, Sensor Super HAD 1/2/3 CCD 20.1MP -> for less than 300€ taxes included
I don't have any type of extra information aside from that, all I can get from the official site is clinical data from other cameras that I suspect it's not 100% accurate, and there's no photography expert on the store to ask.
The common things I use my D70 for are: taking pictures of scenery (castles, towns, forests, waves hitting rocks, etc...), nearby (<5m) persons and objects, and well, things where I want to save a memory in digital format, not for professional purposes at all.
Being that my objective is to have a decent, good-zooming (superzoom looks awesome), amateur (but with manual settings) camera, is this Sony a good replacement? Will I miss any features? Is there any better, similarly-priced alternative you know of?
Basically, I want to know whether I will get better quality photos than I currently do, given the examples, with any averagely-priced bridge camera similar to that Sony, and if it's worth it.
examples of current camera results
Full zoom-out of town at night, bad quality I know; notice the pink blur at the left.
Maximum zoom on that pink blur from almost the same spot:
Daylight, cloudy, modified with Adobe Lightroom, scenery:
Same day, same beach, different settings:
Same day, same beach, rocks:
Answer
In general you will find a great deal of distaste for bridge cameras here and on most photography forums. In a few unique circumstances they can be good options (very inexpensive super zoom) but for most people they aren't recommended.
Sensor size is a big deal
Why not get a bridge camera? Since they were introduced and became somewhat popular, the market has generally moved past them for one main reason. The sensors that most bridge cameras have are tiny and not well suited to the demands of today's digital photographers. The sensor that you will find in a standard bridge camera is similar in sized to what you will find in a regular smartphone of today. In other words, beyond having a physical optical zoom and some dedicated buttons, you really aren't getting much else beyond what most people already carry in their pockets.
You are right that the Nikon D70 is showing its age. But it still has the ability for interchangeable lenses which makes it somewhat capable even compared to a bridge camera of today.
To compare, the Sony bridge camera you are looking at has an image sensor of 6.17 x 4.55 mm (1/2.3") in size. The Nikon D70 has an image sensor of 23.7 mm × 15.6 mm.
What I would recommend
If you really want better quality, but can't spend much more, you are going to be severely limited in your options. I would advise a used model that is 2-3 generations old. The D70 is 7 generations old currently so it is showing its age. If you don't feel the need to stick with a DSLR(which I don't think you necessarily need to either), I would advise looking at mirrorless camearas such as the Sony RX-100 (1st generation), which you can get in your price range and still take excellent shots with. Note that some but not all mirrorless cameras do offer much larger sensors compared to the bridge camera you are looking at, plus of course could be purchased with features of a much newer camera.
Conclusion
So, in the end; only you can determine what is the best camera for you and your budget. But be aware that you will find a largely negative impression of bridge cameras here and on similar websites when comparing these two cameras due to the sensor size.
See also:
Note: some people consider mirrorless cameras bridge cameras too. In my answer I am considering them separate lines.
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