Reddit reviews Canon SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch Vari-Angle Wide LCD
We found 2 Reddit comments about Canon SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch Vari-Angle Wide LCD. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD,1-Year Canon U.S.A. Warranty35x Wide-Angle (24-840mm) Optical Zoom Lens,Shutter: 15 - 1/3200 sec, Self Timer: 2 Sec, 10 SecCapture stunning Full HD 1080p video in stereo soundSD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Compatible (156, 7.4v)
You will need a camera with a telephoto lens, the longer the better. Image stabilization or a tripod will help you get clear shots.
Most manufacturers will list their lenses as '35mm equivalent', and you want at least a 300mm lens. More is usually better unless you are within a few feet of the birds.
If you're tight on money, look for a prosumer type camera with a long zoom. (These are cameras with lenses that cannot be removed.) Nowadays there are lots of superzoom models with lenses that go out way past 300mm. I should mention that it's pretty easy for a manufacturer to create a long zoom by making the lens extend longer. But you will also get a dimmer image, and the image quality may suffer. Read the reviews.
For best image quality, a DSLR is really what you want. You can get a 70-300mm zoom lens for an affordable price, and image quality will easily exceed the all-in-one cameras. Most affordable DSLRs have a nice 1.6x multiplier factor, so a 70-300 is like 112-480.
As you get into it more, you can get better lenses. The best choice of lenses comes from Canon and Nikon.
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/products/search/cameras
some possibilities are:
fuji s4000 $175
canon sx40 $363
Nikon P510 $396
Canon rebel t3 + 18-55 + 70-300 $618
Sounds like one of the fixed lens cameras with a long zoom would be fine. That would be models like the Finepix HS20.
If you wanted to spend a little more I'd go with the Canon SX40.