Suggestions for a new camera

[MikeUpjohn]

Hi,

 

I went out to America with Netweather this year for the Storm Chase on Tour 1 and got some amazing shots. I found the camera I had (Fuji S2950) with me, a bit difficult to use for the type of photography. It doesn't have much offering for long exposure, and it was very much a guessing game as to whether I caught lightning on it. As well, photography under the storms where its quite dark, didn't really come out brilliantly. I wasn't able to catch the colours that I was actually seeing, in the pictures.

 

I have a budget for a new camera before I go out to America next May, and am asking for suggestions for a new camera, that is really geared towards photography of storms and landscapes. I guess these are my most important requirements:-

• Camera that has good feedback for learning to capture lightning with
• Generally good at capturing colours in storms well in darker surroundings (under storms)
• Long exposure (longer the better)
• Panoramic photography would be beneficial.

My current camera is a bridge camera, and I am open towards suggestions of bridge cameras again or cameras with separate lenses. Budget is upto £500-£600 if the camera is a good one.

 

Any suggestions for cameras that are currently used for similar activities would be massively appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Mike.