So it's great for capturing video, particularly with its fully articulating touchscreen. The R10 also offers gorgeous (albeit cropped) 4K 60p, or uncropped 30p oversampled from 6K, along with FullHD in 120p for true slow-motion. With its subject detection algorithms, Canon's AF is simply unbeatable for wildlife I've photographed animals all over the world, and I've never used a system this good. Likewise, the autofocus system in this camera – Dual Pixel CMOS AF II – is the same one you'll find in the R3 (and the next camera on this list, the R5). While other cameras on this list trump its burst modes, it's worth noting that its 23fps electronic / 15fps mechanical continuous shooting is faster than the flagship Canon EOS R3! Of course the buffer depth isn't the same, but still – wow. You get pro-grade burst speeds and pro-grade autofocus in a camera that, in the US and UK, is under a grand – it's truly incredible value. If you're on a budget, but still want the power and versatility of an interchangeable lens system, I don't think you can get a better camera than the Canon EOS R10.

🔎 Canon EOS R10 Great image quality, fantastic autofocus, fast burst shooting and a sensor that makes all your lenses longer – this is fantastic bang for your buck. ★★★★ ½ And if you want even more reach, look for the Nikon P1000 with its even wilder 24-3000mm range (this is actually my top choice, but it's a discontinued camera and isn't available everywhere). However, if you only want to show your images on a website, social media or your tablet, this is everything you need. But if you want to capture lions chasing gazelles, prepare to miss a fair few shots. You'd be surprised at how lazy most wildlife is – and for static, portrait-like shots of subjects at rest this is absolutely fine. In addition, the autofocus here isn't going to keep up with fast-moving dynamic subjects anywhere near as well as the advanced AF systems on modern mirrorless cameras. This means that image quality is great at small or medium resolution (and with decent light), but not so much if you want to blow up your prints big and put them on the wall.

There is a tradeoff, of course: the sensor is very small (1/2.3-inch) and low in resolution (16MP). It's an absolute revelation, and provides the most fun I ever have when taking photos of wildlife. Without having to swap anything, I can zoom from an animal a few feet away from me all the way to an animal grazing on the horizon. The P950 is a hefty DSLR-like camera, certainly, but it's a lot lighter and less cumbersome than lugging around two cameras and lenses – and again, I get a vastly increased focal range. Usually I have to take two bodies and two different lenses, one to cover close range (usually a 24-70mm) and another to cover distance (the longest I have, which is 150-600mm). But the P950 covers all that and gives me an extra 233% of reach! When photograping wildlife, the one thing I always want is more reach… unless I'm using this bridge camera! It boasts an integrated lens with an unbelievable 24-2000mm zoom range, which absolutely transforms your shooting ability. Fact is, a 24-2000mm camera system is incredible for wildlife – it just has caveats. ★★★ 🔎 Nikon Coolpix P950 The rating here is deceptive, based on raw technical performance.

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