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The good thing about a bridge camera is that it’s an “all-in-one”. They usually have a decent zoom range (wide and telephoto), macro capabilities, and are portable and don’t have quite as steep of a learning curve. There are no “extra” lenses to mess with, and you don’t have to worry about getting dust on the sensor, or dropping your lens accidentally.
Plus, with a 1″ sensor and f/2.8 lens, the image quality gap between bridge cameras and DSLRs has closed significantly, compared to the days when I used to shoot with a Canon Powershot S3 with a tiny grainy sensor and 12x zoom.
If you buy a DSLR, then you have to have/buy a (kit) lens, and another lens for telephoto, and a macro lens…. You get the picture. 🙂 With a bridge camera, you can focus on taking pictures instead of always lusting after a better lens. (This is hypothetical, of course. Chances are, you’ll be looking for sales on a DSLR and lens anyway, eventually. 🙂 )
As always, there are trade-offs that you have to keep in mind. Bridge cameras will be weaker in terms of IQ (image quality), lens quality, shutter lag, viewfinder, etc. (Keep in mind the price difference though. To get top-notch quality from a DSLR, you’ll probably want a better lens, which itself can cost more than a good bridge camera.)
Ultimately, since it’s “only a hobby” at this point, it’s a decision that has to be made by the buyer. Do they want “ultimate” DSLR quality for a beginner who may (or may not) take up photography as a serious profession? Or do they want a camera that will be able to do “a little bit of everything” and give him a taste for everything from landscape to macro to long-reach wildlife photography all in one small package?
Personally, for a beginner, I think I’d recommend a decent bridge camera to whet his appetite. If he does show lots of interest in continuing with photography, there’s time enough for him to save up for his very first DSLR (just like all the rest of us did. 🙂 )