Camera upgrade recommendations - bird photography

oiseau2 said:

I currently use a mid-range bridge (cost c. £250 new 3 years ago) mostly to take pictures of birds, although I do use it for everyday pictures too. I bought it for the 30x optical zoom - which I love - but the photo quality is not what I want and I want to upgrade. It takes good photos in bright sunlight (even on max zoom) but even overcast weather will destroy the picture quality.

I am therefore looking for an upgrade (budget c. £400) to something with a similar zoom level but better picture quality. I'm not looking to win any wildlife photography awards, I'm just a hobbyist wanting nice crisp shots for my own collection rather than the grainy shots I currently get. I've been browsing sites but sometimes find it hard to understand what zoom level I'd be getting and how to anticipate what the picture quality would be - and find it's always best to take a recommendation from someone who has used a camera.

Does anybody have any recommendations?

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• Sensor efficiency. Newer sensors tend to have a higher 'quantum efficiency' than older ones, in that they convert more of the light into electricity when the shutter is open. While this data is hard to come by, higher efficiency can be had from newer Backside Illuminated (BSI) sensors. The one trade-off from this is that you can't get close to 100% efficiency, as a perfectly efficient sensor would not give you color images! There are some cameras — particularly those with small sensors — which have inferior color rendition because of their higher efficiency. So be sure to read the reviews.
• Sensor size. A larger sensor can capture more light; for example, a DSLR may have a sensor size that is 10 to 16 times the size of a typical compact superzoom camera, which (all things being otherwise equal) would completely make up for the loss of light due to overcast lighting. However, larger sensor cameras tend to be larger and heavier, and may be more expensive. Also, lenses will be larger, heavier, and possibly more expensive. An excellent DSLR birding camera will have a huge lens!
• Lens aperture width. Lenses are specified in terms of focal length and maximum aperture setting. The longer the focal length, the greater the 'reach' of the camera (or rather, the narrower the angle of view). A smaller aperture value means that the lens will let it more light: An f/2 lens will let in four times the amount of light as an f/4, and 16 times the amount of light as an f/8 lens. A lens with a relatively wider aperture (which is the same thing as smaller aperture value) will tend to be larger, heavier, and likely more expensive. But many lenses have optical defects when used at their widest aperture setting; also, you may have insufficient depth of field at wide apertures.
• Longer shutter speeds. Some cameras or lenses have built-in shake reduction, allowing a longer shutter speed in lower lighting. But if your subject is moving, this may not be practical.
• More light: some wildlife photography can use supplemental lighting, such as a remotely-triggered flash on a bird feeder.