New camera - Help needed

[Sunset_Twilight]

Right
The other half has said he will buy me a new camera for xmas. The one i am using right now is the Fuji S9600

I want one with interchangeable lenses. B bulb setting that lasts for a good hour of exposure (mine is just 30 seconds exposure)
About 14mp

Any advice much appreciated.

Cost round about £500-£600

 

[Andy44]

I would check out the new "ILC" cameras (interchangeable lens compacts). They are similar in function to a single-lens reflex (SLR), but they removed the viewfinder prism to make the body more compact and easier to carry around. You can still swap out lenses. Several companies make them, now, including Sony, Olympus, and Samsung.

Or you can go with a full-size SLR. These are made by every major manufacturer. Canon and Nikon are the biggest players on that market, though Sony and Olympus are also big. Sony bought up Minolta's technology when the latter went out of business a few years ago, so Sony is to be taken seriously.

Do some research and read lots of reviews. My experience is mostly with chemical photography, not digital, so I'm not the best person to ask about some of these items. For me, a bulb setting doesn't depend on battery life; I just set up a mechanical camera, lock the shutter open, and crack open a beer!

 

[Unstung]

I use this site to get a general idea of cameras:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/?tag=TOCleftColumn.0

So many megapixels aren't necessary unless you need them for a specific reason, along with the shutter speed.
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gf1/4505-6501_7-33770515.html?tag=tpr is rated highly, but it's only 12.1 megapixels and its minimum shutter speed is only 60 seconds. I don't know who sells cameras with an unlimited exposure in that price range.
Speaking of ILC's, you can get a viewfinder add-on for many of them if you need it.

EDIT: Actually, I'm unsure if the Canon Rebel dSLR series have unlimited exposure. They (T1i and T2i) certainly meet your megapixel requirements and are in your price range.