Other common features include electronic viewfinders, full photographic control and, for the most part, they have a pretty similar design (there are a few models here that you'd struggle to tell apart if you removed the nameplate). The good news is that, as well as engaging in an arms race to see who can put the largest zoom ratio sticker on the front of the camera, manufacturers have also started to expand the wide end of lens.Īll seven models in this group offer zoom ranges of at least 12x, covering ranges from modest wideangle to super telephoto, and all feature some form of optical or mechanical image stabilization - essential when working at such extreme magnifications. The race of competitive advantage has seen the average zoom range extend from a ambitious 10X to the current generation of cameras that includes models that double that figure. The result is that most of these superzooms are designed to look like SLRs - a hand-grip with a large protruding tube at the front. Even on these small-sensor cameras, the lenses tend to be large enough to dominate the design of the camera. These superzoom cameras incorporate such large zoom ranges that, if you were to try to match on a film camera, you'd end up with something so large and imposing you'd expect it to need a special weapons export licence. And those key advantages - price and portability - have ensured that the superzoom camera has remained popular despite the arrival of the budget digital SLR. As far back as 2000 Sony and Olympus had models with 10x zooms that, though bulky (and expensive) compared to modern superzooms, were a lot smaller and a lot less pricey than a digital SLR with lenses covering the equivalent range. One of the advantages of a smaller sensor is that, compared to an SLR, you need a much smaller lens, and it's possible to fit a huge 10x, 12x or even higher zoom range into something small enough to be considered portable. These images (taken with the Olympus SP-565 UZ) represent the greatest range currently offered in a compact camera lens, 20x (26-520mm equivalent in this case). It's easy to see the appeal of superzoom cameras when you look at these two shots, both taken from the same position within seconds of each other. We decided to look at seven of the latest models to find out if they are as similar in performance as they are in specification and design. The appeal of being able to shoot everything from a sweeping landscape or cramped interior to a tightly framed telephoto shot with a single affordable - and relatively compact - camera is easy to understand finding your way through the sea of seemingly very similar models is more of a challenge. You don't need to be on safari to appreciate the benefits of a big zoom range (in fact the target audience for many of the cameras in this group is what's known in the US as the 'soccer mom' market), and in the last few years the super zoom sector has grown dramatically with at least one model in most manufacturers' lineup.
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