megazoom

Fujifilm's pricey megazoom lands on U.S. shores in time for CES

Incorporating the same 2/3-inch EXR CMOS sensor as its smaller sibling, the FinePix X10, the Fujifilm FinePix X-S1 brings a higher-end sensibility to the megazoom market--along with a hefty price and design.

The X-S1 was quietly announced in Europe last November, but doesn't yet seem to be available there. We get it this month, for $799.95; the only megazoom more expensive is Leica's $950 V-Lux 3, Leica's twin of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150.

Because it uses a larger sensor than the typical megazoom, it has a smaller focal-length multiplier--3.9x, versus 5.6x for the typical megazoom with a 1/2.3-inch sensor--and therefore its f2.8-5.6 lens needs to be physically longer to achieve its 24-624mm-equivalent focal length. So it should come as no surprise that the camera weighs over 2 pounds, compared with, say, 1.2 pounds for the FZ150, and occupies over twice the volume. It's even bigger than some dSLRs.… Read more

Full-size megazoom cameras compared

Call them bridge cameras, longzooms, superzooms, or megazooms (as we do), they're all pretty much the same thing: a large lens slapped on the front of a point-and-shoot camera.

While that's a bit of an oversimplification, the fact remains that though these are full-featured models with digital SLR-style bodies, they still have the shooting performance and photo quality of a compact camera. That said, if you're after a long lens, point-and-shoot simplicity, and an affordable price (at least more so than for a dSLR that has comparable lenses), you've come to right roundup.

Editors' note: This post was originally published October 26, 2011, but is updated frequently. It was updated May 8, 2013, to include the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300.

… Read more

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS announced

On the outside, the new Canon PowerShot SX40 HS doesn't look any different than its predecessor, the SX30 IS. In this case, it's what's inside that counts.

While other camera manufacturers had started using backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensors in their higher-end 2010 compact cameras, Canon stuck with a 14-megapixel CCD for SX30. That changes with the SX40 HS getting the same 12-megapixel BSI CMOS that's in Canon's Elph HS models, which so far has proved good for improving shooting performance and low-light photo quality.

On top of the new sensor, this camera gets a new … Read more

Pentax Optio RZ18 gets you 18x closer

We've seen a lot of compact megazooms announced this year and, well, here's one more. The 16-megapixel Pentax Optio RZ18 packs an 18x f3.5-5.9 25-450mm lens in a body that's only 4.3 inches wide by 2.4 high inches by 1.4 inches thick. That's roughly the same dimensions as the Nikon S9100, which has a lens with the same specs. It's impressively small given the size of the lens.

Other key features include sensor-shift image stabilization; a high-resolution 3-inch LCD; fast burst shooting capturing up to 40, 5-megapixel photos at up … Read more

CNET's top full-size megazooms for 2011

Call them bridge cameras, longzooms, superzooms, or megazooms (as we do), they're all pretty much the same thing: a large lens slapped on the front of a point-and-shoot camera. And, like their compact counterparts, there are a lot of them available for 2011. The models in this roundup are the full-size megazooms with the longest lenses from each of the manufacturers.

Despite most of them being rated 3.5 stars, they're all good and bad for different reasons, so be sure to check the individual reviews. For example, the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS has better photo quality than … Read more

Panasonic Lumix FZ150: King of the megazooms?

There was one thing that kept the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 from earning a CNET Editors' Choice award: photo quality. Its replacement, the FZ150, was announced today, and although much of the camera stays the same as its predecessor, a new imaging sensor might fix its photo woes.

The main issue was Panasonic's JPEG processing of photos taken above ISO 200 that produced soft smeary details and yellow blotching caused by noise. It's not great for any camera, but it's especially disappointing in a $500 one. The FZ150 gets a new 12-megapixel MOS sensor (dropping from 14 megapixels in the FZ100), which Panasonic claims improves its signal-to-noise ratio, and new noise reduction more evenly suppresses noise in dark and light areas of photos as well. The end result should be better photos at higher ISOs. … Read more

Nikon Coolpix S8200, S6200 pocket zooms arrive

All the money is in megazooms these days. While there are still plenty of people buying 3x-5x zoom pocket cameras, the more-popular models are the ones with 10x zooms or longer. And, of course, smaller is better.

In line with that, Nikon increased the zoom ranges on two of its S-series models--the 10x S8100 and 7x S6100--to get the 14x Coolpix S8200 and 10x S6200 for 2011. The S8200 seems to be just a shrunken-down version of the 18x Coolpix S9100, with most if not all of the same shooting features, including full HD movie capture. However, it uses a … Read more

Canon's ultimate soccer mom (or dad) camera?

Until recently, most point-and-shoots were too slow to capture active kids. I mean, you could get something, but probably not the shot you wanted. The switch to fast CMOS sensors, such as the one in the new PowerShot Elph 510 HS, has helped speed up capture. Add in the 510's wide, long lens with improved image stabilization, full HD, and slow-motion movie capture, and a large touch screen all in a body that's somehow less than an inch thick and you have what sounds like an ideal snapshot camera for families.

The 510 HS updates the SD4500 IS, … Read more

Canon announces PowerShot SX150 IS compact megazoom

Canon does little with the PowerShot SX150 IS to entice SX130 IS owners to trade them in for the refresh. The SX130 IS is a regular recommendation for me due to its AA batteries for power, full manual to full auto shooting modes, and large comfortable design that still squeezes in a pocket. None of that changes with the SX150.

In fact, it seems to have all the same shooting modes (except for the addition of a Discreet mode that shuts off all noises and lights), the same 28mm wide-angle lens with 12x zoom, and the same 3-inch LCD. What'… Read more