MOBILITY
» Smartphones
» Cell Phones
» More...
PHOTOGRAPHY
» P&S Cameras
» HD Camcorders
» More...
GADGETS
» Tablets
» MP3 Players
» More...
DIGITAL HOME
» HDTVs
» HTS
» More...
» Archive » Product Guide
» Compare » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / Photography /
Best ultrazoom digital camerasBy Chris Coleman, 20 June 2008
Our digital camera expert, Chris Coleman, discusses the ultrazoom digital cameras we've seen recently. What's the best ones around and who would benefit from such a long lens?

Best ultrazoom digital cameras


Nikon Coolpix P80    Similar models »
Score: 78% When: May 2008 Worth: $350
In our in-depth Nikon Coolpix P80 review, Chris Coleman checks out the smallest 18x zoom camera available to date.
Read »   Gallery »   Features »   Side-by-side »
Nikon Coolpix P80
FujiFilm FinePix S8100fd    Similar models »
Score: 72% When: March 2008 Worth: $360
Is Fujifilm's S8100fd the best ultrazoom camera to date? Chris Coleman gives you the details in our in-depth review.
Read »   Gallery »   Features »   Side-by-side »
FujiFilm FinePix S8100fd
Olympus SP-570UZ    Similar models »
Score: 69% When: April 2008 Worth: $440
The Olympus SP-570UZ features 20x zoom, optical image-stabilization, and a full-manual mode. Are its images worthy of its features-set?
Read »   Gallery »   Features »   Side-by-side »
Olympus SP-570UZ
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18    Similar models »
Score: 66% When: October 2007 Worth: $320
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 features a whopping 18x optical zoom, but are its images worth magnifying?
Read »   Gallery »   Features »   Side-by-side »
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18


Who would benefit from an ultrazoom digital camera?


The age of the ultrazoom digital camera is upon us and, as with megapixel counts, the market has been drawn into an arms race over who offers the most awesome level of zoom. Before we all drown in the furor and start pining for a 300x 'überzoom' camera, let's take a step back and think about who stands to benefit from such extreme zoomage and who doesn't.

There's certainly a bargain factor to the ultrazoom niche. After all, a cheap telephoto lens costs more than a few of these cameras combined, and that's without including the cost of the actual SLR body. Still, it's not a free lunch: because of the optical demands of a high focal-length lens, ultrazooms simply aren't as sharp as a standard compact with a good lens. Ultimately, it's a trade-off between overall image-quality and the simple ability to use your camera as a telescope. When might that be worth it?

Graduation, concerts and sports

Outside the professional realm, this is probably the most useful application for ultrazoom digital cameras. At a graduation ceremony, the 20x zoom of the Olympus SP-570UZ is the difference between having a general shot of the entire assembly and having a close-up of your kid as he or she picks up their diploma. At a football game, you could have shots of individual players on the field, even if you're stuck in the nose bleeds. Instead of having another of those dull, bleary concert photos that pervade MySpace, you could have a full-on portrait of the singer. In these cases image quality is essentially irrelevant. The photos are documents of an event, and the mere ability to take them at all is useful.

Nature

Everybody takes pictures of trees, but with a Nikon P80 you could take pictures of the tiny bird nestled in the top foliage. There's all sorts of weirdness and intrigue in nature, and most of the time you can't get anywhere near it; with an ultrazoom, you can at least zoom into it. This isn't quite as useful as taking far away stadium shots, as image quality is a concern here. When you're trying to capture, say, the beauty of a bird's feathers, it doesn't help when the photograph itself is blurry and lacks edge detail. Regardless, once again it falls down to basic ability. Being able to take a so-so picture is categorically better than not being able to take the picture at all.

Spy photography

No, seriously. The elephant in the room with an ultrazoom digital camera is that it's basically a telescope with a camera already attached and, unlike a serious SLR with a mondo-telephoto lens, it doesn't take an entire backpack to carry it around. Illicit or not, the combination of telescopic zoom, compact size and silent operation all but screams 'covert activity.' Welcome to the brave new world.

Who doesn't need it

As with megapixel ratings, the best advice is simple: if you don't specifically need telephoto capabilities, don't get fooled into buying one camera over another simply because, for instance, the 18x Panasonic DMC-FZ18 is more than the 5x Fujifilm Finepix f100fd. If you buy an ultrazoom digital camera and never use its ultrazoom, you're wasting money on a narrowly useful feature, and all of your pictures are going to look a little bit worse to boot. There is certainly an element of "just in case," and personally there have been plenty of times when we desperately wished we had more zooming power on hand. Then again, there have also been plenty of times when we desperately wished we had an infra-red filter, or a large-format film camera, or access to an imbibition processing lab. Life goes on. Better not to get caught up in spec-baiting, and simply buy the camera you need for the pictures you want to take.
TOP 5 PERFORMANCE CAMERAS
Name Score Price
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 84% $670
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 82% $600
Canon PowerShot G12 80% $500
Olympus E-P2 80%
-
Olympus E-PL1 80% $600
EXPAND PERFORMANCE CAMERA CHART »


TOP 5 P&S CAMERAS
Name Score Price
Canon PowerShot S95 78% $400
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS 76% $350
Nikon Coolpix S9100 75% $330
Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS 74% $325
Nikon Coolpix S8100 74% $300
EXPAND P&S CAMERA CHART »


TOP 5 DSLR CAMERAS
Name Score Price
Nikon D7000 89% $1200
Nikon D700 89% $3000
Pentax K-r 88% $800
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 88% $2700
Pentax K-7 87% $1300
EXPAND DSLR CAMERA CHART »
 
 
SHARE THIS PAGE
    
PHOTOGRAPHY
Product Guide
 
Photo Corner
 
Video Corner
HOTTEST
DSLR Cameras
 
Performance Cameras
 
Point-and-Shoot Cameras
TOP STORIES
Nikon Coolpix P500 Review
 
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Review
 
Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS Review
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Review
 
Nikon D7000 Review
 
Pentax K-r Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Review
 
Nikon Coolpix P7000 Review
 
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Review
NEW DIGITAL CAMERA RELEASES
Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix S9100
Fujifilm Finepix HS20 EXR
Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS
Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS
PHOTOGRAPHY HEADLINES
Fujifilm Finepix HS20 EXR Review
 
Panasonic HDC-HS900 Review
 
Nikon D5100 DSLR Camera Unveiled
 
Nikon Coolpix S9100 Review
 
Nikon Coolpix P500 Review
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Review
Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS Review
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Review
Olympus XZ-1 Review
MOBILITY EDITION
Check out infoSync Mobility, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the mobile world.
 
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITION
Check out infoSync Photography, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the photo world.
 
GADGETS EDITION
Check out infoSync Gadgets, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the world of gadgets.
 
DIGITAL HOME EDITION
Check out infoSync Digital Home, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the CE world.
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2011 © infoSync World