A lot of people are huge fans of megazoom compact cameras. During the time when 12x optical zoom was the industry standard, many had wished for a longer one. They still want more when Olympus released the 18x optical zoom SP-550UZ.
Then almost everyone else that matters was releasing their own superzoom cameras, including Canon which jumped into the ride and released the 20x optical zoom SX1 IS and SX10 IS. That was in 2008.
30x optical zoom not enough?
26x optical zoom would have been enough
Olympus might have appeased the thirst for optical reach when it released the 26x optical zoom SP-590UZ in January 2009 and if camera makers had stopped the race right there and then, many would have been contented with what they had and there would have been no more call for optical reach beyond 26x.
But now camera makers are saying, “No, it’s not enough. You still need a longer zoom” and went on to release 30x optical zoom cameras, in the form of Olympus SP-800UZ and FujiFilm HS10, at 14 megapixels and 10.3 megapixels respectively.
Is 30x Optical Zoom Enough?
But is 30x optical zoom enough? We say, “Yes. The 30x optical zoom is just about enough to tide over the next three to five years. We may still want a longer zoom but what we really need is a truly magnificent megazoom camera in terms of image quality.”
With 30x optical zoom, coupled with digital magnification, you can almost jump right into the craters of the moon.
Image quality has been hogging the complaints about superzoom cameras for years. It’s as though all the camera makers cared for when manufacturing their ultrazooms is making the zoom lens longer.
But we say, stop it for the time being. High ISO capabilities, larger sensor, crisper image at telephoto end, should be the new battle ground in the optical race.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
that will be tough to improve the image quality, as more glass components will be needed for the lens. the solution can be heavier than the camera itself and expensive. let’s see what alternative solutions they will come up with.
i once attempted to do birding with my 12x zoom compact, but the quality was poor, even a cropped photo from a DSLR, with shorter zoom, produces better photo..
I hope that the likes of E-P1, GF1 will someday evolve into megazoom mirrorless fix lens cameras. Then, maybe quality can improve because this system uses a large sensor
For me 20x is enough. Using s3is and happy with it going to upgrade with sx10. Do not jump on more x blindly. Wait and watch until other manufacturar launch similar camera with batter image quaulity.
More MP’s (15-20) and larger CMOS sensors are a must but so is more zoom. Something like 40x would be great for a year or two.
this lens are compatibles with the canon powershot series cameras? worth it?