megazooms

Casio joined the list of manufacturers with a pocketable megazoom Thursday with the announcement of the EX-H10. In retail around mid-July, the $299.99 12-megapixel camera is fronted by a wide-angle 24mm lens with a 10x zoom with CCD-shift image stabilization in a body that's 0.96 inch thick and weighs only 5.8 ounces. Even more impressive, though, is Casio's battery life claim of a 1,000 shots on a single charge.

That number comes courtesy of low-energy requirements of the the multi-CPU Exilim Engine 4.0 circuitry and operational controls coupled with a high-capacity battery. Usage is based on CIPA standards calculated with the LCD monitor on; a full zoom back and forth every 30 seconds; the flash used every two shots; and the power cycled every 10 shots.

Underneath it all it's still a typical Casio camera, too, with a gazillion Best Shot scene modes (OK, just 38, but that's still a ridiculous amount), high-speed shutter continuous shooting, and 720p HD movie capture at 24fps.… Read more

The only announcement to come from Kodak at PMA 2009 was for the EasyShare Z915: a $199.95 pocketable 10-megapixel compact camera with a 10X optical zoom lens and optical image stabilization. It's also powered by two, AA batteries and features a smallish (by today's standards at least) 2.5-inch LCD.

So it's a lot like the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS, except slightly higher resolution and a smaller LCD, but $50 less expensive. Or like the $299 Samsung HZ10W minus the 24mm-equivalent wide-angle lens or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3, though that one's $399 and features a … Read more

Camera manufacturers seem to have chosen megazooms as their latest battlefield--and thankfully, the fight isn't just about who's got the biggest lens. In this case, the latest player comes from Sony, whose new Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 incorporates several technologies from its Alpha DSLR products, including a 1/2.4-inch 10-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor (for 9-megapixel images) and 20X f2.8-5.2 28-560mm-equivalent optically stabilized lens based on the company's higher-quality G series lenses.

In theory, the combination should deliver better photo quality than we're used to seeing in this class. (We haven't yet had a chance to review its primary--and also CMOS-based--competitor the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS, but it's been shipping overseas for a little while, so you can read CNET Australia's take on it).

In addition, Sony introduces several interesting continuous shooting modes: an intriguing Dynamic Ultrawide panorama mode that captures sequential images as you slowly pan across a scene and automatically stitches them into a 7,152x1,080 photo; a 10 frame-per-second 10-shot continuous shooting mode that uses a mechanical rather than electronic shutter for, the company claims, less distortion; and Handheld Twilight mode, which combines multiple exposures for a theoretically lower noise, higher detail low-light photo.… Read more

Better late than never? Pentax makes a surprisingly belated entry into the megazoom digital camera market with the $399.99 X70, a competitively spec'd camera. In fact, its lens and sensor specifications look amazingly similar to that of the Nikon P90: a 1/2.33-inch 12.7-megapixel CCD and 24x f2.8-5 26-624mm-equivalent zoom lens.

Unfortunately, there's not much here to differentiate it from the crowd, at least on the surface. The X70 incorporates a 2.7-inch LCD, but it's fixed--many competitors offer tilting or fully articulated displays. It doesn't support HD movie capture, instead maxing … Read more

Canon didn't just go nuts with its ultracompact designs; it's also overhauled the SX110 IS, turning its rather staid budget megazoom into a stylish compact to compete more with products like Panasonic's new ZS series. Of course, the first thing to go is the low price--it's $349.99 up from $249--but now it comes with an attractive, curvy body and in colors beyond black.

The SX200 IS is a completely different camera from its predecessor; it seems like the only thing it keeps is the 3-inch LCD. It incorporates a 12-megapixel CCD, up from 9 megapixels, … Read more

A modest upgrade over last year's Cyber-shot DSC-H10, this spring's DSC-H20 nevertheless offers a few new nice improvements over its budget megazoom predecessor. Though it keeps the same 10x f3.5-4.4 38-380mm (35mm equivalent) lens and 3-inch LCD, the $279 camera bumps up to a 1/2.3-inch 10-megapixel CCD from 8 megapixels. We complained about the H10's lack of optical zoom in movie capture, and the H20 now supports it. Plus, it now shoots 720p MPEG-4 videos. Like many of the spring models, the H10 will include Sony's updated intelligent auto features, including more … Read more

The 12-megapixel EasyShare Z980 IS has a24X 26mm-629mm-equivalent lens,with optical image stabilization that Kodak says delivers up to five stops of shake prevention. It'll need it.

Kodak's attempting to provide a more dSLR-like experience with an optional vertical grip. It also has a hot shoe, and supports 720p HD movie capture. The company's Smart Capture technology turns it back into a point-and-shoot by automatically correcting your photos.

One of the biggest drawbacks to megazooms is they tend to be really slow. Kodak says it's not, but that's what they all say. We'll have … Read more

Though it's long been a player in the megazoom market, Canon has tended to lag behind in lens lengths. With the replacement to the PowerShot S5 IS, it looks like that, as well as the model naming, is about to change. The PowerShot SX10 IS jumps to 20x zoom from the S5's 12x and takes the market lead in zoom reach.

Here's how it stacks up to the competition: