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Super Zoom
Reviews

If you are looking for a digital camera suitable for sports or wildlife photography then a Super Zoom model could be the answer. These tend to vary in price between £100 and £250. This is certainly the cheapest option if you are looking for a powerful zoom lens.

At present the zoom capability tends to be between 10x and 18x. Some of the cameras can also use tele converter lenses to further increase the telephoto capacity. To add one of these can add an extra £100 to the cost though. In most instances you will also need to purchase a lens adapter before you can fit the lens converter. If this appeals to you then you need to check before you buy to ensure your camera has this facility.

Almost all the super zoom cameras I have tested offer fully manual exposure controls. This includes aperture and shutter priority. The more expensive ones offer a very wide range of features. This makes them suitable for people who see photography as a hobby rather than someone who is looking for a digital camera to take a few snapshots with.

Most of the cameras are designed along the lines of a traditional SLR camera. This enables you to get a good grip on them when you take a shot. The downside of this is that they can be heavy and bulky. You need to take this into consideration when buying and I would suggest considering a camera bag to carry them around with.

When you use cameras with long lenses there is a tendency for camera shake to become an issue. This is accentuated in lowlight and any time when you are using a slow shutter speed. Manufacturers have attempted to combat this to some degree by introducing image stabilisation. This helps the camera to make minor adjustments to compensate for any movement of the camera when you are taking a shot. Although every little helps the best solution is often to use a tripod whenever you can. By using a tripod you can often see a clear difference in the sharpness of a shot.

On the whole picture quality is good. I have found it difficult to separate a number of super zoom cameras in my picture quality tests. It is worth pointing out that all the super zoom digital cameras I have tested suffer from purple fringing once the zoom lens gets close to its full extension. There seems to be no way from stopping this happening. Although it can be removed if you use a software package such as Photoshop this is certainly far from ideal.

One big plus is the fact that the flash unit pops up on the majority of these cameras. This helps to take the flash away from the lens. This means that red eye is very rare in portraits where the flash is used.

If you are looking for a step up from a super zoom model then you can look at the range of Advanced Digital Cameras or consider a Digital SLR.

If you would like to read reviews of my current top rated Super Zoom digital cameras please follow these links: Panasonic DMC FZ8 Canon Powershot SX100 IS Sony DSC H3 Canon Powershot S5 IS Panasonic DMC FZ18

Pros:
Price
Suitable for sports and wildlife photography
No red eye

Cons:
Larger cameras
Purple fringing

Digital Camera Types
Simple and Easy Standard Plus Pocket Sized Stylish Super Zoom Advanced Digital SLRs Professional Digital SLRs

Super Zoom Digital Cameras