Best Ultra-Zoom Cameras

Sony's photo and video quality outclasses the rest

Ultra-zoom digital cameras range from about 12x to 35x, and the best-performing models typically fall somewhere in the middle. Most of the time, a long-zoom lens forces other compromises -- grainy (or so over-smoothed they look fake) low-light photos, bulky bodies and slow shooting speeds are typical. But experts and owners say the 16x-zoom Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V (*Est. $340) avoids most of these pitfalls. Photos look good in all but really dim light (over ISO 800), and the true 1080p HD movie mode is "the best I've seen on any point-and-shoot," CNET's Joshua Goldman says.

At just over 8 ounces and about one and a half inches thick, experts say the HX9V is remarkably compact for everything it offers: "I was able to keep it in my back pants pocket while I was out shooting with it," Goldman says. It packs a 16.2-megapixel image sensor and a library of scene modes that PC World calls "groundbreaking," including 3D image capture and Sweep Panorama, in which you pan the camera from one side to the other and it automatically stitches together several frames into one panoramic shot. Imaging-Resource.com says the HX9V "tower[s] over typical high-performance point-and-shoots," and PhotographyBlog.com gives it a rare 5-star Essential rating and ranks it "above all of its travel-zoom rivals."

"If you want something to do double duty for movie clips and photos with a versatile zoom lens in a pocketable body, you want this camera," CNET's Goldman says.

A speedy 10 frames-per-second burst mode impresses critics, but the HX9V can be lethargic in other ways: Regular shot-to-shot times dawdle for 4.1 seconds with the flash on in CNET's test (1.4 seconds with the flash off), and the 3-inch LCD screen takes 7 seconds to come on at startup in Imaging-Resource.com's test. Overall, though, reviewers say the Sony Cyber-shot HX9V strikes the best balance between impressive zoom and fine image quality.

The Nikon Coolpix S9100 (*Est. $200) impresses experts nearly as much as the Sony -- but owner reviews tell a different story. Over and over at Amazon.com, owners report that the S9100 froze up or otherwise broke within the first few weeks of use. It ruins the glowing reviews the S9100 gets from experts, who praise its versatile 18x zoom lens and other strong points it shares with the Sony: fast performance, fun shooting modes and overall good image quality.

Budget ultra-zoom digital camera

If you don't want to spend so much, Canon takes top honors with its budget ultra-zoom, the 12-megapixel, 12x PowerShot SX130 IS (*Est. $200) , successor to the well-received 10-megapixel PowerShot SX120 IS digital camera. Canon has addressed the critics of the 10x SX120 IS by offering a larger focal range, with a wide angle of 28 mm. Thus, the SX130 IS camera can be used for both wide-angle shots, such as group photos or landscapes, as well as for close-up shots at full zoom. Like the SX120, the SX130 ultra-zoom camera has a 3-inch LCD screen, and a variety of manual and fully automatic shooting options. Neither camera has an optical viewfinder.

The Canon PowerShot SX130 IS offers shutter or aperture priority and a full set of manual controls, including manual focus, a rare attribute in a camera so inexpensive. There is also an easy mode for full automatic operation and a smart auto option that chooses the right scene type based on an analysis of brightness and distance from the subject. The camera has a bright 3-inch LCD display that's viewable even in bright light. The Canon PowerShot SX130 IS ultra-zoom camera has improved video quality over its predecessor and can shoot 720p HD video at 30 frames per second (fps). The camera uses AA batteries, which contributes to the 10-ounce weight. Aside from the improvements to the lens and some minor cosmetic changes, much is the same between the SX120 and SX130 digital cameras.

PhotographyBlog.com recommends the Canon PowerShot SX130 IS digital camera, saying it "may not have all the bells and whistles, styling or cutting edge features of competitive models, but it undoubtedly offers fantastic value for money for such a big-brand camera." Steves-Digicams.com says image quality from the SX130 camera is "excellent" and video quality is also very high. On the downside, shot-to-shot time is slow and there is no dedicated video-recording button.

The runner-up Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 (*Est. $190) costs more than the Canon camera, but it also adds a longer 16x zoom, faster burst rate (5.5 frames per second at high quality or 10 fps at lower quality, versus the Canon's 3 fps maximum) and a slightly smaller, lighter 7.4-ounce body (with memory card and battery). The Panasonic's 14.1-megapixel resolution is also higher than the Canon's, although experts seem to be equally impressed with each camera's image quality. Otherwise, the two cameras are comparable -- both have wide-angle lenses that can zoom while shooting 720p HD video, some manual controls, no viewfinder and identical LCD screen resolutions. We did find some owner complaints that the Panasonic seems flimsy and easy to break, although most owners report no problems.

The Nikon Coolpix L120 (Discontinued) adds an even longer 21x zoom and much higher-resolution LCD screen than the Canon or Panasonic, but reviewers say it makes some trade-offs. At 15.3 ounces, it's noticeably bigger and heavier than the others. There are no manual controls, and experts give it mixed reviews for image quality: Still photos largely look good, but testers at PhotographyBlog.com and TechRadar.com both complain of aggressive noise reduction that steals detail from low-light shots, and some purple fringing in high-contrast shots. Other sources find flaws with the L120's video; CNET (Australia) says it's "one of the worst we've seen on any compact camera with HD. The video image lacks detail while appearing blocky and grainy, but the sound from the stereo microphone is decent."

Cameras with 20x and longer zoom lenses

The newest ultra-zoom cameras tout zoom lenses well beyond 20x. While this lets you get closer to the action than ever, it also means you'll sacrifice speed and image quality. Typical ultra-zooms take about 0.5 seconds to snap a photo, and shutter lag usually gets worse as you zoom out. Additionally, the long-zoom lens means a heavier camera that's more difficult to handle. You'll also have to worry about camera shake, especially when zoomed out, as the camera will pick up more vibration, producing a fuzzy image.

The Canon PowerShot SX40 HS (*Est. $395) digital camera has a massive 35x optical zoom lens, an articulating 2.7-inch LCD screen and a flash hot shoe. It's the successor to the critics' former favorite extreme-zoom, the Canon SX30 IS (Discontinued) , only the SX40 adds an improved CMOS image sensor (for better image quality and low-light skill), faster shooting (up to 10 frames per second) and full 1080p HD video. Neither camera can shoot RAW (uncompressed) images, which reviewers see as a shortcoming since RAW files can be more easily manipulated with image-editing software. TrustedReviews.com tester Andrew Williams enthusiastically recommends the SX40, but he cautions buyers not to expect the same photo quality they'd get from a DSLR. "While Superzoom cameras may look a bit like DSLRs, they use physically smaller sensors and therefore can't hold a candle to the real deal in terms of overall image quality," Williams says. But, "if you can live without the picture quality perfection and improved low light performance of a DSLR, this is a great buy."

As with many ultra-zoom cameras, several experts note more noise and less detail in images shot in low light -- although the SX40's superior 12.1-megapixel sensor turns out good-looking photos as high as ISO 800, while other ultra-zooms start getting dicey even in fairly bright light (ISO 400). The Canon SX40 HS has some manual and auto shooting options, though not as many as its Panasonic rivals. And to get that long zoom, you'll sacrifice some portability: At about 4 by 5 inches and almost 4 inches thick, weighing in at 1.3 pounds, "you can't slip it into your pocket," says PCMag.com's Jim Fisher -- "but that's a small price to pay for an 840 mm (35 mm equivalent) telephoto reach."

The Olympus SZ-30MR (*Est. $320) sacrifices some zoom length in favor of a sleeker body that experts say really is remarkably thin and light for an extreme-zoom camera. The lens telescopes from a 24x zoom down to a 25 mm wide angle, with the whole body only about 8 ounces and one and a half inches thick. "Having a 25-600mm equivalent zoom in a camera that actually fits in a front jeans pocket when powered off -- well, it's unbelievable indeed," says Zoltan Arva-Toth at PhotographyBlog.com. "The ability to go from ultra-wideangle to ultra-telephoto in less than three seconds is something that has to be experienced in order to be fully appreciated. It certainly gives you a kind of freedom you do not feel with any other type of camera, and the fact that you have it literally in your pocket is nothing short of mind-blowing." With its shiny two-tone body and superb styling, Imaging-Resource.com's tester calls it "easily one of the most attractive pocket cameras I've ever beheld."

But neither of those sources recommends the Olympus as a top pick, for one main reason: Image quality. Both sources say it looks OK for small prints, but if you crop or print large, you'll start noticing problems -- like the heavy-handed noise suppression that smears away detail. Steves-Digicams.com says it's fine for a point-and-shoot, though: "While you can see traces [of noise] even at the lowest ISO settings, you have to be critically inspecting images at 100 percent," the tester there says. "I found noise levels were acceptable all the way up to ISO 800."

Megazoom cameras to catch the action

A frequent reason for purchasing an ultra-zoom camera is to capture activity up close at sporting events, but many of the long-zoom cameras sacrifice speed. If you take a lot of action shots, a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera may be a better choice, because shutter lag is almost nonexistent and you can interchange lenses. DSLR cameras are more expensive, though. See our separate Digital SLR report. Our report on digital cameras also covers compact cameras with interchangeable lenses.

If you're not ready to upgrade to a DSLR, Panasonic makes some ultra-zoom cameras designed to capture fast action -- although they don't always work as fast as advertised, in professional tests. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 (Discontinued) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 (Discontinued) both promise to shoot a breakneck 60 frames per second (fps) in low-quality mode, or 10 or 11 fps (respectively) at top-quality. Several reliable sources recommend these cameras, including CNET, PhotographyBlog.com, DigitalCamera-HQ.com and Steves-Digicams.com -- but when Steves-Digicams.com testers try to actually achieve the promised burst rates, they wind up disappointed.

"All of the listed burst modes came up short of Panasonic's claims," Steves-Digicams.com says. Even using a speedy Class 10 memory card, testers max out at 5 fps (at full resolution).

Both cameras score points for their versatile lenses, which start at a true wide angle and extend to a powerful optical zoom -- 16x for the ZS10 and 24x for the FZ100. Unfortunately, "We'll tell you right up front that despite great technological effort, the Panasonic FZ100 has a problem with sensor noise that muddies the picture, quite literally," say testers at Imaging-Resource.com. On both cameras, various sources say bright-light photos look fine, but anything at or above ISO 400 gets grainy -- or so over-smoothed by the aggressive noise reduction that it looks "smeary," CNET's Joshua Goldman says.

"If you're not printing larger than 8x10 inches, you'll probably be happy" with the FZ100, Imaging-Resource.com concludes. If you need big prints, good low-light photos or tend to crop heavily, "this may not be the camera for you." Still, these cameras earn recommendations because testers find them fun to play with. Both can shoot full HD video, and zoom while they're doing it. Both offer some manual controls, as well as a plethora of automatic modes like portrait mode. The lightweight, compact ZS10 can also shoot in 3D, while the heavier FZ100 adds a viewfinder and a longer zoom. But plenty of other ultra-zoom cameras offer a very respectable burst rate, too -- including the top-rated, 10 fps Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V (*Est. $340) .