Best Ultra-Zoom Cameras

Panasonic and Canon dominate

Virtually all reviewers point to two models as the best choices for an ultra-zoom digital camera: the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS (*Est. $380) and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 (*Est. $275).

Of the two, reviewers agree that the SX10 is the more robust and versatile camera. It succeeds the popular Canon PowerShot S5 IS (Discontinued), with upgrades that improve performance. In addition to a faster image processor, the SX10 has expanded to 10 megapixels, and the optically stabilized zoom extends to a whopping 20x, with a focal range of 28 mm to 560 mm. The wide-angle lens is good for landscapes or indoor shots of groups of people. Also on board is a more generous aperture range of 2.8 to 5.7, which gives you more control over lighting in a shot, and pumped-up LCD screen resolution. The VGA movie recording time has grown from 32 to 45 minutes, and it includes zoom and stereo sound capabilities. Battery life has increased by 25 percent, good for 600 shots.

The behemoth Canon PowerShot SX10 tips the scales at 19.8 ounces, rivaling a DSLR when it comes to heft. It nonetheless affords a comfortable shooting design, according to CNET's Lori Grunin, who also likes the SX10's relatively fast performance. Tests by CNET and Steves-Digicams.com show that the Canon digital camera powers up and shoots in about 1.5 seconds; pre-focused shots are almost instantaneous. Most reviewers rate image quality as very good to outstanding. Editors at Imaging-Resource.com say the PowerShot SX10 has excellent noise control, minimal barrel distortion and that the lens retains sharpness from the center of an image to the edges, "rare for a lens of this type."

Grunin notes, however, that the auto focus "has too much time to get confused," and her test shots produced "in focus fences and out of focus people." Nearly all reviewers lament the lack of high-definition video and RAW format (uncompressed files) support, and while the 2.5-inch swiveling LCD display is nice, it is small compared to other ultra-zoom models.

Best Budget Ultra-Zoom Camera

Challenging the Canon SX10 is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 (*Est. $275), the follow-up to the popular and highly rated 8.1-megapixel DMC-FZ18 (Discontinued). The DMC-FZ28 has an increased 10.1 megapixels and retains an 18x zoom with optical image stabilization. The focal range of 36 mm to 432 mm is shorter than the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, as is the aperture of 2.8 to 4.8. The 2.7-inch LCD, however, is larger but doesn't swivel. The wide end also isn't as generous as that on the Canon PowerShot SX10 -- the Panasonic camera has a wide-angle range of 36 mm compared to 28 mm for the Canon. That means the Canon ultra-zoom camera lets you shoot wider landscape shots or squeeze in more people in a group photo.

Shutter speeds rival the Canon SX10 with the same 1.5-second start-up time. Imaging-Resource.com clocks in the pre-focus shutter at a "blazingly fast" 0.012 seconds, while at full telephoto it's about 0.8 seconds. Also to its advantage, the Panasonic DMC-FZ28 supports RAW format (uncompressed files) and high-definition (720p) movies. Battery life is good for 460 shots compared to the 600 on the SX10.

While the Panasonic FZ28 falls behind the SX10 in power and range, it excels in ease of use. The FZ28 is also less bulky -- about 6.8 ounces lighter and half an inch shorter. Overall design and menu layout is, according to DPReview.com, more user-friendly, especially for less experienced users. Panasonic has improved the autofocus tracking system, and PhotoBlog.com likes the Intelligent Auto Mode, "which automatically determines a number of key criteria when taking a picture," selecting the best scene mode, ISO, face detection, image stabilization and autofocus. However, a hot shoe for adding an external flash is absent.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ28's image quality, meanwhile, does not rate quite as highly as the Canon SX10. While reviewers say that ISO settings have a larger range than previous models, images tend to be noisy at higher settings. Testers at DPReview.com note a slight edge in the image quality, especially at lower settings.

Even though it's not as formidable as its Canon rival, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 has made an indelible impression. DPReview.com sums it up best: "The SX10 may win on points, but the FZ28 puts up quite a fight, and is the one we'd pick up when going for a walk and didn't fancy carrying an SLR." For most critics, the Panasonic Lumix FZ28 is a safe bet, especially given the price tag, which is about $100 less than the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS. For this reason, the FZ28 is our budget pick for ultra-zoom cameras, overtaking the popular Canon PowerShot SX110 IS (*Est. $235).

Other budget ultra-zoom cameras that are even cheaper than the FZ28 have hit the market in recent months -- among them the Kodak EasyShare Z915 (*Est. $200), Nikon Coolpix L100 (*Est. $235) and Fuji FinePix S1500 (*Est. $200) -- but they have yet to receive much coverage by major review sources. None, however, offer features and abilities that match the FZ28.

Cameras with the longest 20x and longer zoom lenses

In the race for the longest zoom length among ultra-zoom digital cameras, the Olympus SP-570 UZ (*Est. $400) used to be in the lead with its 20x zoom lens. However, competition is heating up as other manufacturers release 20x cameras, including the highly rated Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, Canon PowerShot SX1 IS (*Est. $590), Casio Exilim EX-FH20 (*Est. $500) and Sony HX1 (*Est. $500). Olympus remains at the top of the heap, though, with its newest model, the 26x SP-590 UZ (*Est. $410).

The aforementioned Canon PowerShot SX10 IS ranks highly across the board in reviews. However, the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS offers a step up, with high-definition video and better photo quality. CNET reviewer Lori Grunin says its photo quality is the best of its class, with less noise and blue-channel artifacts than the PowerShot SX10 IS. Like the SX10, however, the Servo AF autofocus mode tends to lock even when a shot is not in focus. Still, the improvement in image quality alone may be worth the extra $200 in cost for some users.

The 20x Casio Exilim EX-FH20 (*Est. $500), successor to the 12x-zoom Casio Exilim EX-FH1 (*Est. 975), has one of the highest shooting speeds in this class and price range -- 40 frames per second (fps) for still photos and 1,000 fps for video capture. Aside from these assets, however, Joshua Goldman of CNET says there's no reason to choose the Casio EX-FH20 over other models. The camera receives mediocre reviews for photo quality, and Steves-Digicams.com notes that the autofocus struggles at times, even with well-lit subjects. Given the price tag, the Canon SX10, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 and new Olympus SP-590 UZ offer more bang for the buck.

The Olympus SP-590 UZ (*Est. $410), an upgrade to the 20x-zoom Olympus SP-570 UZ, is unrivaled, with a 26x zoom. The zoom works in still photo and video modes. It also boasts in-camera and PC panorama modes that will stitch together three or 10 successive photos, respectively. In addition, the Olympus SP-590 UZ has dual-image stabilization (sensor shift and digital image stabilization), a 10 mm macro setting (extreme close-up) and a 10-frame pre-capture. Other features include digital and sensor-shift image stabilization, face detection, a 2.7-inch LCD display, RAW support and a "perfect shot" preview that shows the effect of a setting before snapping the picture.

While the Olympus SP-590 UZ is smaller in shape and size than its predecessor, editors at DigitalCameraReview.com say that's not necessarily a positive: the lighter size makes it harder to stabilize when shooting. Several Amazon.com users say the light weight makes it feel cheap. Few expert reviewers have tested the Olympus SP-590 UZ, although CNET U.K. says that, like other ultra-zooms , the SP-590 UZ suffers from soft photo detail at maximum zoom lengths. Still, CNET U.K. considers it "fantastically versatile" and a good value.

Likewise, the new 20x Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 (*Est. $500) receives only two professional reviews, both mixed. CNET's Lori Grunin likes the "zippy" performance. The DSC-HX1 powers and shoots in about two seconds, and focuses and shoots in about 0.4 seconds -- which is fast for an ultra-zoom camera. Likewise, there's a 10-shot ultra burst at 10.6 fps and a Twilight Mode for flash-free low-light photos, the latter of which bursts three shots and combines them into one image.

However, Grunin, editors at DPReview.com and some Amazon users lament the poor image quality. Grunin attributes it to a possible image-processing problem. Several users at Amazon.com also note poor performance in the high ISO ranges and blurry images in high zoom modes, even with a tripod. The setbacks in image quality are significant enough to prevent DPReview.com from issuing the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 its highest recommendation.