ultra zoom
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Pentax crams 18x optical zoom into Optio RZ18 point-and-shoot camera
Guess what, amateur shooters? The superzoom just got shrunk. Pentax has just outed a new compact that touts a downright impressive 18x optical zoomer (25-450mm equivalent), with the snooping lens married to a 16 megapixel sensor, a smattering of shake reduction technologies and a 3-inch HVGA LCD 'round back. Moreover, you'll find a nine-point autofocus system, face detection algorithms, an SDXC card slot and an HD video mode capable of snagging 720p clips at 30 frames per second. It's all set to ship next month in black, white and orange for $299.95 here in the States, with the full presser embedded just after the break. %Gallery-133276%
Olympus unveils SP-590UZ, bevy of new Stylus and FE models
Olympus announced a number of new cameras this week -- at least nine, by our count -- with models that'll attract those with finer tastes, frugal minds, and everything in between, which are all launching before March. First up, for the little espionage in training, we've got the Ultra Zoom SP-590UZ, a 10 megapixel behemoth with a 26x zoom lens and 5x digital zoom for up to 130x zoom in all. It can record RAW files and will shoot 10 frames per second in three megapixel mode. No price mentioned -- for any of these cameras, actually -- and according to the presser, it's set to launch in March. There's also the 10 megapixel Stylus 550WP that's water-resistant up to three meters and is coming February in crystal blue, pure white and midnight black. Olympus is touting the Stylus 9000 as the smallest 10x zoom / 12 megapixel camera on market and is debuting in February along with a similarly-spec'd 7000 (pictured) with 7x zoom, while a 5x zoom variant is due out mid-January. The 10 megapixel TOUGH-6000 and 12 megapixel TOUGH-8000 boast Tap control and will hit retail mid-January and February, respectively. Finally, we've got three budget-priced cameras, including a (potentially Europe-only) 10 megapixel FE-5000 with 5x optical zoom, a 12 megapixel / 3x zoom FE30-10, and a 10 megapixel / 3x zoom FE-45. All three models feature black or gold paint colors, with the FE-45 having deep blue and FE30-10 magenta options, as well. The latter is coming in March, while the other two will hit late this month.%Gallery-40841%Read - FE-5000, FE30-10, and FE-45Read - SP-590UZRead - Stylus 550WPRead - Stylus 5000 / 7000 / 9000 Read - Stylus Tough-6000 / 8000
The seven megapixel Olympus SP-510UZ
Olympus just dropped a new 7.1 megapixel member of the Ultra Zoom family on us, and this is one shooter that thrives at night. Although it's got a fairly impressive maximum ISO of 1600 and a very impressive 10x optical zoom at full resolution, the real fun comes when you step the SP-510UZ down to 3 megapixels; at that res, you can bump the ISO all the way up to 4000 and employ a special Fine Zoom of 15x -- you know, for late night sporting events and such. Like its 6 megapixel predecessor, the SP-500UZ, this model also sports a 2.5-inch LCD, digital image stabilization, and support for those same damn xD cards that would seem to encourage consumers to turn to other brands. Still, if this sounds like your type of cam, you'll be able to pick one up in September for around $490.[Via Digital Camera Review]
Kodak's EasyShare V610 10x ultra-zoom reviewed
The EasyShare V610 is Kodak's ultra-zoom followup to their world's first, dual-lens digital cam, the V570. Unfortunately, just like its wide-angle bro, the V610 is getting a mixed reaction from reviewers. DCRP got their hands on the V610 and were certainly pleased by the slim design, MPEG-4 movie recordings, new Perfect Touch feature to brighten and generally improve shots at the touch of a button, decent performance, and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless transfer capabilities. However, the cam had "more than its share of annoyances" with "so-so" picture quality including above-average noise, a "miserable" 135 shot capable battery, and a poorly designed four-way navigation control around back. But this cam's all about that fat, 10x zoom right? Well, those two lenses result in a slow, non-continuous zoom with a 16-millimeter "jump" in focal length when switching between lenses -- this was especially "jarring" when zooming in movie mode. And the lack of image stabilization in this expensive cam makes it "awfully hard" to produce a sharp photo on a camera billed as an ultra-zoom model. Bottom line: forget the V610 and pick up the 10x Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 for $100 less. [Via Digital Photography Blog]
Canon PowerShot S3 IS reviewed
Digital Camera Resource got their mits on the Canon PowerShot S3 IS recently and were kind enough to post a detailed review for our perusal. While the S3 isn't exactly "an exciting upgrade" over its S2 IS predecessor, the reviewer still found it to be an "excellent" ultra zoom camera. Besides the bump from 5 to 6 mexapixels, the camera's two most touted new features are ISO 800 sensitivity and 60fps QVGA / 30fps VGA recording. Well, the ISO 800 snaps shot under low light were found to be, er, "not usable" while those taken under normal light should be limited to 4x6 prints with the aid of some noise reduction software. However, the overall noise level was still considered "low for a 6 megapixel camera." Meanwhile, the video capabilities were found to be excellent due to stereo sound recording and the ability to zoom silently while filming. However, lacking an MPEG-4 codec means your flicks will hit the 1GB per recording wall in only 9-minutes under the highest quality settings. Overall, the camera earns the reviewer's "enthusiastic recommendation" due to its "very good photo quality" and "snappy performance" in a "solid and capable" ultra zoom camera.
