FORGET cars - zoom, zoom, zoom is more like the motto for the top end of the digital camera market.
So-called ultra-zoom digital cameras are larger and heavier than the typical compact and definitely won't slip into a shirt pocket. The bigger bodies on ultra-zooms accommodate lenses capable of getting up close and personal by a factor of 10 or more, with the latest models offering 18X of zoom.
In size, price and features, ultrazooms provide a compromise between cheap, convenient but limited compact digitals and expensive, unwieldy but creatively competent digital SLRs.
Canon S5
THIS has been around the longest of the trio we looked at this week and weighs more but zooms less at 12X (35mm equivalent is 36mm to 432mm) than the other two.
It's also the bargain of the bunch, retailing at $549, but can be found for less than $450 if you're willing to scout around.
The Canon differs from the Nikon and Panasonic in using four AA batteries for power, rather than a rechargeable - a handy feature if you run out of juice in the field.
A battery fill-up is just a milkbar away and spares cost a few dollars.
The S5 is also alone in having an accessory shoe and a handy, 2.5in, pop-out, variable angle LCD screen, which come into its own when shooting over the top of crowds or going for a waist-level shot.
At 450g, the Canon is noticeably heftier than the Nikon or Panasonic.
It has been around for more than a year, but the 8-megapixel S5 sports Canon's latest Digic 111 processor, which provides a snappy 1.3 second start-up time.
There's image stabiliser technology, face detection, plenty of scene presets and full manual control if you want it.
We also liked the comfortable zoom lever and speedy zoom motor, although image quality was somewhat behind the Nikon and the Panasonic.
- Stuart Kennedy
SPECIFICATIONS
Features: 8 megapixel CCD, 12X zoom, face detection, image stabiliser, vari-angle LCD
Price: $549
More at: www.canon.com.au
Rating: 7/10
Panasonic DMC Lumix FZ28
THE Lumix FZ28 combines stretch and zoom with its Leica lens going out to 18X (35mm equivalent focal length 486mm) while still able to compose a handy 27mm wide angle shot.
Not so handy is the uncomfortable zoom lever, with its sharp front edge and stiff operation.
The zoom motor operates in two stages, slowing down at the telephoto extreme to give finer control, but we found the slowdown annoying rather than helpful.
If you are prepared to let the resolution step down to a bare 3 megapixels, there's an extra optical zoom mode that delivers 32X.
The FZ28 sports a 10.1 megapixel charge-coupled device and a grand total of 37 scene modes can be previewed on the camera's fixed LCD screen. It can shoot in RAW mode.
While the 2.7in LCD is fixed in the Lumix's camera body, unlike the Canon's trick variable angle LCD screen, there's a high-angle mode that ups screen brightness so it can be seen while the camera is held overhead.
It has image stabiliser technology, face detection and full manual control, when desired, by way of a small joystick mounted on the back of the camera body.
The Lumix will burst shoot at a claimed 2.5 frames per second in high res and can record 720p HD video at 30fps. Other than the zoom, the lightweight (417g) Lumix was a pleasure to wield.
- Stuart Kennedy
SPECIFICATIONS
Features: 10 megapixel CCD, 18X zoom, face detection, image stabiliser
Price: $769 (available September)
More at: www.panasonic.com.au
Rating: 8/10
Nikon Coolpix P80
THIS is a feature-rich and well-balanced compact digital camera that comes with one of the biggest zoom lenses in the business.
With its large rubberised grip and generous 2.7in LCD screen, pros and amateurs alike will find it a breeze to jump straight into snapping shots as soon as they pick up the Coolpix P80. Some may find its physical appearance a bit bulky, but the extra girth of the unit provides a healthy weight when shooting at full zoom.
The P80's 18x zoom Nikkor lens is without question the camera's key attraction. From a wide 27mm to an incredibly long 478mm, the P80 makes for a great companion in all shooting conditions.
The unit's auto focus is intuitive and trouble-free, although it can be let down when the zoom is at its most extreme.
The P80 takes about three seconds to power up and almost a second to focus and shoot in decent light, which makes it a bit impractical for high-speed or sports photography.
On the upside, the camera's image quality is of a great standard.
With 10.1 megapixels at its disposal, the P80 is able to reproduce excellent depth and colour saturation.
Whether at 27mm or 478mm the image sharpness is also excellent.
Unfortunately, the P80's shooting performance, like that of most compact digital cameras, is let down by not allowing users manual control over the zoom.
The P80 makes up for this by having a responsive and quick zoom function.
Although the P80 comes with anti-shake technology, when the zoom is at full extension it's just so large that even the smallest camera shake is unavoidable, resulting in blurring of images in sub-standard light.
Despite this, the camera's full complement of exposure modes, including shutter and aperture priority AE, manual and scene modes, will make it a great fit for wannabe photographers seeking compact digital camera with a bang.
- Mitchell Bingemann
SPECIFICATIONS
Features: 10 megapixel CCD, 18X zoom, face detection, image stabiliser
Price: $599
More at: www.nikon.com.au
Rating: 7.5/10
CONCLUSION
BIG-ZOOM digital cameras make a good step up for those frustrated with the limitations of a pocket digital.
A 12X or better zoom creates picture opportunities that just can't happen on a 4X or 6X compact.
The Canon S5 was showing its age compared with the other two, by way of its lowlier 12X zoom, heavier body and slightly poorer image quality, but you would save hundreds going for the Canon, and its AA battery cabinet and variable angle LCD are very useful features.
The Nikon and the Panasonic are close in features but the Panasonic's sprightly performance gives it the edge.
This article from: Australian IT