One of the most important features that consumers look at when buying a digital camera is its zoom range capability. Whether you are going to the zoo and want to get close ups of the animals, or just for personal use, zoom is one of the most important features. Many also want a compact camera with this feature, as it is easier to carry around.

There are a few advantages of a smaller sensor, in comparison to its larger counterpart, SRL’s. The main advantage is that you need a smaller lens, and you can fit a high zoom range into a small camera which can still be carried around conveniently. In early 2000, Sony and Olympus offered a few cameras with a 10x zoom, which were a bit bulky and more expensive, were still smaller than their counterpart SLR, and had a lens which was just as powerful. Many buyers look at these two factors, price and portability.

Superzoom cameras offer such large zoom ranges that they are almost impossible to match with film cameras. The lenses are large, yet small enough to be able to have a small, compact camera, that is convenient for users to carry around.

Manufacturers are continuously competing to come out with the camera with the best zoom range. Primarily, the average was a 10x lens, but now that number is about double. Not only are the manufacturers improving the length the lens can see, but they are improving the field of vision and width.

Seven cameras, which are probably the best digital zoom cameras include:

Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD

Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd

Canon Powershot SX10 IS

Nikon Coolpix P80

Olympus SP-565UZ

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Sony Cybershot DSC-H50

These seven cameras all have a zoom range of 12x or more, and some of the highest wide angle views as well. They also all over image stabilization (either optical or mechanical), which is important for people who are using such a strong zoom lens. Some other important features that these cameras contain include electronic viewfinder, full control when taking photos. Generally, these cameras all look quite similar. They are not too big, and are built with a similar design. Often times, many of these cameras will actual contain the same lens as one of their counterparts. More and more digital zoom cameras are being manufactured, and with each new one, comes more outstanding features

Getting the best zoom camera, is never an easy thing, due to the constantly changing technology. Fortunately, there are plenty of helpful websites online, that can narrow down your search and help you find the zoom camera with all the features important to you.

Digital Camera FAQ:

Question: What makes a digital camera zoom really far?
I have a Canon PowerShot A95 and it has a 12x Optical and Digital zoom combined but to me, it doesn’t zoom very far at all. What is better…..a 3x optical zoom or a 12x optical zoom?

Answer: A 12x optical zoom would be better. You did not state how many times your optical zoom and digital zoom is separately. An optical zoom brings the distant image ‘closer’ to your view. But a digital image simply crops the image and expands it. In other words, the quality of a digital zoom is not as good as an optical zoom.

Cameras zoom in using the optical zoom first, and then the digital zoom.

Question: What is the difference between Optical Zoom and Digital Zoom?

Answer: Optical zoom is the maximum amount of zoom the lens itself can achieve. Digital zoom then simply “blows up” the pixels to a larger size in memory.

Thus, if you have a 10 mega pixel camera and are using a 2:1 digital zoom, you are losing a large number of those pixels because only the “center” ones are used and then blown up. Thus, you get lower resolution.

With optical zoom, the lens still is able to focus all of the available light onto the whole CCD, so you retain the full resolution.

Question: What non-SLR Digital mega-zoom camera has the biggest Image Sensor?
I’m wanting a new Digital Camera with at least 12x optical zoom with the largest image sensor possible. My current (Konica-Minolta Z3) has a 1/2.5″ sensor but I’d like one with at least 4/3 if not full-frame. Do they make any with a sensor this large or are sensors this large reserved only for SLR’s?

Answer: The only non SLR’s that I know of that use an APS-C size sensor are the Sigma DP1 and DP2. They don’t have zoom lenses though. They both have fixed focal length lenses. If you have $8,000 you can buy a Leica rangefinder but I don’t think your looking for one of those.

Question: Digital Concepts camera help with a 7.1 mega pixel optical zoom digital camera?
I just got a 7.1 mega pixel optical zoom digital camera . I put in brand new batteries and a 4GB SDHC card , then in the manual it said to format it….i did that, but when I looked at the screen it said that i can only take 8 pictures, and when i turned the camera off ….all my pictures that i took were gone.

Answer: Sounds like it is set to use the internal memory.
Read your manual and figure out how to make it save to card.

P.S. not all small P&S cameras can handle a 4GB card.

Question: How good does the 10x zoom on a digital camera do?
I am looking to buy a digital camera with a 10x zoom (Kodax) is the zoom worth it or are the pictures hard to come out clear with a digital camera zoomed in that tight.

Answer: You have to examine more features than the zoom. One thing to look at is whether the zoom is optical or digital. If it is digital- your pictures will be lower quality whenever you use the zoom. Another thing to look at is whether or not it has image stabilization- there are many different ways that cameras achieve this, but a camera with some sort of image stabilization will take clearer telephoto shots than a camera without it.

Question: What is the best compact and high zoom digital camera for me?
I want a camera that is not too bulky, but has at least 40x zoom.

Answer: Your request for a “compact” 40x zoom camera is unrealistic. Otherwise you can go with a Canon Digital Rebel XT, and then buy a telephoto zoom lens. The quality is exceptional, but the price tag is through the roof.

Question: What’s a good quality/good zoom digital camera?

Answer: Assuming that you aren’t at all in the market for an SLR, if you want a point-and-shoot with extra zoom power, I bought the Sony Cyber-shot super zoom digital camera about a year ago (model DSC-H2/H5) and really liked it (I recently upgraded to an SLR, so that’s why this answer is more in past tense). It’s bulkier than a slim pocket-size camera, but it has more SLR-like traits and, of course, a pretty good zoom! I’m sure there’s a newer and better model now.

Question: I need to get a Fujifilm FinePix A500 Zoom Digital Camera memory card and have no clue what to get?
I have had this camera for a little bit and have no clue what type of card to get for it. I’m going on vacation this next week and the camera itself only stores 5 pictures.

Answer: Somewhere in your owners manual, you will find a list of the recommended memory cards for your camera.

This is a rather old camera (introduced on 2006) so uses the xD memory card. Call the Fujifilm help line and see what limitations there are on the amount of memory capacity your camera will use.

For now, just buy a nice inexpensive 1 GB xD card and use it until you can get a definitive answer from Fuji. Since your camera is too old to use “fast” cards, you can save some money and buy cards 50x or slower.