Balko Photo

The Superzooms
Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, and Olympus SP-560UZ

We all want the most out of our cameras. We want them to “do it all”. Superzooms offer wide angle to extremely long ranges in one fixed lens solution package. That, however, is asking a lot of one lens.

All of these camera models  feature an 18x zoom. The 8mp Olympus and the 8mp FujiFilm both have a 27-486mm f/2.8-4.5 lenses (35mm equivalent). Both will focus to 1 centimeter in Super Macro mode and both show similar testing results for distortion. That will be noticeable at different focal lengths, particularly in images with straight lines.

The 8 mp Panasonic Lumix has a 28-504mm f/2.8-4.2 Image Stabilization Leica lens (35mm equivalent) with shifting lens elements to stop camera shake. It also focuses to 1cm and has very little Barrel Distortion.

For optics, Panasonic rules with a tie for second place to Olympus SP-560UZ, Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd.

It must be remembered that with these cameras, indeed all point and shoot models, one must soot at the lowest ISO possible or you will be dealing with unacceptable noise.

At ISO 64, the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd has Extremely High (1583) Resolution, and Low (1.7) Noise. At ISO 100, Noise rises a touch to Moderately Low (2.1). At ISO 200, Noise is Moderate (2.9). At ISO 400, Noise is Unacceptable (3.0); aggressive noise control kicks in at ISO 800, bringing it back down to Moderately Low (2.4). At ISO 1600, noise is again Unacceptable (4.0), with a significant Resolution drop to Acceptable (1150). Color accuracy is Extremely High (Average Delta E: 9.4, ISO 64, Auto White Balance.)

At ISO 50, the Olympus SP560UZ also has Extremely High (1660) Resolution and Low (1.7) Noise. Noise is also Low (1.7) at ISO 100. Noise is Moderately Low at ISO 200 (2.3). At ISOs 400 (2.4), 800 (2.4), and 1600 (2.8) Noise is Moderate. Resolution also drops dramatically at ISO 1600, to Unacceptable (900.) Noise is Unacceptable at ISO 3200 (3.1). Color accuracy is Excellent (Average Delta E: 7.7, ISO 50, Auto White Balance.)

At ISO 100, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 has Excellent (1890) Resolution, with Low (1.7) Noise. Noise is Moderate at ISO 200 (2.4). Noise is Moderately Low at ISOs 400 (2.2), 800 (2.1), and 1250 (2.2) and Moderate at ISO 1600 (2.5.) At ISO 1600, Resolution drops to 1325 (Very High). Color Accuracy is Extremely High (Average Delta E: 8.1, ISO 100, Auto White Balance.)

Pop Photo Lab Test Rankings:

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 —— Buy at Adorama / Buy at Amazon
2. Olympus SP-560UZ ————— Buy at Adorama / Buy at Amazon
3. Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd ———- Buy at Adorama / Buy at Amazon

The Fujifilm FinePix S700 is ideal for families wanting a more advanced, compact SLR-style digital camera without losing operational simplicity. FinePix S700 offers some very powerful features, like a 7-megapixel CCD image sensor, 10x optical zoom lens (38-380mm), high- resolution 2.5-inch LCD and EVF (Electronic ViewFinder), Picture Image Stabilization mode, VGA (640×480) 30fps movie mode with image stabilization option, high ISO capabilities (up to ISO 1600), all packed in a compact SLR style shell. This is also the first model we have seen from Fuji (or any manufacturer for that matter) that includes a combination xD-Picture card and SD memory card slot. While it can be used as a simple point-n-shoot camera with its Auto, Scene, and Program modes, the S700 also offers various advanced exposure settings such as Shutter priority, Aperture priority and full Manual modes. Thus, this model can be used by both beginners or photo enthusiasts alike.

Bottom line - Fujifilm’s FinePix S700 is a very capable and appealing “entry-level” prosumer digicam. With 7-megapixels, a versatile 38-380mm 10x zoom lens, loads of useful exposure modes, great performance, and comfortable SLR style body, the S700 will be hard to beat, especially with an MSRP of only US$249 or less! The only downfalls I found were the above average amounts of purple fringing, and the fact the LCD blacks out in between shots (when shooting in a sequence not burst mode.)[Steve's Digicams]

The FinePix S700 is a midsize ultra zoom camera made entirely of plastic. That doesn’t mean that it feels cheap, though — Fuji used some high quality materials here. Ergonomically speaking, the S700 is very well designed, with maybe the exception of the awkwardly placed power button. The important controls ar easy to reach, and the substantial right hand grip ensures that the camera is stable. [DCResource]

There’s plenty in the Fuji FinePix S700 to cater to the needs of advanced amateurs looking to gain maximum control over their photos, with P / A / S / M exposure modes, auto / manual focus, eight white balance modes (including a custom hold mode), 12 scene modes and a six-mode popup flash. A 640 x 480 pixel, 30 frames-per-second AVI (motion JPEG) encoded movie mode is also provided. [Imaging-Resource]

In our lab tests, the 7.1-megapixel S700 earned a high score for color accuracy and an average score for sharpness. Its scores for distortion, however, were subpar. In our battery-life tests, the camera’s four AA alkaline batteries supported 475 shots–much better than the average score.
I liked the camera’s ‘Natural Light and Flash’ mode shooting option, where the camera captures a pair of consecutive shots–one without flash and another with flash–so you can compare which lighting captured the better image. A continuous-shooting mode snaps shots at a resolution of either 7 megapixels (the unit’s maximum) or 4 megapixels. This feature worked fine, but it was a bit slow to record. [PC World]

BUY for $193 Fujifilm Finepix S700 7.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

SHOP BH Photo - - - SHOP at ADORAMA

* 7.1-Megapixel CCD image sensor for poster size prints
* 10x optical zoom (38-380mm equiv)
* Single or Continuous AF and Manual focus
* Focus assist illuminator for low-light
* Electronic color viewfinder w/230K pixels (approx. 97% frame coverage)
* 2.5″ LCD Color Monitor w/230K pixels (approx. 97% frame coverage)
* Movie Mode; 30fps @ 640×480 or 320×240 with audio
* Voice memos can be attached to still images
* Auto, Program AE, Shutter speed or Aperture priority and Manual
* Shooting modes: Natural Light, Natural Light + flash (Dual shot) and Anti-Blur
* Scene Position: Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Museum, Party, Flower, Text
* ISO speeds: Auto (800/400), 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
* Metering: Multi, Average, Spot
* Built-in manual popup multi-mode flash
* Shutter Speed: 4 - 1/1000 sec in (depending on Shooting mode)
* Uses 27MB internal memory, xD-Picture Card or SD card memory cards
* Lightweight at just 10.8 oz. (excluding battery/memory card)
* Powered by four AA type batteries
* USB 2.0 (Full-speed) plug-n-play connectivity

The high-zoom Kodak Z812 IS has 8MP resolution and an incredible Schneider-Kreuznach 12x optical zoom lens, the Z812 IS captures HD still images (16:9 aspect ratio) and video (720p at 30fps), and also has the ability to extract still images from videos.

The Z812 IS also features Face Detection Technology, and its Smart Scene Mode will automatically adjust the camera’s settings depending on the type of scene it detects.

Read reviews DPreview / DCResource / Let’s Go Digital /

BUY Kodak EasyShare Z812 8.2MP HD Digital Camera + 1GB Accessory Kit

• 8.0 effective Megapixel CCD
• 12X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 36 - 432 mm
• HD quality photos and 720p (30 frames per second) video
• HD stills from video
• Enhance your action shots with best in class* click-to-capture speed (0.23 sec) and auto-focus accuracy
• High ISO (up to 3200)
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.5″ LCD display + electronic viewfinder
• Full manual controls
• Smart Scene Mode automatically picks the scene for you
• Same Perfect Touch, face detection, HD movie mode, and printer dock support as above
• 32MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC/MMC card slot
• Uses proprietary lithium-ion battery
• Shipping for $299

Why the two designations? I don’t know, but the S9100 is for the US version and the S9600 is the rest of the world. They refer to the same exact camera.

9-megapixel superzoom with a 10.7X optical, f/2.8-to-f/4.9 zoom lens - great zoom ranging from 28 to 300mm in 35mm equivalent with a Super Macro setting that focuses as close as 0.4 inches from the front element at wide-angle. At 28mm it’s a pretty fast lens, too, opening up to f/2.8. Even at 300mm, it manages f/4.9. And what that lens sees is captured on a Super CCD sensor with 9.0 effective megapixels, and sensitivity ranging from ISO 80 to 1,600.

Image quality was a mixed bag: highlight details get lost in shots taken in full sunlight. If you’re shooting in full sun, use Exposure Compensation to protect your highlights or shoot RAW.

Shade images were great and color was true and natural, avoiding the oversaturation so common on digicams. Natural Light Mode was flawless as was the intelligent flash.

No optical or mechanical image stabilization, yet it still did well. Note user reviews at Cnet are extremely good (unlike the review).

Read reviews CNET / DPreview / Imaging-Resource / Steve’s Digicams

BUY Fujifilm Finepix S9100 9MP Digital Camera with 10.7x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom

SHOP BH Photo - - - SHOP ADORAMA

Basic Features

• 9.0 megapixel sensor, 1/1.6 inch Super CCD HR
• 28-300mm optical zoom (35mm equivalent) with 2.0x digital zoom
• Maximum apertures of f/2.8 - f/4.9
• Shutter speeds from 1/4000 second to 4 seconds with Bulb up to 30 seconds
• USB 2.0 High-Speed connection
• Full manual exposure functions

Special Features

• Dual media slots for both xD Picture cards and CompactFlash cards
• ISO sensitivity to 1,600
• Image Stabilization mode
• Broadcast quality Movie mode with sound
• Voice memo recording
• In-camera image cropping
• Tiltable LCD monitor
• Hot shoe

In the Box

The FinePix S9100 ships with the following items in the box:

• FinePix S9100 digicam
• Four AA alkaline batteries
• Shoulder strap
• Lens cap
• Lens cap holder
• Lens cap strap
• Lens hood
• USB cable
• AV cable
• Two CD-ROMs with FinePix software, and Hyper-Utility software
• Owner’s Manual

Powered by Canon’s DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection Technology improves focus, exposure and flash output for people shots while the new Red-Eye Correction feature effectively solves red-eye problems in captured photos. An increased sensitivity range of ISO 80-1600 complements the optical IS system for extended low light performance.

Add the expanded selection of 22 shooting modes ranges from automatic to full Manual mode and includes Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority and a user-defined Custom mode. The My Category function simplifies image management by automatically tagging images with categories – such as People, Scenery and Events – based on face detection and the shooting mode selected.

Read reviews CNET / DPreview / DCResource / Luminous Landscape /

BUY Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS 8.0MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

SHOP BH Photo - - - SHOP ADORAMA

The new S5 IS features an eight megapixel 1/2.5″ (5.8 x 4.3 mm) CCD sensor and a twelve times Image Stabilized zoom lens. Unfortunately this lens, while offering long reach with its maximum 432 mm equiv. FOV doesn’t improve at the wide end with the same 36 mm equiv. FOV as the S3 IS. Improvements include Face Detection (for AF, AE and Flash in shooting mode and red-eye removal in playback), a 2.5″ LCD monitor (up on the S3 IS) and a flash hot-shoe. Still no RAW support though.

• 12x optical zoom lens with Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and UD lens
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• 8.0 Megapixel CCD
• DIGIC III with advanced Noise Reduction technology and Face Detection for stills and movies
• Red-Eye Correction in playback
• 2.5” high-resolution vari-angle LCD
• Long-play VGA movies with stereo sound and Photo in Movie
• 22 shooting modes including full manual control and 0cm Super Macro
• High ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• Compatible with Wide/Tele/Close-up converter lenses and Canon EX Speedlite flashes

Cnet’s The good: Tons of manual and automatic features; well-laid-out controls; solid body; nice LCD display.

Cnet’s The bad: Lens aberrations and vignetting; some processing artifacts; lacks raw file support; redesigned lens cap still pops off

The Sony H9 camera takes fast-action shooting a step further. It sports a 3-inch, flip-up LCD screen so that you can shoot comfortably from nearly any position. The H7 camera has a non-articulating but large 2.5-inch LCD screen for easy sharing and viewing. The Sony H9 camera is the only Cyber-shot model in this year’s line to feature NightShot technology. This feature allows you to take photographs in environments with virtually no light so you won’t miss the action, even at a late night game.The Sony DSC-H9 and DSC-H7 run about $480 and $400, respectively.

Both cameras feature powerful Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lenses, both are powered by the Bionz processing engine, first used in Sony’s Alpha digital SLR camera system. The Sony H9 and H7 cameras incorporate Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization to minimize blur caused by camera shake. Their high sensitivity, up to ISO3200, also helps to fight blur resulting from fast-moving subjects.

What’s The Difference?

The H9 camera takes fast-action shooting a step further. It sports a 3-inch, flip-up LCD screen so that you can shoot comfortably from nearly any position. The H7 camera has a non-articulating but large 2.5-inch LCD screen for easy sharing and viewing.

The H9 camera is the only Cyber-shot model in this year’s line to feature NightShot® technology. It is grainy and good for a fun shot only.

Sony includes version 2.0 of their Picture Motion Browser software with the DSC-H9. This software is Windows only, so Mac users will want to use iPhoto or Image Capture to get photos off of the camera.

Read reviews at DPreview / DCResource DSC-H9 / Camera Labs / Let’s Go Digital DSC-H9 - DSC-H7 /

Buy Sony Cybershot DSC-H9 8MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Image Stabilization Zoom

Buy Sony Cybershot DSC-H7 8.1MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical Image Stabilization Zoom

It’s a winning combination of Leica optical zoom lenses of up to 12x (35mm to 420mm in 35mm format), and Panasonic’s rock-steady MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), along with 10.1 megapixels, the Venus Engine III LSI image processor, a maximum ISO 3,200 light sensitivity rating, and the new Intelligent ISO Control (IIC). But is it worth the $600 price when dSLRs can be had for the same?

It’s not a camera to be secreted in a pocket either. At 26.53 ounces, it’s a heavy camera!

Read reviews at DPreview / Camera Labs / Imaging-Resource / DCResource /

BUY now Panasonic DMC-FZ50K 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

Fujifilm has one of the largest optical zooms on a superzoom camera to date (27mm-486mm equivalent). The 8-MegaPixel, SLR-styled camera also features ‘Dual Image Stabilization,’ plus ISO settings of up to ISO6400 (at 50% resolution) , a 2.5″ screen, digital and mechanical image stabilization (CCD sensor shift). Released September 2007 for $399

Read reviews at FujiFilm / Let’s Go Digital / PopPhoto /

Buy now Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd 8MP Digital Camera with 18x Optical Image Stabilization

• i-Flash Intelligent Flash: i-Flash (Intelligent Flash) detects subtle lighting differences within a scene and then varies the flash intensity accordingly. It also leverages the high sensitivity of the FinePix S8000fd to enable the camera to use less flash, resulting in an image that displays pleasing, natural tones without a “washed-out” effect. And with an automatic pop-up flash, it’s always ready when you need it.
• Full Manual Photographic Control: Gives the user total control with manual adjustment options for settings on the camera (resolution, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc), and is desirable by the photo enthusiasts/advanced photographers.
• Movie Mode: Capture VGA quality action clips in 640×480 resolution at 30 fps with sound. Great for when you’re out and you don’t have your video camera on-hand.
• Scene modes: A wide range of more than a dozen pre-programmed scene modes provides top-quality photos in a range of shooting conditions.
• High-Speed Continuous Shooting Modes: Action comes at you fast. With four speed options, the S8000fd has the ability to capture up to 15 frames per second (at 2 MP resolution) and never misses the shot.
• High Resolution LCD: The 2.5″ LCD display offers 230k pixels of resolution with an astonishing 60 fps refresh rate for smooth viewing.
• Electronic Viewfinder (EVF): Rather than framing your shots with the 2.5″ high resolution LCD, the S8000fd offers an electronic viewfinder to eye up the best shot with an astonishing 60 fps refresh rate for smooth viewing.
• xD / SD / SD-HC Compatible slot: A new single media slot accepts not only Fujifilm’s traditional xD-Picture Cards but also Secure Digital (SD) and SD-High Capacity (SD-HC) cards too.
• Operates on 4xAA Batteries: The ultimate in convenience and accessibility, using AA batteries means in a pinch, more batteries are just moments away.
• BROWSE MY AMAZON aSTORE

Coming October 15th 2007, Canon’s new PowerShot SX100 IS superzoom camera has a 10x optical zoom lens, Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), an extended grip, takes AA batteries, and is light and small. This first of the new SX series, it comes with a bunch of fun features like a DIGIC III image processor, face detection, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen.

It can do VGA movies in two 30fps recording modes (high-quality and lower quality to reduce file sizes) and it can shoot up to one hour or 4GB per clip. Add 19 shooting modes of Full Auto, Program, Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority and Manual, as well as special scene modes such as Portrait, Landscape, Night scene, Sports and Kids & Pets.

A cool new function is the in-camera Image Resize function. This will allow us to downsize images to 1600×1200, 640×480 and 320×240 sizes direct from the camera – also helpful when memory space is limited.

The PowerShot SX100 IS superzoom camera will be available in black or silver, and the camera kit includes two AA batteries, a 16MB MMC plus memory card, a USB cable, an AV cable, a neck strap, and Canon’s software suite.

I am eagerly awaiting the first hands-on reviews and sample shots for this one! Estimated price: $300.

Read previews at DCviews / DPreview / Canon SX100 Page / DCResource /

BUY the new Canon PowerShot SX100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 10X Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

• 10x optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer
• 8.0 Megapixels
• DIGIC III image processor
• Face Detection Technology enhanced with new Face Select
• Track function and dedicated Face Selector button
• Canon’s total anti-blur solution with ISO 1600
• Auto ISO Shift
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• Improved Red-Eye Correction in playback
• 2.5” LCD screen
• 18 shooting modes including full manual control
• Digital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom

The Olympus SP-560 UZ is the successor to the SP-550 UZ which also sported the amazing 18x zoom. Now the larger sensor has shifted a bit to the wide angle with 27- 486 mm.

8 Mega Pixel Digital Camera - 18x Wide-Angle Lens, Dual Image Stabilization, 8.0 Megapixels, 2.5″ High-Resolution LCD, Face Detection, Perfect Shot Preview, LCD Backlight Boost Button, 15fps Sequential Shooting, In-Camera Panorama, TruePicTM III Image Pro.

Read Reviews at Olympus America / Let’s Go Digital / Digital Camera Info / DPreview / Buy Olympus SP-560UZ 8MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 18x Optical Zoom

• 18x optical zoom (equivalent to 27-486mm on a 35mm camera) 1:2.8-4.5 – for extreme close ups to stunning scenes plus 5.6x digital zoom
• Avoids blur thanks to Dual Image Stabilisation
• Don’t miss the moment with high-speed sequence shooting (15fps*) and pre-capture mode*
• Face Detection Technology for perfectly focused and exposed faces plus correct exposure of other image areas
• Great for shots of flowers & detail as close as 1cm with Super Macro mode
• P/A/S/M exposure modes for creative freedom
• 24 scene modes (e.g. Smile Shot, Underwater Wide and Macro) for best results in different situations
• 8.0 Megapixels to make poster-size prints
• See and share images on the 6.4cm/2.5” LCD (230,000 pixel resolution)
• Shadow Adjustment Technology to brighten shadowy areas in a composition
• Better low light shooting thanks to BrightCapture Technology
• Liven up memories with movie recording with sound
• TruePic III image processor for faster image handling and higher image quality
• Underwater shooting up to water pressure equivalent of 40m possible in combination with optional underwater case PT-037
• 25 languages on board
• Dioptric correction
• Internal memory and xD-Picture Card slot
• Supplied with Olympus Master software 2.03 including Muvee Pack trial version plus four AA batteries
• TCON-017 teleconversion lens and CLA-10 adapter ring optionally available for maximum focal length of 826mm (or 4626mm when combined with digital zoom)

–Buy Olympus SP-560UZ 8MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 18x Optical Zoom