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General discussion

travel/compact megazoom camera comparison

May 30, 2011 4:55PM PDT

hi everyone,
im interested in purchasing a compact megazoom camera
i am considering a few models but dont yet know which one is the better choice.
the 4 models im considering are:
- sony hx9v
- panasonic zs10/tz20
- nikon s9100
- canon sx230

Discussion is locked

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by the way...
May 31, 2011 7:10AM PDT

i saw that olympus has a new compact megazoom camera: sz30mr (with a 24x zoom, 16mp bsi cmos sensor), does anyone know anything about it and how is it compared to the others stated before?

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Comparison
May 31, 2011 8:30AM PDT

I would not want to choose only one since they are so much alike.

I looked at the specifications side by side and two things caught my eye:.

1. Only the Canon and Panasonic have Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority.
... Any Intermediate photographer wants both.

2. If you are wanting a GPS (global positioning system) only the Canon, Panasonic and Sony have GP.

Regarding the Olympus, I would want to see sample photos before choosing it.

..

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If it is any help...
Jun 1, 2011 1:22AM PDT

...here is a group test of last year's travel zoom cameras:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/

As Snapshot2 points out, the current crop of cameras are all very similar. I wouldn't read too much into reviews about photo quality. All of these camera use the same of very similar parts and technology, and you would have to look very carefully to see any differences in photos produced by each of them. If you never print larger than 8 x 10, or only look at them so they fit a typical computer screen, you may not see a difference at all.