24x or more: megazooms attack!

Need a lot of zoom? These five have zoom lenses that go out to 24x or beyond.

Joshua Goldman

Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.

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Joshua Goldman

Aug. 14, 2009 1:38 p.m. PT

1 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Nikon Coolpix P100

The good: Solid design; overflowing with photo, movie features; very fast shooting performance for its class.

The bad: Photo, video quality is weakest part of the package.

The bottom line: There's a lot to like about the Nikon Coolpix P100, but you'll need to keep your photo quality expectations in check to really enjoy it.

CNET editors' rating: 7.6

Read the full review.

2 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Olympus SP-590 UZ

The good: MyMode holds four groups of custom settings.

The bad: Image noise and softness even at low ISO sensitivities.

The bottom line: Aside from a debatably useful 26x zoom lens, there's little that's notable about the Olympus SP-590 UZ.

CNET editors' rating: 6.8

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3 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Pentax X70

The good: Sharper photos than most megazoom cameras; plenty of shooting options; straightforward operation.

The bad: Slow performance; no full-resolution continuous shooting; crippled HD movie recording; noise even at lowest ISO sensitivities.

The bottom line: Slow performance and photo quality concerns stop the otherwise very good Pentax X70 from being a winning megazoom.

CNET editors' rating: 7.0

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4 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Nikon Coolpix P90

The good: Relatively speedy; tiltable LCD; two custom settings slots on mode dial.

The bad: Subpar photo quality; poor battery life.

The bottom line: While the Nikon Coolpix P90 brings its performance up to speed with the rest of its class, it now falls behind in photo quality.

CNET editors' rating: 7.0

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5 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Kodak EasyShare Z980

The good: Good, vibrant color; lots of shooting options, manual controls; hot shoe for add-on flash; includes rechargeable AA batteries.

The bad: Clunky design; noisy photos.

The bottom line: The Kodak EasyShare Z980 has a lot to offer--including a wide-angle 24x zoom lens--but you'll have to overlook its clunky design and noisy photos.

CNET editors' rating: 6.8

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