Camera Labs Buyer's Guide:
the best super-zoom digital cameras

If you’re shopping for a super-zoom digital camera, you’ve come to the right place! At Camera Labs we provide in-depth reviews but understand you’re busy people who sometimes just want recommendations of the most outstanding products.

So here we cut to the chase and list the best models around right now. We’ve fully tested each one and there’s links to our reviews for more details – and to see an actual demonstration of their highlights, be sure to check out our video tours.

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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 is an 8.1 Megapixel super-zoom with an 18x optically stabilised lens. The FZ18 may be styled like the pricier FZ50, but is much smaller and lighter in the flesh and ideal if you want a compact super-zoom which still has a grip. There’s no flash hotshoe or flip-out screen of the FZ50, but there’s still full manual control, easy access to settings and impressively for its price, a RAW mode. The 18x range gives you great flexibility from 28mm wide angle to extreme 504mm telephoto and unlike rivals, there's little fringing when zoomed-in. It's one of the best super-zooms available, but if 36mm is wide enough and you can live without face detection, consider the cheaper Lumix FZ8.

Pros: 18x zoom with stabilisation, RAW mode, great controls.
Cons: Noise visible across ISO range. Screen doesn't flip.
Overall: The FZ18 is one of the best super-zooms available.

Panasonic is the current leader in super-zooms and the Lumix FZ50 is its flagship model. The FZ50 sports 10 Megapixel resolution and a 12x optical range operated by a quick and tactile manual zoom ring. The range may not be as wide or long as the Sony H9, Olympus SP-550UZ or even its own FZ18, but the stabilisation works well and there’s also a fully flip-out and twistable screen, support for RAW, along with a proper TTL hotshoe for external flashguns. Like all super-zooms, the quality is great at 100 ISO, but quickly deteriorates with smearing of fine detail at 200 ISO and above. It remains one of the most serious super-zooms though and a great choice if you need an external flash.

Pros: 12x zoom with stabilisation, flip-out screen, flash hotshoe
Cons: Smearing of detail, lens not as wide as rival models
Overall: The FZ50 is very powerful, but best used at 100 ISO

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 is an 8.1 Megapixel super-zoom with a powerful 15x focal range equivalent to 31-465mm. This allows the H9 to get a little wider and a little closer than Panasonic’s FZ8 and FZ50, and like all the cameras on this page, makes the range usable with optical image stabilisation. As a Sony it’s packed with gadgetry including a huge 3in screen which flips out and a Night Shot mode which lets you take pictures in complete darkness. Overly aggressive noise reduction can smear out fine detail, but it’s still a great overall camera and one of the fastest in its class.

Pros: 15x zoom with stabilisation, 3in screen, quick focusing.
Cons: Smearing of detail, coloured fringing, limited quality settings
Overall: Some image quality issues, but still a great super-zoom

The Olympus SP-550UZ is a 7.1 Megapixel super-zoom and the first to offer a massive 18x optical range - that's equivalent to 28-504mm, getting both wider and longer than many rivals. Like the other super-zooms here it offers image stabilisation, but instead of optics, it shifts the sensor. The build quality is superb and there’s a RAW mode, but the screen doesn’t flip-out, the images can be soft when fully zoomed-in, and there’s both visible fringing and reduced quality much beyond 200 ISO. But the SP-550UZ offers a highly versatile optical range in a very compact and well-built shell and should be considered by anyone shopping for a super-zoom.

Pros:18x zoom with stabilisation, great design and build quality
Cons:Images can look soft and there’s coloured fringing
Overall:Some image quality issues, but still a good super-zoom