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There is a class of cameras popularly called "Superzooms". These are fixed lens cameras with small sensors and very broad zoom ranges. At the long end their reach goes out to between 600mm and 800+mm. And therein lies their appeal. In a size about the same as an entry-level DSLR one gets a camera with a focal range of between 27 – 810mm (in the case of the new Sony HX-100V). One also gets video capability and, typically, a wide range of speciality features. Oh yes – and all of this for a price under about $500.

But There's a Catch
So –What's the catch?, you might ask. Simple – the sensor is very small; typically a 1/2.3" CMOS device measuring 4.55 X 6.17mm. Compared to a Four Thirds sensor at 13 X 17.3mm, or an APS-C at about 15.5 X 23.4mm, let alone full frame at 24 X 36mm, this is really mini-ville. Just as with most pocket cameras.
Of course the reason that cameras like this can have 30X zoom lenses is exactly because their sensors are so small. A DSL...

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Michael Reichmann
Michael Reichmann
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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.
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