Zoom is the 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom good? And I was looking for a digital camera that has a large screen and with a 6+ zoom, but I haven't spotted one yet, and I wish this Canon would have a larger screen. Zoom is the 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom good? And I was looking for a digital camera that has a large screen and with a 6+ zoom, but I haven't spotted one yet, and I wish this Canon... » Read More Zoom is the 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom good? And I was looking for a digital camera that has a large screen and with a 6+ zoom, but I haven't spotted one yet, and I wish this Canon would have a larger screen. « Show Less
1549938
Yes, it's excellent. As an example, I took some photos today while bouncing around on a wagon being pulled by a tractor off road. I was zoomed in on my subject and the shots were crystal clear. This is a truly awesome camera!! The photos are stunning and the image stabilizer is great. I take photos daily and have taken hundreds since I got it and I don't think I've had one blurry shot in any condition. The color is stunning, photos are so sharp and clear. The zoom is excellent on this camera, as is the lens. You won't regret it if you buy it. Highly recommend.
1254698
The number o megapixals is only part of the what makes a good camera.This camera supports 24p in the video. records at 240fps in video. has panorama built into camera, is a CMOS vs most cheaper being CCD, It has a higher resolution screen at 461 dots , 20x Zoom, The light sensitivity is 3,200ISO vs others at 800 ISO, It shoots more pictures faster than less expensive cameras 3.2 Photos ps. I frequently shoot photos while Horse Riding, This camera gives me much crisper photos. Other cameras I've owned always seemed to be slightly blurred because the horse just won't hold totally still. Because of this cameras faster speed, my photos turn out much better than most 16m cameras. The number o megapixals is only part of the what makes a good camera.This camera supports 24p in the video. records at 240fps in video. has panorama built into camera, is a CMOS vs most cheaper being CCD, It has a higher resolution screen at 461 dots , 20x Zoom, The light sensitivity is 3,200ISO vs others at 800 ISO, It shoots more pictures faster than less expensive cameras 3.2 Photos ps. I frequently shoot photos while Horse Riding, This camera gives me much crisper photos. Other cameras I've owned always seemed to be slightly blurred because the horse just won't hold totally still.... » Read More The number o megapixals is only part of the what makes a good camera.This camera supports 24p in the video. records at 240fps in video. has panorama built into camera, is a CMOS vs most cheaper being CCD, It has a higher resolution screen at 461 dots , 20x Zoom, The light sensitivity is 3,200ISO vs others at 800 ISO, It shoots more pictures faster than less expensive cameras 3.2 Photos ps. I frequently shoot photos while Horse Riding, This camera gives me much crisper photos. Other cameras I've owned always seemed to be slightly blurred because the horse just won't hold totally still. Because of this cameras faster speed, my photos turn out much better than most 16m cameras. « Show Less
1279646
The zoom is amazing for what I use the camera for, getting pictures of wildlife. I have not used the 100x clear image so I can't comment on it. I already have more than 2000 pictures with the 50x zoom and will continue using it until a larger zoom is available.
1055144
Yes. I just got mine and have been reading the manual and watching demos and reading reviews. Zoom works when shooting video, optical up to 5X and then digital up to 20X. (I am shooting video at 1280x720 which is HD enough for me.) Also I understand that the automagic settings continue to adjust continually while taking the video, and the image stabilization is just beyond awesome - I have a hand tremor that you would think would be extremely noticeable in a video and there is no hint of it. I am in awe of this thing.
70969
I have had problems with this camera, doing things like that. Seems like a good little camera if you don't try to zoom but the image stability feature doesn't work well. Any zoom at all and the picture blurs. I have found that if I want to take pictures that are going to need zoom then I take it on the highest number pixel available and use a program to zoom in on the part that I want, later.
775711
sorry, did not see this until now. Hope you bought the lens - awesome. It has image stabilization 3 choices off and 2 on's. one for vertical and one for horizontal movement. Here are some butterflies I photo'd with it. www.patricialamphotography.com/flowers/flowers (yes twice on flowers) first 3 photos. very sharp. Wish my Canon 85 mm f1.4 and 24-70 f2.8 had image stabilization. Sorry for the delay
1089980
i too had problems with blurring and out of focus shots, ive used the camera a lot recently, and was getting annoyed that close up shots were rubbish, until a friend said try turning off the image stabilizer, i did, close up pics look much sharper, i only use the stabilzer now for long zoom shots, isnt that what its suppose to be for anyway, maybe it aint suppose to be on all the time
2179928
It is observable by real people like me. I have canon SX10, which is super zoom 20X. You can't even compare this more or less recent camera to my old horse DSLR Nikon D50. Quality of the image isn't simply there. DSLR is always producing better images than super zoom compact, always.
1167968
There is a digital zoom but no optical zoom. Meaning, if you zoom in you loose quality--you loose resolution. This is not a problem if you record video at a higher rate than you are publishing.
1711775
No issue with the full 20x optical zoom. Suggest that you run a test under ideal condition i.e. with the camera on a tripod. You will get degradation when using the digital zoom at or near the max zoom.
1820223
Just purchased the Canon SX40. It is truly amazing. There are not too many boats out on the ice right now, but I think it will do what I want. The picture quality is fantastic. Shortcomings? Since I'm a newbie I don't understand why some pics are blurry and others not; but that is probably more my inexperience than the camera. Also, it shoots 1080 video only at 24 fps. This is still pretty good, but there are some situations where a moving video is less crisp. But I could always switch to non HD if I choose, and have 30 fps that way. Thanks for your help.
891038
I'm not positive because I just bought this one. However, there were some out there when I bought this one. It is very nice. I would say that the only drawback is that it has to be very still when taking the picture. Otherwise, it is amazing the amount of zoom you can get. Enjoy!
1225469
Best to experiment, the numbers in the spec mean nothing until you get out there and start shooting. The beautiful resolution of the pictures means that your zoom will mean more but there are limits. This is not a professional camera where the lens is a separate entity that can be adjusted. It was designed for the point and chute amateur who does not want to mess with a lens. But it is remarkable in it capabilities but depends greatly on how you plan to use it.
957979
Thank you for your comment. I found it very helpful. I naturally prefer Canon but really want the wide-angle offered in this Sony camcorder. Canon missed the boat on wide angle in my view.
963337
Outperforms the 70-300 VR in that is can zoom back to 28mm. That is why it is twice the price. It does not produce better images between 70 and 300mm. I would chose the 70-300 for the longest shots, and the 28-300 for shorter. Both lenses are as professional as the person using them, do not be impressed by reviewers waving wads of bills at you, because like a Violin, a Camera/lens is only as good as the user!
182601
Jake,I wanted a camera that I could put in my pocket instead of lugging around my SLR equipment. I had the canon s95 before this which was slightly smaller took great shots but has a small zoom. This camera for its flexibility as far as manual controls, great picture quality, more than adequate video and of course 20x optical is a as good as it gets for the price. Depends on what you are looking for however. There are many times I cant tell the difference between the shots I have taken with my more advanced equipment and this one. Very pleased with my purchase. Feel free to ask me any other questions .Milt Jake,I wanted a camera that I could put in my pocket instead of lugging around my SLR equipment. I had the canon s95 before this which was slightly smaller took great shots but has a small zoom. This camera for its flexibility as far as manual controls, great picture quality, more than adequate video and of course 20x optical is a as good as it gets for the price. Depends on what you are looking for however. There are many times I cant tell the difference between the shots I have taken with my more advanced equipment and this one. Very pleased with my purchase. Feel free to ask me any... » Read More Jake,I wanted a camera that I could put in my pocket instead of lugging around my SLR equipment. I had the canon s95 before this which was slightly smaller took great shots but has a small zoom. This camera for its flexibility as far as manual controls, great picture quality, more than adequate video and of course 20x optical is a as good as it gets for the price. Depends on what you are looking for however. There are many times I cant tell the difference between the shots I have taken with my more advanced equipment and this one. Very pleased with my purchase. Feel free to ask me any other questions .Milt « Show Less
1649318
Has anyone seen any actual reviews of this camera as opposed to marketing spec lists? Sometimes I've seen pre-production models of cameras that get reviewed prior to actual release. It is the low light ability claims of the Nikon that I'll need to see put to the test. That's probably the biggest Achilles heel of all these superzooms. It may have a CMOS sensor (which explains the burst speed of this camera) but it is still the same small size sensor as all the superzooms so I'm dubious about any huge improvement in low light. All of the previous versions of this new crop of superzooms (Nikon, Sony, Fuji) only got a flat four star rating in Amazon while the Panasonic FZ35 and FZ40 both are at 4.6. This new group has longer zooms than the Pansonics but I need to know if the picture quality is improved in any way.