Superzoom camera group: Real world comparison

On this page you'll find the first of our 'real world' comparison shots taken with each of the cameras in the group. Click on the thumbnail to see the full image.

• All taken from the same tripod position at approximately 35mm equivalent focal length
• Auto White Balance and auto (program) exposure
• Base ISO (lowest setting)

Base ISO Landscape comparison (all cameras at approx 35mm equivalent focal length)

Canon SX10 IS ISO 80	FujiFilm S2000HD ISO 100	FujiFilm S8100fd ISO 64
Nikon P80 ISO 64	Olympus SP-565UZ ISO 64	Panasonic FZ28 ISO 100
Sony H50 ISO 100

Base ISO Landscape 100% crops:

Note that for this group we've included two crops; the additional (lower) crop shows each camera's ability to capture fine low contrast detail.

Canon SX10 IS ISO 80	FujiFilm S2000HD ISO 100	FujiFilm S8100fd ISO 64
Nikon P80 ISO 64	Olympus SP-565UZ ISO 64	Panasonic FZ28 ISO 100
Sony H50 ISO 100

As with the other group tests it should be said that, although we took the images as closely together as possible, the winter weather does mean that some images are slightly more cloudy than others.

Despite this, most of the cameras have produced very consistent renditions of the scene - the Sony, Panasonic, Canon and Nikon have produced virtually identical color responses. The Olympus has interpreted the sky as being slightly warmer than we'd like (we've not been impressed with Olympus's daylight auto white balance in any of these group tests), but the color isn't 'wrong' enough to be a issue. The Fujifilm cameras aren't perfect either. The S2000HD in particular has produced a very cool image, with the stone of Tower Bridge losing its warmth and even the clouds starting to develop a cyan hue.

Looking at the pictures in closer detail, the difference between the best and worst in the group is unlikely to be visible unless you're producing prints big enough to frame. The Canon and the Panasonic are producing the most detail (though the Canon exhibits the telltale signs of over-sharpening), closely followed by the Sony H50. The Fujifilm models (S2000HD in particular) and the Nikon and Olympus are all pretty soft with strong evidence of noise reduction smearing away fine detail (something all the cameras in this group exhibit to some degree).

The other thing likely to detract from large prints is chromatic aberration (the colored fringes that appear on high-contrast edges, particularly towards the edge of the frame). The Sony is the biggest sinner here, with both it and the Canon showing pronounced magenta and green CA that risks being visible in prints. It's essentially a non-issue for the other cameras on test here. Indeed, it's so well controlled on some of the cameras that we suspect a degree of in-camera processing is taking place.

Telephoto (long end of zoom)

This is less of a direct comparison as the cameras have slightly different focal length ranges, but gives you an idea of the kind of range offered (these were shot from the same tripod position as the previous shots).

Canon SX10 IS ISO 80	FujiFilm S2000HD ISO 100	FujiFilm S8100fd ISO 64
Nikon P80 ISO 64	Olympus SP-565UZ ISO 64	Panasonic FZ28 ISO 100
Sony H50 ISO 100

The telephoto capabilities of these cameras vary from 414mm to 560mm (in 35mm film terms), but it's only really the 414mm of the Fujifilm S2000HD that stands out as being significantly shorter than the rest. The only time we noticed a practical difference between the 486mm equiv offered by the Nikon, Fujifilm S8100fd and Panasonic and the 560mm of the Canon was when trying to shoot small birds in the wild. Even then, the truth is that unless you can get really close even 560mm equiv. isn't enough (and that's before you deal with the problems associated with holding such a long lens and the rather poor focus speed of all such cameras).

With the exception of the Panasonic, all the cameras show some degree of CA at the long end of the zoom but at this extreme, it's only really the Fujifilm S8100fd where there's any real risk of it being noticeable, and even then only on large prints. Overall the level of detail is impressive, considering how far away the subject it (none of the fine architectural detail is visible with the naked eye from the original shooting position). However, these shots were taken using a tripod and the ability to get such sharp shots hand-held will depend to a large extent on having enough light, a steady enough hand and the effectiveness of the image stabilization system.

Wideangle

With the exception of the Sony H50, all the cameras in this group offer at least a 28mm equivalent field of view. In comparison to most compact cameras, the H50's 31mm equiv. would be perfectly adequate but its superzoom peers all offer greater flexibility (and 1mm at the wide end of things will have a much greater impact on the versatility of a camera than a handful of extra mm reach at the telephoto end of zooms this long). To put it in context, the 26mm offered by the Olympus is wider than the standard lenses that come with most DSLRs. As you'll see if you download the full size images, there's very little sharpness drop off at the edges even at the widest zoom setting with any of these cameras.

Canon SX10 IS 28mm equiv.	FujiFilm S2000HD 28mm equiv.	FujiFilm S8100fd 27mm equiv.
Nikon P80 27mm equiv.	Olympus SP-565UZ 26mm equiv.	Panasonic FZ28 27mm equiv.
Sony H50 31mm equiv.