Introduction

Super-zoom cameras have long been the butt of jokes here at the office, as the market continues to demand ever-longer zoom ratios, and manufacturers are forced to respond. The results are long-zoom cameras with magnification capabilities that were already silly a year ago, and have since passed full ridiculousness.

The reason why we smirk at these cameras is because when zoom ratio goes up, image quality has a tendency to take a nosedive. That's not always the case, Panasonic's FZ series is immune, and so is today's review: the PowerShot SX50 HS. This camera is far more than its 50x gimmick, it tested very well, and the shooting experience is a lot of fun.

The SX50 is available in black for $479.99.