The new Olympus SZ-12 is an ambitious addition to the company’s S-series of cameras. Normally “travel-zoom” models of this type clock in at around 10 – 15x, but the SZ-12 pushes the envelope way out to an impressive 24×. This worries us, since image quality has a tendency to suffer as zoom increases, but we won’t know for sure until we get this camera into the lab.

For now, the SZ-12 is an intriguing camera to watch. When it becomes available in March, the SZ-12 will boast an extensive feature set, an attractive exterior, and a tempting price point.