Superzoom cameras: To infinity, and beyond!

Although it was mentioned that the best zoom lenses are your legs, we don't deny the fact that having extra reach comes in handy at times. Do you think wildlife photographers were inches away from the tiger when they snapped a shot of it feeding? They probably shot it with a telephoto lens from their jeeps. Well, we're not in the jungle, so a megazoom camera should do just fine. The purists will tell you that at the long end of lenses, chances are you'll get blurry shots. We got that figured out already, so zoom in on the five megazoom shooters we've locked on.

Click here for a feature comparison table.

	1.	Nikon Coolpix P80   Nikon hailed its P80 as the world's smallest 18x zoom camera, and tipping the scales at just 365g, it could possibly be one of the lightest as well. The shooter sports a 10.1-megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD display and a maximum ISO sensitivity of 6,400. Shooting sports from the grandstand? Zoom in and snap up to 30 shots at 13 frames per second with the P80. Watch the video here. See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Olympus SP-570UZ   Travelers, this one is for you. The 10-megapixel SP-570UZ is touted by Olympus to have "the body of an ultra-zoom. Soul of a dSLR". It is not difficult to see why, given that this shooter has 20x optical zoom and full manual control. The lens is widest at 26mm, and if you zoom in all the way, it gives a reach of 520mm. Do I hear the safari calling? See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Fujifilm FinePix S100FS   Although the S100FS' zoom is a little bit weak at 14.3x compared with the rest, the extensive controls and shooting modes can satisfy even the advanced photographers. The build of this 11-megapixel shooter is pretty much like a dSLR, but with the advantage of a 2.5-inch tilting LCD screen. It also boasts the new Super CCD VIII "HR" and RP Processor III image-processing engine, which Fujifilm promises 400 percent extended dynamic range. See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd   The S8100fd houses an 18x optical zoom, 10-megapixel sensor and face detection that Fujifilm claims to work across the entire 27 to 480mm zoom range. The Super Macro mode lets you get as close as 1cm to your subject so every detail will be shown in its full glory. The compact form makes it easy to lug this point-and-shoot around for a day of shooting. See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1   First take Launching a 6-megapixel "bridge" camera (one that sits between compacts and dSLRs) is a brave move for Casio, especially now that 10-megapixel dSLRs can be bought for less than half that. But the hefty EX-F1 has much to be proud of, from a stabilized 12x zoom lens to record-breaking high-speed modes that can shoot at a mind-boggling 1,200 frames per second for video capture. First take | See full specs | Rate this