Today we're reviewing two cameras with monster zooms. First up, the Canon SX50 HS has a record-breaking 50x zoom lens (24-1200 mm!) twinned with a 12-Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. The Olympus SP-820 UZ, meanwhile, offers a 40x zoom lens (22.4-896 mm) and a 14-Megapixel CMOS sensor in a relatively low-cost camera with no viewfinder.

The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has the most powerful built-in zoom lens on the market right now—although that record will no doubt get broken in 2013. The Olympus Stylus SP-820 UZ has a 40x zoom lens and promises a very wide 22.4 mm wide-angle setting. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Review

And now it's time for another bridge camera with a record-breaking zoom. This year's record-holder is the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, which has knocked the Nikon Coolpix P510 (42x) off the top spot with its 50x zoom lens. The Canon SX50 HS has a focal range of 24-1200 mm starting at a very wide-angle setting and ending at a monster telephoto. On top of that, you get a BSI CMOS sensor, a swivel screen and Full HD video. Sounds promising!

Handling

In terms of looks, the SX50 HS still has plenty in common with the previous model—the Canon SX40 HS—but some design features have been updated. The SX50 HS is still a very plastic camera. The new deeper grip handle makes the 2012 model easier to keep hold of than the SX40 HS, but some kind of rubbery panel or finish would have further improved handling. It's also a little surprising to see that the buttons on this camera aren't all the same—the playback and video buttons are set flush to the camera body, while other buttons, like Disp and Menu, are domed and easier to press.

The screen has the same kind of issues we saw with the SX40 HS display. In other words, colour fidelity isn't up to much, the colour temperature is slightly to blue, and the excessive contrast overexposes light greys.

The camera's interface feels just like the SX40 to use.  Responsiveness3/5

The SX50 HS is generally more responsive than the previous model, which is actually pretty surprising given its monster zoom lens! It doesn't perform quite as well in low light, however.

The burst mode is decent too, with continuous shooting at 3.4 fps in Jpeg mode. For RAW shots, however, this drops to one frame per second, but thankfully the camera doesn't freeze up while saving a burst of shots.

When shooting with the camera in real-life situations, we found that the autofocus lacked responsiveness and didn't lock onto subjects particularly well at very long focal lengths. Picture Quality

The SX50 HS uses the same internal electronics as the SX40 HS, with a 12-Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, but the 2012 model comes with a new lens, upped from a 35x zoom to a 50x zoom. The focal range isn't all that's been upped in the SX50 either, as the ISO sensitivity settings now span from 80 to 6400 ISO.

The sensor's performance hasn't changed a bit. A good level of detail is maintained up to 800 ISO and—like with the SX40 HS—strong smoothing kicks in to wipe out detail upwards of 1600 ISO. Both in out test scene and in real-life situations, this camera tends to shoot highly contrasted images with bright, light areas that sometimes look overexposed. Note too that the SX50 HS has a RAW mode, which makes images considerably easier to post-edit with software like Lightroom or Aftershot.

As for the lens, at wide-angle, sharpness levels are very good in the middle of the image. However, quality drops a little more quickly around the edges of the frame than was the case with the SX40. In our SX40 HS review, we wrote a whole section (in the inset box) about just how well chromatic aberration had been corrected compared with the SX30. We were therefore only too surprised to see the return of chromatic aberration with the lens at mid-zoom settings in the SX50—it's even visible on 4 x 6" shots (11 x 15 cm). All in all, the SX50 lacks a little sharpness compared with the SX40 or the Panasonic FZ200. The 50x zoom lens is certainly an attractive feature and has no real competitor on the market right now. Video

The SX50 HS video mode is lifted straight out of the SX40, filming in Full HD resolution at 24 frames per second with stereo sound. The video image also inherits a rather aggressive contrast from its predecessors, which overexposes bright, light areas and blocks up darker, shadowy zones.

The stereo sound is effective. It's possible to take a photo while filming video, but you end up seeing the AF assist light and the camera focusing in your final video. Olympus SP-820 UZ Review

A camera with a 40x lens and a CMOS sensor for under £250? Handling

Entry-level bridges generally aren't the most impressively built cameras out there. The main selling point here is the zoom, so once a manufacturer has bought itself a zoom lens, there's not much money left over to spend on fancy materials, finishes or screens. Under the handle you'll find a rather disappointing battery compartment (see inset).

It's no surprise to see that this camera has a TN-type LCD screen. The SP-820 has the same basic interface as other recent Olympus cameras. Responsiveness

The burst mode unfortunately lets the side down here. Picture Quality

The Stylus SP-820 UZ has a brand new set of specs, with a 14-Megapixel CMOS sensor (not a BSI CMOS, however!)—like the Fuji XP150—and a 40x zoom with a wide-angle setting of 22.4 mm ... according to Olympus. While smoothing is visible from 400 ISO, a decent level of detail is preserved at 800 ISO, where noise still isn't too much of a problem. At wide-angle settings, the lens does a decent job. The image isn't bad quality, with a good level of sharp detail in the middle of the frame, naturally getting softer around the edges. Quality is perfectly fine for 8" x 10" prints (20 x 27 cm). Video

Lens distortion isn't automatically corrected in video mode and it's very visible (check out the barrel distortion in the wide-angle shot above). Plus, video noise is a problem in dark parts of the picture and the image is often under-exposed.

Quality is pretty mediocre with a rather confused-sounding result. Audio also gets disrupted slightly when you zoom. Plus, the zoom lens is too fast for filming slow, smooth transitions.

Lock the Door

You have to push the door shut, then flip a little lock into place manually.