Olympus unveils 40x bridge camera

Olympus SP-820 UZ
The new Olympus SP-820 UZ has a whopping 40x optical zoom capability

Olympus has revealed a new superzoom bridge camera to sit in its Traveller series of cameras with a 40x optical zoom lens.

Starting with a focal length that's equivalent to 22.4mm, the SP-820UZ is the widest angle bridge camera currently available on the market.

The 40x optical zoom extends all the way up to 896mm in 35mm terms. Super-resolution zoom is also included, which boosts the lens capability up to 80x, or 1792mm.

At heart of the camera is 14 million pixel CMOS sensor and a TruePIc V image engine, which in addition to still images are capable of delivering full HD video.

Other features include a 3 inch, 460k dot LCD screen, dual image stabilisation and Multi-motion Movie IS for capturing HD movies with reduced blur while walking.

Creativity

Fun and creative features include Smart Panorama, Face Detection, Scene Mode and a choice of twelve Magic FIlters along with Beauty Make-up Mode.

Super macro shooting from as close as 1cm is also possible, along with high-speed sequential shooting for fast-moving objects and high-speed movie recording for high-frame rate capture and super slow-motion playback.

The camera comes with a built-in flash, support for SDHC, SDXC and Eye-Fi cards and in-camera help guide.

The Olympus SP-820UZ price will be around £279.99 and it will be available from October.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.