Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.meccapixel.com/archives/000116.php?num=2' target='_blank'>http://www.meccapixel.com/archives/000116.php?num=2</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Sounds like Kowa Prominar’s TD-1 has been through a series of delays almost as long as its lens (it was first announced in March last year), but it’s finally coming out in early July in Japan. The main feature—damn, we gave it away in the title—is the 10x-30x zoom lens, enabling you to (for example) photograph the individual M&Ms floating around the cabin of SpaceShipOne while staying right here on the warm surface of the Earth, where there’s oxygen."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/30x.jpg" /><br /><br />This 3MP camera capable to taking SD cards and that comes with a 30x zoom lens does look amazing. Surprisingly, it only weighs about 5 lbs. Too bad that the price tag is at a whopping $2000. Of course if you have money to burn, feel free to buy said item for your peeping tom friends. ;-)

[Jason Kravitz]

What does 30x translate too in terms of 35mm lens? I think 400mm is about 8x so 30x is must be a whole lotta zoom.

I wonder how they address camera shake - probably have to use a tripod....

[Crocuta]

Hey, that link takes me to some photos of the Coney Island parade and not to the article that's quoted. Suhit, could you take a look at it?

Now that's an interesting camera! The exact 35mm equivalent would depend on the CCD size, but no matter what, that's a lot of zoom. I too would be worried about the shake issue, and hope they had the sense to build in some image stabilization technology. At those focal lengths, you might need it even with a tripod!

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

1350mm. Tripod is a must.

I dunno of anyone who uses a spotting scope handheld.

[Suhit Gupta]

1350mm. Tripod is a must.
Yeah, tripod has to be a must. Otherwise the jitter will make for incredibly blurry images.

Suhit