Stefan Mileschin

It almost wouldn't be a camera introduction without a couple of superzooms, would it? Appropriately, Olympus is updating its lower-cost SZ models at CES with new sensors and a handful of extras to match the long-distance optics. The 24X zoom SZ-16 iHS makes the undeniably larger leap: its 14-megapixel sensor now relies on low light-friendly CMOS (instead of the SZ-12's CCD) and introduces a quicker TruePic VI processor. The added power leads to a multi-shot Hand-Held Starlight mode for would-be astrophotographers as well as 1080p video. Not that the very entry level isn't getting some love, however. The SZ-15 is a meaningful upgrade in its own right, extending to the same 24X zoom as the SZ-16 while replacing the SZ-10's 14-megapixel CCD with a 16-megapixel CMOS imager. Olympus includes a handful of options that the SZ-15's older TruePic III engine can handle, such as a Beauty Mode and SR Zoom (read: digital zoom). Both models ship in March, although the narrow pricing spread between the $200 SZ-15 and $230 SZ-16 leaves us leaning heavily toward the higher-end camera.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/o...rzoom-cameras/