Get Closer with a Super Zoom Compact Camera

Compact cameras are easy to use and can do a great job taking everyday photos. But have you ever been frustrated about not being about to get close enough to the action?

Today's super zoom cameras are making that problem a thing of the past.

This new class of cameras let you get closer than ever before with optical zoom of 20x or more. At the top of the class is the Nikon Coolpix P510 with a 42x optical zoom lens, the longest zoom of any compact camera, and behind it are many others that are also stretching the limits of optical zoom.

Here are 5 of the top super zoom compact cameras available on the market now. All of these cameras can help you get great photos of distant subjects. See which one is right for you.

The Nikon Coolpix P510 has DSLR-type styling, but you won't need to lug around heavy and expensive lenses to get close to your subject with this compact camera.

It sports an amazing 42x zoom NIKKOR ED lens and 16.1 MP CMOS sensor. It also includes a built-in GPS that can geotag your photos so you'll never remember where you took a single shot. Other features include a 3-inch 960k-dot LCD screen, full 1080p HD movies with stereo sound, and 5 frames per second continuous shooting.

Do you want a truly "compact" compact camera with super zoom? Then take a look at the Canon PowerShot SX260. This ultra-slim Canon measures a mere 4.19 x 2.40 x 1.29 in. (06.3 x 61.0 x 32.7mm) and still manages to pack a 20x (25mm - 500mm equiv.) stabilized optical zoom in the tiny body.

Other highlights of the PowerShot SX260 include a 12.1 MP CMOS sensor, the ability to capture 1080p HD video, Smart AUTO and 58 scene modes. The SX260 is available in black, pink or green.

One of the factors that affects photo quality is the number of megapixels on the sensor, and at 18.2 MP, the Sony Cyber-shot HX20V has one of the highest megapixel counts among the compact ultra zoom cameras. It also has an amazing 20x optical zoom (40x digital zoom).

Other features of the HX20V include GPS, a compass, sweep panorama mode, a 3-inch LCD screen, 3D still imaging, and the ability to capture 1080p HD video.

The Fujifilm FinePix HS20 is another large compact "bridge" camera designed to appeal to users who want to move up from the typical point and shoot, but aren't quite ready for a DSLR. The 30x optical zoom on this camera will help you get great shots of distant objects.

Other features of the HS20 include a 16 MP EXR-CMOS sensor, full 1080p HD movie capture, a 3-inch LCD display, 8 fps continuous shooting at full resolution (up to 11 fps at 8 MP), RAW support, and sweep panorama mode.

The Olympus SZ-12 is a super zoom compact camera in an ultra-compact body. But the small (4.2 x 1.6 x 2.7 inches) body on this camera doesn't stop it from packing a powerful 24x optical zoom lens.

You'll also get a 14 MP sensor, 3-inch display, HD video recording, 3D still photos, HDMI output, 12 special effects filters such as fish eye and soft focus, as well as many other features that make this a great camera.