CameraTron 2000: Get a pocket megazoom

Why you should get a pocket megazoom

These days, pocket-megazoom cameras offer optical-zoom ranges up to a whopping 20X, which makes them versatile-but-compact options for everything from wide-angle landscape shots to long-zoom wildlife photos. The major tradeoff with a pocket megazoom is a narrow maximum aperture, which makes them less-than-ideal performers in low-light situations. However, many cameras in this class work around the smaller aperture with dedicated scene modes for low-light shooting.

Most pocket megazooms cost more than $200, but that's changing. The newest long-zoom cameras with manual controls and fancy extras such as GPS and 3D shooting still cost $300 or more, but you can find two things around the $200 price point: Last year's top-rated models, or a brand-new pocket megazoom without manual controls or gee-whiz features.

Related: PCWorld's top-rated pocket-megazoom cameras

Head back to the beginning of this choose-your-own-adventure-style story by clicking here.