Wide Angle Cameras
New Point and Shoot Digital Cameras With Wide Angle Lenses

Wide angle cameras with fixed lenses (as opposed to a digital slr with interchangeable lenses) are now becoming standard with wider angle lenses than in years past. Where 35mm used to be typical, now 28mm is often offered.




However, if you are looking to shoot wide scenery, why not do even better? Below are some new wide angle cameras that have lenses below 28mm. This allows the capture of pictures with a large expanse in width. Yet some are super zooms too...the best of both worlds.

Samsung TL320/WB100
This 12 megapixel, compact point and shoot camera goes to 24mm at the wide range and has a 5X optical zoom. It offers a Schneider lens. The large 3 inch LCD screen incorporates AMOLED technology. So what does this new technolgy do? It is the same as used in Samsung AMOLED televisions. When viewing the LCD screen, there is better contrast, vivid colors, and it is brighter even in direct sunlight.

In addition, there is Smart Auto, which automatically selects the best scene mode depending on what you are shooting. There is image stabilization and also HD video recording.

Nikon Coolpix P90
Only a couple of wide angle cameras also offer super zoom lenses too. This Nikon camera is one, going from 24mm at the wide end to 24X optical zoom. You can also take 15 frames per second in burst mode. A special feature is that the lens is Nikkor ED glass which is also used in Nikon's higher end slr cameras. It will sell for about $400.

Olympus SP-590 UZ
Like the Nikon Coolpix P90, the Olympus SP-590 UZ offers a very wide shooting range between wide angle and zooms. The range goes from 26mm wide angle to 26X zoom. Yes, 26X! How nice to be able to shoot in so may varying situation. There is also an interesting feature that lets you take a shot of a subject with the background blurry. This camera will be introduced at around $450.


Pentax X70
This 12 megapixel camera has goes to 26mm at the wide end and also has a 24X zoom. It also offers image stabilization to help with blurry pictures. If you like to do video recording, you can do so with the 720p HD movie mode. There is face detection and ISO up to 3200 (for shooting in dimly lit areas). It will sell for around $400.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
The Leica lens on this camera ranges from 25mm to 12X optical zoom. It also offers 720p HD video recording, a 3 inch LCD screen and image stabilization. It can take 10 frames per second and will cost about $400.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
For about $100 less ($300), you can get the same camera as the DMC-ZS3 but without the movie mode or face recognition.