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With the plethora of digital FLIP cameras and similar devices, there are countless options for people to capture moments and create amateur films with minimal investment.
However, I have examined most of what is on the market and none of these seem to have an optical zoom option, instead relying on digital zoom only. Digital zoom simply crops and reduces the resolution of what it is recording/capturing.
Are there any Flip-style cameras on the market which are within the $50 - $150 range and have at least 3x up to 10x OPTICAL zoom as a main feature?
2010-12-21 22:25:00
I'd go with the Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5. Stupid name aside, it has a 5x optical zoom and is highly recommended by CNET, which has a pretty rigorous review process. The bad news is that you'll have to pay at least $180 to grab one, as far as I can see.Check out the review here: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-bloggie-mhs-cm5/4505-6500_7-33939622.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody#reviewPage1
2010-11-28 09:54:00
There are a huge number of options, but this fits:http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-Camera-Memory-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B001Q3M8S2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1290937960&sr=8-7&tag=muo-v2-7296712-20&ascsubtag=UUmuoUeUpU88857&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makeuseof.com%2Fflipstyle-video-camera-optical-zoom%2F&asc_campaign=EvergreenIt has 5x optical zoom.