Superzoom

A superzoom or ultrazoom lens is a type of photographic zoom lens with unconventionally large focal length factors, typically ranging from wide angle to extreme long lens focal lengths in one lens.¹² There is no clear definition of a superzoom lens, but the name generally covers lenses that have a range well above the 3× or 4× (e.g., 28-85 mm or 70-210 mm) of a standard zoom lens, with lenses being 10×, 12×, 18×, or above considered superzoom.¹

Advantages of a superzoom lens include compositional flexibility, reduced need to swap lenses, and enhanced portability by consolidating the functionality of multiple lenses into one.³ Due to trade-offs in the optical design, superzoom lenses are noted for having poorer optical quality at the extreme ends of their zoom ranges, often due to distortion.⁴⁵ The longer focal lengths are usually accompanied by optical image stabilization in order to be usable handheld.⁶