Nikon Coolpix P80 Has 18x Optical Zoom (And It Shows)

I’m the proud owner of a Canon PowerShot S3 IS and I really enjoy the 12x optical zoom on this camera. It’s great for public events, trade shows, and other situations where I want to get a little closer to the action without actually getting closer to the action. I thought the 12x optical zoom on the Canon was impressive, but this Nikon number blows it out of the water.

The newly revealed Nikon Coolpix P80 comes with a very impressive 18x optical zoom lens, effectively giving you the equivalent of 27-486mm. It’s not going to be quite as powerful as a digital SLR, but it’s probably a lot easier to use too. Beyond the crazy zoom, the P80 also gets a 2.7-inch LCD, ISO 6400, and a 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor. Depending on the resolution, it can also go rapid fire at up to 13 frames per second.

Look for the Nikon Coolpix P80 to start shipping later this month with an asking price of $399.95.