SUPERZOOM LENSES

Not just for holidays, a wide-angle to telephoto superzoom lens can turn its hand to anything. Matthew Richards picks the top performers

Often referred to as ‘travel lenses’, superzooms are ideal for holidays and for going on trips near and far. They can stretch from generously wide-angle viewing to serious telephoto reach, and cover everything in between. Without the need to carry multiple lenses, you can save on space and weight, but that’s not the only advantage.

For general shooting, you might find you often need to swap between wide-angle and telephoto shooting. It’s naturally much more convenient to apply a quick twist of a zoom ring with the flick of a wrist, rather than rummaging around in a bag for another lens, then waste time swapping the lens on the camera before you’re ready to shoot. In some situations, the time saved by using a superzoom lens could potentially make the difference between getting the shot and missing it altogether.

Superzoom lenses for APS-C format cameras have grown in popularity over the past few years, while research and development from major manufacturers, like Canon, Sigma and Tamron, has seen an increase in performance, often with a reduction in size and weight. The relative compactness of some of the latest designs further adds to the attraction. So, let’s take a closer look at what the current contenders have to offer, and pick out the best buys.