More zoom for your pocket: Canon SX260 HS launches

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posted Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 2:14 AM EDT

Canon's PowerShot SX260 HS digital camera. Photo provided by Canon USA Inc. Click for our Canon SX260 HS preview.A year ago, Canon launched the PowerShot SX230 HS, an interesting camera that placed third in our recent Travel Zoom Shootout. Today, they've followed up with the Canon SX260 HS, a camera for those amongst you who felt that a 14x zoom just wasn't enough.

With an amazing 20x optical zoom, the Canon SX230 HS covers all the bases and then some, from a generous 25mm wide angle to a powerful 500mm telephoto. What's impressive is that it does so without changing the size of the body, and adding only 0.4 ounces to the weight.

The twelve megapixel SX230 HS also retains some of our favorite features of its predecessor, including a built-in GPS receiver, PASM exposure modes, and Full HD video capture--albeit limited to just 24 frames per second.

Available in black, green, and red versions with silver trim, the Canon SX260 goes on sale from March 2012, with pricing of about US$350. More details in our Canon SX260 HS preview. The press release for this camera--as well as several other simultaneously-announced models--can be found in a separate news item.