You don't need to be on safari to appreciate the benefits of a big zoom range (in fact the target audience for many of the cameras in this group is what's known in the US as the 'soccer mom' market), and in the last few years the super zoom sector has grown dramatically with at least one model in most manufacturers' lineup.
The appeal of being able to shoot everything from a sweeping landscape or cramped interior to a tightly framed telephoto shot with a single affordable - and relatively compact - camera is easy to understand; finding your way through the sea of seemingly very similar models is more of a challenge. We decided to look at seven of the latest models to find out if they are as similar in performance as they are in specification and design.