Technology: Zoom Goes The Digital

Digital cameras have traditionally been judged by their resolution--the more megapixels, the better. Now some camera makers are saying it's not the number of pixels, it's the depth of the zoom. In April Olympus launched the 3.2-megapixel C740 ($499), the first sub-$500 model to sport a 10x optical zoom lens. Last week two more 10x zoom cameras--Fujifilm's 3.1-megapixel FinePix S5000 and Kodak's 4-megapixel EasyShare DX6490--hit the market for the same price. Most digital cameras have zoom lenses only up to 4x; the extra magnification is a real performance boost. Now when you're on a nature hike and spot that yellow-bellied sapsucker, you can get right in his beak--without startling him from his perch. --By Wilson Rothman