I’ve often been quick to criticize the makers of compact digital cameras for their lack of any kind of quality zoom.  Especially when their ads go into polysyllabic ecstacies over how INCREDIBLE IT IS that their new camera boasts 5x optical zoom!  Yeah, 5x.  That and a magnifying glass might let me read the fine print.

But Pentax has heard my plaintative moaning and has set out to do something about it–they’re offering up the X90, a compact digital camera with an amazing 26x zoom.  It also boasts the ability to capture video at 720p resolution at thirty frames per second, along with twelve megapixel resolution, HDMI output and a 2.7 inch LCD screen for a fairly decent four hundred dollars.

Sure, 26x isn’t as great as some camcorders I’ve seen, but 26x is definitely upper end as far as digital camera zoom goes.  I could be wrong on this score but I don’t remember the last time I heard a higher zoom from a compact digital camera.  You can get your hands on one of these this April.