Here's a review of several superzoom models. I'm familiar with the Panasonic Lumix FZ line, having owned three of them. I haven't used the latest (FZ1000), but know quite a few happy owners online. The cameras have sophisticated options, but if you simply want to leave it set on automatic (iA), you're still likely to get excellent results.

TechRadar's Superzoom Reviews

Digital Photography Review gets lots of "What's the best camera?" questions on their forums. You could browse this one, or post a question yourself if you like:

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I like Canons. Mine stopped working and I looked for a replacement. I brought two home and returned them. I could not get a clear picture out of them. Then I thought to google for a Canon on line and saw repair. I filled out the paper work on line and they said they could repair it for $79. or replace it with one of equal value. I sent it in and it was such a minor thing they did not charge me anything. You can't beat a company like that.

I am using a Canon SX50 HS. Its a good camera with a lot of features, however, it does have an automatic mode that does fairly well. It zooms 50 to 1. The wide angle may not be wide enough for group shots under 10 feet away. I would be happy if they sacrificed some if the long zoom in favor of a bit wider wide angle. However the lens is very good and its aperture is ok. It zooms from 4.3 mm to 215 mm starting with aperture f/3.4 ending with f/6.5 at the long end of the zoom range. These are respectable numbers. A little wider opening would be nice, but this is a credible accomplishment considering the trade-offs in a compact lens.

It is a fast booting camera, about 1 second or less. The auto-focus function is fast compared to competition. It does slow down as the light dims, but as the light dims at some point, a green laser light turns on to help the lens to focus. The user has to keep aware of where this light is on the camera body and not block it with a finger for it to work.

Images can be downloaded directly out of the camera, or by removing the SD card and using a card reader. The USB cable is supplied with the camera. The camera's battery should have enough charge to last long enough to transfer a batch of images. In my experience and the number of images I transfer at one time, I find that the battery does not have to be fully charged, although it would be best if it were.

Nikon also makes a comparable camera and its sensor may produce a little more pleasing saturation of colors. However, my Canon does an acceptable job on this score.

The camera out of the box defaults to its lowest 'film' speed, about ASA 80. During your setup of the camera, this speed can be raised to ASA 100 to 200 without much loss of quality. I recommend using at least ASA 100 to get faster shutter speeds.

The lens has 3 modes of focus: off, active only when the release button is pressed half way down, and active all the time. Active 100% of the time increases drain of the battery. I recommend 'active when i press the shutter button half way down. The shutter button has a very light detent at the halfway point. For some users, this may be a problem if your fingers are not steady. To take a picture using the part time mode, press the shutter to the first detent and wait for the lens to focus and then press all the way down. Focusing in good light is rapid.

As with any camera, you can not hand hold at extreme zoom and expect to get sharp results. In good light and reasonable shutter speed, you can hand hold up to about 3x zoom. If you are very steady or support your hand with a stationary object, you can hand hold to 4x zoom. A tripod should be used for higher zooms.

I like this camera for auto trips because it can be used as a point and shoot camera, or switch to its wide range of features. The zoom lens is like having a bag full of lenses without the bulk. To get better results, one would have to move up to a full frame camera which do not have as much zoom range per lens.