The people at Olympus are getting very excited because March sees the release of the Olympus SP-570 UZ, which is the first digital camera to boast a 20x wide optical zoom.

This amazing zoom (equivalent to 26-520mm on a 35mm camera) is perfect for the growing legion of photographers, game players and TV watchers who demand widescreen 16:9 ratio monitors for their entertainment pleasure and want their photos to able to capture broad panoramas or large group action.

You're provided with a generous 6.9cm/2.7-inch LCD screen to assist with framing and reviewing and at the other end of the scale you can use the Super Macro mode to home in on that bee hovering over a multi-coloured flower at a minimum distance of 1cm (don't get stung). When it comes to fast action shots, you can also now enjoy sequential shooting at up to 15fps.

You needn't be overly concerned about blurring the image too much as Dual Image Stabilisation comes as standard, together with such funky additional innovations as Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment and BrightCapture Technology which will automatically enhance exposure and sharpness whilst improving shots taken in low-light conditions.

Keen photographers who don't want everything on the auto setting will be delighted to learn that the SP-570 UZ allows for manual adjustment of focus and zoom via the lens ring as well as compatibility with Olympus' FL-50R and FL-36R wireless flash units.

If this is the kind of versatile digital camera you've been hoping for, then be prepared to dig deep into your pockets for the RRP of £389.99 when this baby appears on the shelves next month.