ALDI in the UK, are selling the Maginon SZ 24 (from the same group as TEVION and TRAVELER), a compact camera with a 24x optical zoom lens equivalent to 25-600mm, 16 megapixel CCD sensor, 720p video, 3inch screen, optical image stabilisation, ISO64-ISO1600, pop-up flash, it uses USB charging and a lithium-ion battery and comes with a 4GB SD card, and is priced at £119. Full details can be found on the Maginon website.
Buyers of the Maginon SZ 24 have complained about the short battery life – averaging around 100 shots – although the battery can easily be replaced by a higher power unit from ebay (or elsewhere).
Maginon SZ 24 Sample Photos, a set on Flickr.
Olympus sell a very similar camera to this, the Olympus SZ-15, with roughly the same specifications, priced at £129 from Amazon UK, although you don’t get a free memory card with it. Or there’s a 14 megapixel version, the Olympus SZ-14, available for £119 from Amazon UK available in a number of different colours, and there’s even a deal where you can get a free case and 8GB SD card all for £119. Most reviews of the Olympus SZ-14 are quite positive, and there is a more detailed Olympus SZ-14 review here. Nice. PS – There’s a Casio version too, the Casio Exilim EX-H50, but that’s only available shipped from Japan.
Aldi currently [Dec 2013] selling this for £89.99.
Just bought one, and indeed, it was with a sticker £89.99 REDUCED with big red letters, a pleasant surprise was the fact that at checkout, it came out on their computer and my receipt as £69.99 !!!!!! AND the option to return it in 60 days, if you are not happy with it, no questions asked. ALDI FTW! I will write a full review of the performance and specifications of the camera in the next few days.
Could some tell me where one could buy these higher power batteries?
What battery does it take?
Li-40B Battery – same as: Nikon EN-EL10, Kodak KLIC7006, Fuji NP45, replacements are available on ebay and amazon etc.
[…] information on this budget zoom camera can be found in our previous post on the Maginon SZ 24 – 24x optical zoom […]
How satisfied are you with this camara?
The manual suggests the red LED comes on and remains on whilst charging. Should go off when fully charged. Mine has been lit and apparently charging for 4+ hours, yet it seem to show fully charged on the screen when I turned it on, on first opening the package. Is this correct?
and just minutes after posting the above, the red LED went out 🙂
Were can I get a USB Charger for my maginon SZ 24
Where can I get a usb charger for maginon sz 24 camera?
Does that camera turn into playback mode when connected to TV trough RCA plugs? Is it possible to get live video feed from this camera trough A/V cable?