I have found with the power zooms that once you get above 14x optical you really start to lose quality. In large part because the more you zoom the more of an issue camera shake comes into play.
Keep in mind these are little bitty lenses trying to do the job of a higher quality piece of glass in a SLR lens.
The actual distance between the front and back of the P&S lens is shorter than on SLR Lens (typically)
Think of it this way. Take a 12" ruler. Put it on wegde at the 1/2" mark. every little movement of the short end of the stick makes a more dramatic movement on the other end.
With a 30x optical zoom or more you really are going to accentuat that a lot more. So a 1mm movment at the base of the camera will result in a larger movement at the other end. At that level you will need to have a tripod to get as clear of an image as possible.
Go into a store that has the high optical zoom cameras. Find something that is very far away and zoom in on it as far as you can. Try to hold that camera still enought that the image does not move.
Also, the more you zoom the higer your f/Stop is going to be. Which means less light, which means a longer shutter release which equates to a more shaky photo.
If you really want power zoom I would strongly suggest investing in a Canon, Nikon, or Sony DSLR
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