NiteRunner Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 Whats the Difference between Digital Zoom and Optical Zoom? Thanks! Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 Re: Zoom Question Best way I know how to explain is that optical is within the capability of the lens, digital is magnified after the extent of the capability of the lens and will not give as good of performance as the optical zoom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagobbln Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 Re: Zoom Question [ QUOTE ] Best way I know how to explain is that optical is within the capability of the lens, digital is magnified after the extent of the capability of the lens and will not give as good of performance as the optical zoom. [/ QUOTE ] Good answer. You also start loosing definition and sharpness when you go digital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 Re: Zoom Question Optical zoom enlarges the image. Digital zoom replicates the pixels make the subject appear closer. Digital zoom is a hugely misleading factor in choosing a camera. Look for optical zoom and forget about digital zoom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bond Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Re: Zoom Question Yeah, all of the above is right. Digital zoom is pretty much worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doughboy1956 Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Re: Zoom Question It's important to understand this difference, as you could end up mighty disappointed with the results if you get one rather than the other. Optical zoom is similar to what you'll find in a regular 35mm camera: When you push the button to zoom in or out, physical lens elements move inside the camera, to achieve the desired effect. Digital zoom, on the other hand, has no moving parts. Using the "electronic brain" within the camera instead, the camera takes a look at what it's "looking at", and digitally zooms in, usually two or three times closer. The problem with digital zoom is that you lose quality when you do this -- your images will tend to be more "pixelated" than the same image taken with an optical zoom camera. This is due to the "interpolation" the camera uses, which is a nice way of saying that it makes a guess about how the picture should look while zoomed in. Having optical AND digital zoom on a camera isn't bad, but I'd try to avoid cameras with only digital zoom, myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiteRunner Posted May 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Re: Zoom Question Optical Good, Digital Bad... I get it now, Thanks all for the help! Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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