murm wrote:
Forget you ever heard of digital zoom !
But it actually works quite well on the Canon SX40/SX50 cameras!!
[quote=Wahawk]When talking about a 'bridge' camera, such as the Canon SX50, with a 50x zoom, this is OPTICAL zoom. When the SX40 & SX50 go into 'digital' zoom, the number of pixels stays at full and the Digic5 processor inside the camera does a software interpolation to "enlarge" the image "similar" to using sofware like Genuine Fractals or Perfect Resize to enlarge the image (but Perfect Resize is supposed to do a better job of it).
Staying within the OPTICAL zoom range results in the best image, but Canon SX50/SX40 cameras do a good enough job in the 'digital' range that I do use it quite often.
I seem to always be in agreement with you, Wahawk! Another reason for digital zoom is as follows: When my wife and I are in the wildlife refuges, many times she spots something far off in the binoculars that we can't decipher. I'll check it out with the Sx50 optical zoom, yet sometimes that's not enough, so I use the 2X digital. Many times we were rewarded with seeing something not expected. Then we'd go closer and be happily surprised. We've seen otters, alligators, transient birds, shy foxes, a Barred Owl deep in the woods, one of my fav's. I'll post that if I can find it! The optical and digital zoom is like having a small telescope at hand! The naysayers be damned!
dynaquest1 wrote:
I know of no good DSLR that even uses digital zoom. That said, DX cameras all use a sort of digital zoom in that the smaller DX sensor size "crops" the image provided to the camera by the lens.
Funny but some Sony dslr's have them. My a500 is one of them. Actually, it is not digital zoom but rather a digital teleconverter that does 1.4 and 2x. It works o.k. Never really use it though.
To all the naysayers. One thing I noticed with my Canon SX10is, is that using digital zoom can improve the focus on distant objects.
example. I would focus on an object an 20x opital max. Then zoom into the digital range, up to 80 x hit the focus again and see the focus improve. I don't know if it was making an optical ajustment or if the processor is making the improvement.
just my 2 cents worth, but I now have a T3i and an SX50hs
Digital zoom is also known as empty magnification. For example if you have a 35mm negative (remember them do we?) the only non zoom print is a contact print. Put the negative in an enlarger to make say a 10 x 8 and the magnification is empty. That is in effect the essence of digital zoom. HOWEVER ......... I use a D800 and shoot a lot of social presentations full lengths in landscape mode cropping to what I need using empty magnification. As the chip is so good a large print is possible.
oldmalky wrote:
As the title says what is the difference between digital zoom and optical zoom. thanks in advance
oldmalky
Please do not take this as a snide comment. It is not worth knowing. Never use it. Put it out of your mind. Worthless marketing gimmick. Good shooting.
jerold222 wrote:
To all the naysayers. One thing I noticed with my Canon SX10is, is that using digital zoom can improve the focus on distant objects.
example. I would focus on an object an 20x opital max. Then zoom into the digital range, up to 80 x hit the focus again and see the focus improve. I don't know if it was making an optical ajustment or if the processor is making the improvement.
just my 2 cents worth, but I now have a T3i and an SX50hs
Optical Zoom was not doing the focusing. You were zooming to an out of focus distance and then refocusing. Optical zoom is Ka Ka. Period. It is obvious you do not understand it and that is not a detriment to you. It is not worth understanding. The only thing one needs to understand about it is to forget about it. :thumbup:
it,s like my old eyes, 20 yrs. ago i just picked up the paper and read. but now i must have my reading glass,s on.
Izza1967 wrote:
Optical zoom uses lenses to make the image appear closer while keeping resolution.
Digital zoom takes the image and basically doubles the pixel size or crops to make the image appear to be closer though adds no further detail and in fact makes the image less clear.
Optical zoom is the preferred option and I would personally never use digital zoom as I can do that in Photoshop anyway :)
The result is the same as cropping and enlarging.
Izza1967 wrote:
Optical zoom uses lenses to make the image appear closer while keeping resolution.
Digital zoom takes the image and basically doubles the pixel size or crops to make the image appear to be closer though adds no further detail and in fact makes the image less clear.
Optical zoom is the preferred option and I would personally never use digital zoom as I can do that in Photoshop anyway :)
That's interesting. :thumbup:
Wahawk wrote:
For a pocket camera with 5x optical zoom (shut off the digital part) it should be a good camera. I personally use a Panasonic Lumix that I got for approx $100 on sale that has 10x optical zoom.
[so Wahawk] [qoute=RVing] I like your idea about a pocket camera, I recently came across Olympus 00 Stylus 38-140mm
Zoom thought I would have some fun with it
Thanks to everyone who contributed to my question, the wife bought the camera in question and i will instruct her in the goods and bads of optical and digital, as for myself i have been taught a valuable lesson in that zoom is good if optical
thanks once again, oldmalky
oldmalky wrote:
As the title says what is the difference between digital zoom and optical zoom. thanks in advance
oldmalky
Another explanation...
If you use digital zoom on a, let's say, 16MP camera, and zoom in so the picture's subject is 50% bigger, the file that is saved to your memory card is only 8MP, 50% smaller. The camera is essentially cropping the photo electronically internally to simulate a zoom lens. This was very noticeable in the old days of 2MP, 4MP, and 5MP cameras but with 16MP, 18MP, and 24MP, you still end up with a reasonably high resolution file that is acceptable to some people. I personally refuse to turn on digital zoom in any camera I have and I never have since the feature became available.
If you use optical zoom and actually zoom the physical lens 50% on a 16MP camera, you still have a 16MP file and your shot is actually 50% closer.
Croce wrote:
Optical Zoom was not doing the focusing. You were zooming to an out of focus distance and then refocusing. Optical zoom is Ka Ka. Period. It is obvious you do not understand it and that is not a detriment to you. It is not worth understanding. The only thing one needs to understand about it is to forget about it. :thumbup:
Read my previous post. There are many uses for digital zoom. Closed minds never get ahead or improve!
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