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What's the purpose of a Digital-Zoom on a digital (video) camera?
- Thread starter ndee
- Start date
vegetation
Diamond Member
A marketing tool, nothing else.
It actually has some usefulness in extending the optical zoom range. The better video cameras have a digital resolution (pixels) somewhat greater than necessary to reproduce on standard TV's or VHS tape. They also have a spline fit logic to smooth the "jaggies". So the image quality is really OK for the first 4X or 5X. My camcorder has 10X optical and 10X digital for 100X. It actually goes up to 30X or 40X before it gets useless.
I guess it usefull for those not so computer literate people, who do not know how to enlarge or crop an image.
Basically for point and shoot and print people.
Can you imagine teaching your parents or grandparents who lived most there functional life without a computer to first open image-- crop area-- enlarge-- save to a different folder then print. This gets pretty old fast after the 30th phone call.🙂
Peace
Basically for point and shoot and print people.
Can you imagine teaching your parents or grandparents who lived most there functional life without a computer to first open image-- crop area-- enlarge-- save to a different folder then print. This gets pretty old fast after the 30th phone call.🙂
Peace
Murphyrulez
Golden Member
Ummm have any of you guys ever actually shot a picture using the digital zoom?
I didn't think so. I have a Canon G2, and it interpolates the pixels when you get in on the digital zoom. So it is not the same thing as going into Photoshop and zooming in. You actually get a decent picture.
I guess when you go to the zoo, and your 3 year old son want you to get a picture of the tiger lying off in the corner of his pen about 200 feet away, you just zoom in to the optical end and give him a picture he needs a magnifying glass to look at. Because you are too MANLY to use a digital zoom.
Nice...
I didn't think so. I have a Canon G2, and it interpolates the pixels when you get in on the digital zoom. So it is not the same thing as going into Photoshop and zooming in. You actually get a decent picture.
I guess when you go to the zoo, and your 3 year old son want you to get a picture of the tiger lying off in the corner of his pen about 200 feet away, you just zoom in to the optical end and give him a picture he needs a magnifying glass to look at. Because you are too MANLY to use a digital zoom.
Nice...
Wallydraigle
Banned
No, I'd whip out my 400mm lens😉
But seriously, there are a variety of tools that you can use in post processing to blow up a crop of a picture and achieve better results than using digital zoom. When the camera does it, it is out of your control and you have to live with whatever it gives you. When you crop yourself you can use programs like Genuine Fractals, or other interpolation schemes, and end up with a much better print. If the result isn't critical, or you will never print very large, then possibly it won't really matter what you use though. And using digital zoom can be more convenient.
kami
Lifer
It has no purpose whatsoever It's the exact same as taking it in any editing program and doubling the size, or quadrupling...however much zoom you want. Just use optical...for the love of god.
Um, there's software that interpolates much better than any in-camera software. Digital zoom is a gimmick and they actually have you believing it's useful.
Wallydraigle
Banned
I have a camcorder that does digital zoom, but it's a pain to capture images from it, and I'm not digging it out, but someone should take a few pictures with DZ, and then make some crops from a non-DZed photo, and post them to show that you really can get a better image by cropping and enlarging yourself. Some people just aren't going to believe it till they see it.
Before the true shutterbugs show up (**cough, Lirion 😀 ) here's some googlage for you. Though there are specific applications that make digital more appropriate than optical (size/space restriction not allowing for larger optical lenses) essentially, "Optical" is more imortant than "Digital". "Digital" inexpensively extends capability (albeit at reduced quality).
If you're interested in Digital Camera's ad-infinitum one excellent resource is: DPreview.com
Optical vs Digital Zoom - Olympus
<<<If you're just breaking into digital photography, or have only dabbled in it somewhat, than you may not know that many digital cameras come with two zooms - an optical zoom and a digital zoom. The optical zoom functions just like the zoom on a 35mm film camera and allows you to move (zoom) in closer to your subject. Since it uses conventional lenses it provides the best resolution. The digital zoom merely "blows up" the image and crops in on the part you see on the LCD, reducing the resolution. So if you're looking to capture high-resolution images from a distance, make sure you pay closer attention to the size of the optical zoom rather than the digital or total digital + optical zoom>>>.
Optical vs Digital - USA Today
<<A: The answer is probably what you think it is. A digital zoom simply enlarges the pixels in the image; an optical zoom uses the lenses of the camera. The limit to digital zoom is whatever is built into the camera. The ultimate limit is enlarging until you look at one pixel.
It's cheap but useful. You can zoom digitally with your computer or in some cameras. Common zooms are 2.5X (magnification) for optical zoom and 4X for digital zoom. When the optical runs out, the digital takes over. Optical zoom is expensive since it requires good lenses.
"While 'digital' often means 'better,' in this case optical zoom is the winner," says Dave Etchells of Imaging Resource Digital Camera Database. Digital zoom enlarges the pixels ? stretching the image and making it softer (more blurry) in the process. Optical zoom, however, enlarges the image the camera's sensor actually sees with no loss of detail.
Digital zoom is handy for e-mail or web use, Etchells says. "If you're interested in making prints from your digital pictures, though, the more costly optical zoom is the hands-down winner." >>>
Optical vs Digital Zoom - Worldstart
<<<You've probably noticed that most digital cameras have both a specification for digital and optical zoom. Pay the most attention to the optical zoom.
The optical zoom magnifies (zooms in) using glass. The digital zoom basically crops out the edge of the picture to make the subject appear closer, causing you to lose resolution or to get an interpolated resolution (i.e. the camera adds pixels). Neither of which help image quality.
Finally, make sure you get enough (optical) zoom. A 2x zoom isn't going to do much for you. A 3x is the average you'll find in most digital cameras will probably be good for most uses. More on lenses later.>>>
If you're interested in Digital Camera's ad-infinitum one excellent resource is: DPreview.com
Optical vs Digital Zoom - Olympus
<<<If you're just breaking into digital photography, or have only dabbled in it somewhat, than you may not know that many digital cameras come with two zooms - an optical zoom and a digital zoom. The optical zoom functions just like the zoom on a 35mm film camera and allows you to move (zoom) in closer to your subject. Since it uses conventional lenses it provides the best resolution. The digital zoom merely "blows up" the image and crops in on the part you see on the LCD, reducing the resolution. So if you're looking to capture high-resolution images from a distance, make sure you pay closer attention to the size of the optical zoom rather than the digital or total digital + optical zoom>>>.
Optical vs Digital - USA Today
<<A: The answer is probably what you think it is. A digital zoom simply enlarges the pixels in the image; an optical zoom uses the lenses of the camera. The limit to digital zoom is whatever is built into the camera. The ultimate limit is enlarging until you look at one pixel.
It's cheap but useful. You can zoom digitally with your computer or in some cameras. Common zooms are 2.5X (magnification) for optical zoom and 4X for digital zoom. When the optical runs out, the digital takes over. Optical zoom is expensive since it requires good lenses.
"While 'digital' often means 'better,' in this case optical zoom is the winner," says Dave Etchells of Imaging Resource Digital Camera Database. Digital zoom enlarges the pixels ? stretching the image and making it softer (more blurry) in the process. Optical zoom, however, enlarges the image the camera's sensor actually sees with no loss of detail.
Digital zoom is handy for e-mail or web use, Etchells says. "If you're interested in making prints from your digital pictures, though, the more costly optical zoom is the hands-down winner." >>>
Optical vs Digital Zoom - Worldstart
<<<You've probably noticed that most digital cameras have both a specification for digital and optical zoom. Pay the most attention to the optical zoom.
The optical zoom magnifies (zooms in) using glass. The digital zoom basically crops out the edge of the picture to make the subject appear closer, causing you to lose resolution or to get an interpolated resolution (i.e. the camera adds pixels). Neither of which help image quality.
Finally, make sure you get enough (optical) zoom. A 2x zoom isn't going to do much for you. A 3x is the average you'll find in most digital cameras will probably be good for most uses. More on lenses later.>>>
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