All my lenses just doubled in length ....

You are entirely missing the point, imo.

See the link below - which I assume is the one your comment is based upon.

The DPreview conclusion is based on a pixel-level analysis. See the images below. Even in the dpreview a57 tests, the CIZ seems to be better than the Photoshop Bicubic Upsampling method (which I do not have by the way).

You do realize that to see this type of detail in the final picture you have to print something like 8' by 12' - I mean, billboard size?

If you downsample, then re-sharpen each of the three images - CIZ, PS-Bicubic, and 2x Optical - the differences wash out, and each of the three pictures become much closer in appearance.

On a Nex-6, with 16MP, CIZ lets you downsample, e.g. from 16MP to 12MP. If you do simple 2X crop, you get 8Mp right away with no way to improve upon the result.

I think that what DPreview is missing is the fact that in my picture I want the center portion blown up (like a 2X optical, or CIZ does), and this technique gives me what I want.

Do I care about the 100% pixel sharpness? No. I care about a JPG-output in my size-format of choice.

I never cared about Digital Zoom, as this is a trivial step in post processing, and seldom adds anything than a fuzzy picture. But the Clear Image Zoom is more impressive than I expected, and I suggest everyone to see for themself. Maybe a P&S technique, but rather usable if it fits one's needs.

It definitely lets me think different about the E1650 - more like a E16100 for now

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-slt-a57/9

• "While we noted some image quality benefit to this upsampling technology in our Sony DSC-RX100 review, we're less impressed with results on the A57. As you can see in the samples above, there is nothing to be gained using Clear Image Zoom that cannot be accomplished with even a default upsampling in Photoshop. And, Sony's marketing claims aside, Clear Image Zoom is notably inferior to results you get by optically zooming the lens. This function's only real benefit compared to upsampling in Photoshop is convenience."

Clear Image Zoom

Photoshop Bicubic upsampling

2X optical zoom

Full Image

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Cheers,
Henry