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Optical zoom vs digital zoom

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Mouse28

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I'm new to digital cameras. I'm going to Kenya on my honeymoon next year and would like to purchase a decent digital camera that will be suitable for photographing whilst on safari. What I really need to know is; is it better to go for a higher optical or digital zoom? It's all alien to me, so any help would be gratefully received.
Thanks
 
Like he said optical zoom is the only one that counts. I don't even know why they bother putting digital zoom in a camera. I guess its just a marketing ploy meant to fool folks who are new to digital cameras. They think they're getting a large zoom capability when all they're getting is the ability to crop their pictures in the camera. If there is digital zoom on the camera you buy DON"T USE IT. you can't uncrop the pictures later if you don't like the result and Africa is a long way to go to try and recapture the shot.
 
Yes, Optical is the only zoom that counts.

The marketing folks know that most people think anything "digital" must be better.
--
Smerk
 
Mouse28 said:
I'm new to digital cameras. I'm going to Kenya on my honeymoon
next year and would like to purchase a decent digital camera that
will be suitable for photographing whilst on safari. What I really
need to know is; is it better to go for a higher optical or digital
zoom? It's all alien to me, so any help would be gratefully
received.
Thanks
Click to expand...
-

Appears from your statments you want a large zoom. Look strongly at the Canon S2 which has a 10x OPTICAL zoom, and even has "IS". The "IS" stands for Image stabilization and is critical when using a large zoom lens.

Highly rated here also.

P.S. Agree 110% with other posters here. Digital zoom is worthless.

The Gibby
 
Optical zoom is what helps make things larger without losing quality. Digital zoom basically crops a section out from the middle of your sensor, and then interpolates a larger image based on this data. The resulting image is poorer quality and takes up more space than just cropping it.

Optical zoom is usually measured in 3X, 5X, 10X etc. The factor here is pretty useless. Two lenses with 3X zoom can have significantly different reaches. If possible, look for a 35mm equivalent zoom for wide and tele ends. This gives you a solid benchmark you can compare between cameras.

Digital zoom is useless when taking a photo, BUT is very important when using playback. After taking a photo, you will want to check that no-one has blinked (isn't that why we use digital?). You will need a camera that can zoom in a lot to gauge this.

Adam
 
Adam Gardner said:
Optical zoom is usually measured in 3X, 5X, 10X etc. The factor
here is pretty useless. Two lenses with 3X zoom can have
significantly different reaches.
Click to expand...
They can be different, but not by much. Most cameras, particularly 5x or more, start around 35 to 38mm. The ones which reach down to 28mm or 24mm are a rarity.
Adam Gardner said:
Digital zoom is useless when taking a photo, BUT is very important
when using playback. After taking a photo, you will want to check
that no-one has blinked (isn't that why we use digital?). You will
need a camera that can zoom in a lot to gauge this.
Click to expand...
But that is NOT called digital zoom! It is playback zoom and is totally different. It is rarely referred to in a camera's specifications but will be buried in the manual somewhere.

Keith.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v345/keith1200rs/
 
keith1200rs said:
keith1200rs said:
Optical zoom is usually measured in 3X, 5X, 10X etc. The factor
here is pretty useless. Two lenses with 3X zoom can have
significantly different reaches.
Click to expand...
They can be different, but not by much. Most cameras, particularly
5x or more, start around 35 to 38mm. The ones which reach down to
28mm or 24mm are a rarity.
Click to expand...
True, simple maths here. The higher the zoom, the closer the ranges have to be because we know there are limits, probably more so true with 3X or lower, by the time you get to 10X, you know it is somewhere between 25-250 and 30-300.
keith1200rs said:
keith1200rs said:
Digital zoom is useless when taking a photo, BUT is very important
when using playback. After taking a photo, you will want to check
that no-one has blinked (isn't that why we use digital?). You will
need a camera that can zoom in a lot to gauge this.
Click to expand...
But that is NOT called digital zoom! It is playback zoom and is
totally different. It is rarely referred to in a camera's
specifications but will be buried in the manual somewhere.
Click to expand...
Keith, one of the great marketing tricks is to use a buzzword where there isn't a standard photography term to describe the concept. You will find that cameras that lack digital zoom can actually use this phrase to describe it. Playback zoom is one of the most important features of digital cameras, and should be considered when looking at a camera.
 
Adam Gardner said:
Adam Gardner said:
Adam Gardner said:
Digital zoom is useless when taking a photo, BUT is very important
when using playback. After taking a photo, you will want to check
that no-one has blinked (isn't that why we use digital?). You will
need a camera that can zoom in a lot to gauge this.
Click to expand...
But that is NOT called digital zoom! It is playback zoom and is
totally different. It is rarely referred to in a camera's
specifications but will be buried in the manual somewhere.
Click to expand...
Keith, one of the great marketing tricks is to use a buzzword where
there isn't a standard photography term to describe the concept.
You will find that cameras that lack digital zoom can actually use
this phrase to describe it. Playback zoom is one of the most
important features of digital cameras, and should be considered
when looking at a camera.
Click to expand...
but it is misleading to describe playback zoom as digital zoom in answer to a question about digital zoom in relation to optical zoom. Also, do any cameras not have playback zoom? For that matter, do any not have digital zoom?

Keith.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v345/keith1200rs/
 
keith1200rs said:
but it is misleading to describe playback zoom as digital zoom in
answer to a question about digital zoom in relation to optical
zoom.
Click to expand...
Depending on what he read and was presuming. Now he has both angles.
keith1200rs said:
Also, do any cameras not have playback zoom?
Click to expand...
Not that I am aware of, possibly a few low res mobile phone cams, but anything with over 1 MP pretty much needs it. The reach of the playback zoom is important very important.
keith1200rs said:
For that
matter, do any not have digital zoom?
Click to expand...
Yep. Mine doesn't.

Adam
 
keith1200rs said:
Adam Gardner said:
keith1200rs said:
For that
matter, do any not have digital zoom?
Click to expand...
Yep. Mine doesn't.
Click to expand...
And is its playback zoom described as a digital zoom as you
suggested earlier?
Click to expand...
No it isn't and I didn't suggest that playback zoom on my camera was described as digital zoom.

I said,

"Digital zoom is useless when taking a photo, BUT is very important when using playback. After taking a photo, you will want to check that no-one has blinked (isn't that why we use digital?). You will need a camera that can zoom in a lot to gauge this."

Apart from you disagreeing with the use of digital zoom to describe this feature my comment is totally valid. Others suggested incorrectly that the only zoom that matters is optical.

I gave a yes / but response.

In other words.

There is no point in taking a section of the sensor data, resizing it probably using some poor nearest neighbour algorithm. It takes up more space and you are better off doing it later yourself either in steps or using software like GF or even a single step using lanczos etc.

But it is not correct to say that no other zoom matters. I do with my camera had a bit more reach on its "playback" zoom. Then I could better judge camera shake, closed eyes in group shots, sharpness and depth of field.
 
I think you're splitting hairs here Adam...
keith1200rs said:
But it is not correct to say that no other zoom matters.....
Click to expand...
I think the OP was referring to the "taking" zoom rather than the "playback" zoom. (As most people logically would!)

And assuming he was, then no, digital zoom doesn't matter at all.

Cheers.
 
Digital zoom definitely isn't as good as optical zoom but it is not useless and it is not the same as cropping the image later at your computer. An important difference between in-camera digital zoom and doing it later at your computer is EXPOSURE. If the camera is designed properly, it will base the exposure on the zoomed image. Yes, you can achieve the same size image later at your computer with cropping and resizing but it may not be possible to get the exposure as it should be. It is possible to alter exposure in the computer but only within rather confined limits. How much of an issue this is depends on the exact circumstances but getting it right at the time the picture is taken is always a better way to go.
 
Thank you for all your comments - they have been helpful, if not a little confusing at times!

I have been looking at the Canon S2 IS and the Panasonic DMC-FZ5 and comparing the 2, do any of you have any experience of using either of these 2 and which do you prefer?
Many thanks for your comments so far
 
I have the FZ5 (replacing a stolen FZ20) but have not had it long and have not used the Canon so the only comparison I can give is based on specifications. Focus speed on the FZ5 is very quick, the Canon has a flip screen and manual focus. The FZ5 is very small and light. Both are highly recommended on the reviews here, so I doubt you will go wrong with either. If you can try one out in your hands it may help you decide.

Keith.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v345/keith1200rs/
 
Take a digital SLR with a good lens and do some practice with it before going in Kenya: while on a safari you need to snap photos without wasting time with some small f*cking idiot digital compact camera!

Time for cropping, enhancing and zooming will come later, when you’re at home. Remember it’s the photographer who takes the good photo not the camera

-----------------------
look at my photos in Hawaii

http://msereno1970.interfree.it/honeymoon/hawaii/oahu/index.html

http://msereno1970.interfree.it/honeymoon/hawaii/kauai/index.html

http://msereno1970.interfree.it/honeymoon/hawaii/bigisland/index.html
 
my opinion: not essential, but truly recommended.
keith1200rs said:
I don't believe a DSLR is essential for good safari photos. It
depends on your budget, but a superzoom camera "compact" with image
stabilisation should be one your list to consider.

Keith.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v345/keith1200rs/
Click to expand...
------------------------------------
look at my photos in Hawaii

http://msereno1970.interfree.it/honeymoon/hawaii/oahu/index.html

http://msereno1970.interfree.it/honeymoon/hawaii/kauai/index.html

http://msereno1970.interfree.it/honeymoon/hawaii/bigisland/index.html
 
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