Digital zoom survey (ON/OFF)?

Jared-5 · Apr 4, 2002

I'd like to know how many actually use the digital zoom feature (especially on the DSC-F707). I turned mine off as soon as I got the camera, and have never been tempted to try it.

For those who do use it, I'm interested in your experiences as well.

--Jared

DSC-F707

Krishna M · Apr 4, 2002

Me too, switched it off on my 707, its really useless. IMHO.

--Regards.--------------KM.

Alfred Eder · Apr 4, 2002

I use it sometimes and I have to say that compared to all the other digital zooms that I have used this is really good. I mainly use it in combination with my Olympus tcon 14b and I am content. I am going to post a picture tomorrow to give you the opportunity to decide for yourself

Alfred

--www.pbase.com/destinyx1

Stephen Peszel · Apr 4, 2002

I have seen comments from both sides on this matter, some see never use the digital zoom. I have used it to its max and found the shots be be sharper than I was led to expect. Best I can say is to try it and remember it depends on the shot, the light etc, sometimes because of the subject you need to use the full available zoom

per o christiansen · Apr 4, 2002

I work with the 2x digital zoom a lot.Sony interpolate this in raw-format before it go jpg.It seems to me it is a better way than you get with 5x zoom and crop/exspand with photoshop or other picture programs.

try it.

--per

Shutter. · Apr 5, 2002

Hey Jared,

Not good. Well, I shouldn't be that harsh. Its not terrible, and maybe would be worth it sometimes. But I turned mine off after making the mistake of using it accidentally. You do that a couple times and you get mad enough to shut it off. I'd rather just crop the original up close.

But, the digizoom is okay in quality, I think (for digizooms).

Jim

--Jim FuglestadWhy simply live and let live? Live and help live. http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/galleries

Gordon Berg · Apr 5, 2002

There was a similar poll about a month ago. Then a good number of people remarked that it was surprisingly good and posted shots to prove it. The concensus was that the way the 707 interpolated from the raw data had a lot to do with it.

ernet · Apr 5, 2002

Hi,

I turned mine off as soon as I got the camera, too .
What's a the biggest mistake !!!!
Zoom works perfect at its 3/4 size.
Untill I tried it i've lost so many photos.

Ernet

Loren Charif · Apr 5, 2002

Yep...same here, largely because of all the negative articles/messages I had read and because it really sucked on my S85 and just made the assumption that it would be the same in the F707....WRONG!

I was convinced by other threads/posts that it IS better in the DA, and, sure enough, it is.

Granted, I don't use it if I don't have to, but "turning it off as soon as I got the camera" and "digital zoom is useless" are knee-jerk reactions based on what's come before.

This whole thing proved to me that you (I) always need to keep an open mind...at least try it...if you aren't pleasantly surprised and still feel the same way after your testing, then, by all means, turn it off :0

Loren

wildbill · Apr 5, 2002

I agree wth Loren "keep an open mind" and I think this is true about all your digital picture taking!
wildbill

Stever46789 · Apr 5, 2002

I use it only when I can't get close enough to a non-artistic shot that I can't be without. Otherwise it stays off. It is about the best digital zoom I have ever seen, but it is digital zoom.

Stever

--...they don't qualify as 'galleries' but http://www.fotki.com/pukrat

Kimberly85208 · Apr 5, 2002

I have mine on. I agree that Sony's does seem to be better than most, though I have found that I get a lot of noise in low light situations. I'm thinking this is due to the digital zoom, but haven't confirmed it yet. Still experimenting on how to get sharp shots in low light.

----Kimberly--I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs...Sticker status: On (comes off when I 'know' my camera)Gum: two sticks-128MB (not enough!)Accessories: B+W UV, B+W ND, Shaytech Flash EnhancerMy Gallery: still working on that!

extrapanelle · Apr 5, 2002

I have my F505 V and I must say that I've never been too keen on using it. Image quality is just enough for photography without using it so that I can't think of using my digital zoom as I'm looking for a good shot.

On the other hand I bought a camcorder DCR PC120 last december and I've discovered how useful it could be. For video use, it seems definitely mandatory as soon as you look for a correct framing. And with the lower resolution of video signals, you do not really notice the digital effect so much...

Extrapanelle

venkat · Apr 5, 2002

I have kept mine ON and have taken a few shots with it. It works good with good lighting. But to the extent possible i try not to use it by keeping an eye on the slider on LCD. Sometimes it comes handy for composing a better shot.
I have no idea how good/bad other digicams are with their digital zoom.
Venkat.

MN Randy · Apr 5, 2002

Mine is usually turned off on the 707. I do turn it on when the occasion arises. It really isn't too bad. It is almost never used with my S70 though.
These are digital zoom and the B300 with the 707.

Randy

peggy · Apr 5, 2002

Randy those are nice pictures. I keep my digital zoom turned off too. The reason being that a few years ago I bought a digital video camera and tried it the first time out, and it was nothing but somewhat LARGE pixels so I figured it was a worthless feature and turned it off. It was one of Sony's earlier digital video cameras so perhaps these new digicams have improved on it and maybe I should have an open mind & try it sometime. Can't argue with these shots, I know I'd have been sorry if I'd missed them because I didn't try it.

-- http://www.pbase.com/puck

Anorfir · Apr 5, 2002

I usually have mine off(707). But have used it on occasion. Most recently I was shooting a theatrical production and due to the fact that I was also running the lighting board at the time I was quite far away and I was not going to have time to do any post processing. They needed prints in a couple of hours. So tripod and remote and ISO400(and fingers crossed). they turned out remarkably well. Noise, but on printing not to bad. If I had had time they would have cleaned up real well.

--Anorfir

Jeff Kline · Apr 5, 2002

I too turned mine off rationalizing that it was nothing more than a crop of the image and was something I could do just as well in Photoshop.

However, I turned it back on because it is one of those features that I had not really tired.

So glad I did!

I don't think the following image would have turned out as well as it did without using the digital zoom.

http://www.pbase.com/image/1589164

It's optional to use, and I now leave mine turned on unless there's a good reason not to.

Jeff

John Forish · Apr 5, 2002

I keep it turned on. I stay sensitive to the little bar that marks the beginning of digital zoom territory and don't go past it unless I really need to -- but then I do.

I first thought that the picture would just be cropped in-camera but I found out when I checked digital zoom pictures that the 5 Mp resolution is maintained so the camera is interpolating.

I'm not sure if the camera does a better job of interpolationg than could be done in Photoshop or such with stairstep interpolation or in something like Genuine Fractals because I haven't had the opportunity to try the experiment (hey, Shay, new experiment for ya!) but the results I've had with the digital zoom and the results I've seen posted in this forum have led me to use it when I really need the extra focal length.

---John

Jim Gilliland · Apr 5, 2002

Here's one thing 707 owners might want to consider: Sony's digital zoom works with the raw data to produce the best possible image from a limited section of its CCD. The result, though, is guaranteed to have somewhat lower resolution than the camera is otherwise capable of.

So if you find yourself in a situation where the digital zoom will be useful, why not just set the camera to capture a lower resolution image? The 3mp setting should match pretty well with the middle portion of the digital zoom's range. You won't have the full resolution of the camera, but you'll use less storage and get the most out of the situation at hand.

So most of the time, the 707 is a 5mp camera with a 38-190 zoom, but when needed it "converts" to a 3mp camera with a 38-380 zoom. Not bad!

[Note - to be entirely accurate about this, though, the full digital zoom setting would be best matched to the 1280x960 image size. The 2x digital zoom divides both the horizontal and vertical resolution by 2. So at full digital zoom, you're using only one quarter of the CCD.]

Anyway, that gives you another way to think about the versatility of the digital zoom.

Digital zoom survey (ON/OFF)?

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