Photato
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Veteran Member
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Posts: 3,150
Re: Do EOS M series have digital zoom?
2
ken_in_nh wrote:
You always have digital zoom. It's called "cropping" in post, like in Lightroom.
Not the same.
This is a common misunderstood and underestimated feature, even among advanced users !
There are many functional differences between Live Crops (Digital Zoom) and Cropping in post.
- With DZ the user gets a better view of the subject for composition, focus, timing, etc .
- Camera gets a better, more accurate Auto Exposure, Auto Focus, White Balance, etc assessment of the scene. The narrow the field of view, the easier it is.
- With DZ, camera can do faster sensor read-outs (less rolling shutter artifacts) in electronic shutter mode, faster shots per second and more shots can fit in the limited buffer or write more shots to card even with slower cards.
- Cropped shots take less space.
- Can shoot any Aspect Ratio or perform Auto Leveling free from the sensor and Image Circle constraints
- DZ is *essential* for Video given its limited data bandwidth. You'll never get the same level of IQ cropping video after the fact than with Live Crop in Video.
- Since most Zoom lenses become darker when zooming in, Live Crops gives you more options on trade-offs.
That being said, Live Crops are not a substitute for a proper telephoto or macro lens, but it is a very convenient feature which allows you to shot distant or close subjects with the lens you currently have, better than "cropping in post" and is a feature that is technically very simple to implement.
Almost every Smartphone has it because is real useful and convenient.
I don't shy away to use it in my iPhone when appropriate.
The likely reason the majority of Camera manufacturers have deliberately omitted that function in ILC cameras is in order to sell you more lenses, they know most amateurs wouldn't consider the IQ difference so they might be right there.
But, it doesn't help either that even advanced users underestimate and misunderstand this feature.
Fortunately, a few new ILC cameras are starting to incorporate this feature and over time some people will "get it"