Digital Zooms, why bother?

[gail]

I don't understand why digital cameras don't just include optical zooms. Why digital zooms, which in my experience aren't worth the effort to turn them on? Even when set on a tripod and using the self-timer, my pics taken with the digital zoom are awful.

Is is me, or are digital zooms mostly good for nothing?

thanks,
--
gail aka 'Ole sneakerfoot'
http://www.pbase.com/gailb ~ WSSA Member #21

Nikon CP 5400 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/nikon-coolpix-5400/nikon-coolpix-5400-tips.htm

 

[NikonGirl]

Marketing. Consumers who don't know any better (read: most consumers) think a camera with a 10x digital zoom must be twice as good as a camera with a 5x digital zoom, even though they don't really know what it means.

Same reason they keep making cameras with more and more megapixels, instead of concentrating on things that will actually improve the image quality (such as a better lens, or a sensor with more dynamic range and lower noise). The average consumer thinks that all he wants is more megapixels, so that is what the manufacturers give us. It doesn't matter that an 8 megapixel sensor is just wasting away sitting there behind that tiny cheap lens. Marketing is everything in this day and age. Give the customer what he thinks he wants, even if it doesn't make sense.

--
Jeff

http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?include=all&user_id=403266

I don't understand why digital cameras don't just include optical
zooms. Why digital zooms, which in my experience aren't worth the
effort to turn them on? Even when set on a tripod and using the
self-timer, my pics taken with the digital zoom are awful.

Is is me, or are digital zooms mostly good for nothing?

thanks,
--
gail aka 'Ole sneakerfoot'
http://www.pbase.com/gailb ~ WSSA Member #21
Nikon CP 5400 BLOG:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/nikon-coolpix-5400/nikon-coolpix-5400-tips.htm

 

[Drew]

Well, sometimes you just want to document somethng and need the extra telephoto range. But for regular photography--especially print making--I agree that it's not a valuable feature.

What annoys me is the way manufacturers market the digital zoom by including the total range in bold letters on the box and the camera sticker, and in ads. I think that practice should be terminated!

Drew

I don't understand why digital cameras don't just include optical
zooms. Why digital zooms, which in my experience aren't worth the
effort to turn them on? Even when set on a tripod and using the
self-timer, my pics taken with the digital zoom are awful.

Is is me, or are digital zooms mostly good for nothing?

 

[_Kamran_]

you can use digital zoom in optical way The credit goes to another ntf member who mentioned this. (5700 in mind) If you shoot on 2 mp and use 1.5x digi zoom, then camera actually does not use the digi zooming. It rather takes a 5mp snap and uses only the middle portion (2mp).

--
Kamran
http://www.pbase.com/kmahbub
C P 5 7 0 0, W C 8 0, T C 1 5 E D, S B 2 4, F 8 0 1

 

[Justin San Diego]

Gail your right they are not worth it. My camcorder has a 750X digital zoom, which is totally useless. The 8x optical on the 5700 is great. So I am for more optical power on digital cameras.
Have a Great Day! Justin

 

[Haze]

The first thing I did with my camera after taking it out of the box was to disable the digital zoom.

 

[gail]

If you shoot
on 2 mp and use 1.5x digi zoom, then camera actually does not use
the digi zooming. It rather takes a 5mp snap and uses only the
middle portion (2mp).

I will try this but, if I understand you correctly, I'm still can only use half the digital zoom: 1.5x and not 3x.

Basically, it's a laugh when it comes to trying to take a photo for printing and enlarging. I do think there is a bit of very false advertising on the part of manufacturers!!

--
gail aka 'Ole sneakerfoot'
http://www.pbase.com/gailb ~ WSSA Member #21

Nikon CP 5400 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/nikon-coolpix-5400/nikon-coolpix-5400-tips.htm

[/U]

 

[Fox67]

The cost of this function is nothing : it is either embedded in the picture processor or a simple software function; so why asking to remove something that can be turned into a marketing argument ?

Cheers

Pascal
--
C P 5 7 0 0
FCAS Member
Visit my gallery at :
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fox67

 

[Muriel S]

in that using 2mp size, you can go into digital tele, but I don't know how far up.

--
Muriel - 5 4 0 0, 9 9 5, SB22s, 3 1 0 0, W C-6 3, T C-2 E,
DPR and Pbase supporter
FCAS Charter Member
CATS #50 (but it's a dog who thinks it's a cat)

 

[Carl_Potvin]

Since Nikon CP don't enlarge a portion of the image to help us in Manual Focus mode and the Focus Confirmation fonction is not working well for me, I use the digital zoom to verify focus. Then I zoom back in optical area and shoot!

I rarely use it for shooting.

Regards.

--
Carl

• Coolpix 5400 -

 

[Snufkin]

As Kamran mentioned, using digital zoom esentially uses fewer pixels, so the file size can be smaller (similar scene being 1MB without digital zoom, 670kB with digtal zoom on my 995). Plus, if you're using high compression modes then the JPG compression should damage the fine details less, since the details will be bigger in the image being compressed.

Oh, and if you're using auto modes then the camera can do a better job. If there was a dark centre with a light surround then without digital zoom it could underexpose the centre. Digital zoom to make the centre fill the frame and it might do a better job.

But, yes, mostly it's useless, and marketing that claims 4x optical and 3x digital makes a useful 12x zoom are being misleading.

Cheers,

Paul.

I don't understand why digital cameras don't just include optical
zooms. Why digital zooms, which in my experience aren't worth the
effort to turn them on? Even when set on a tripod and using the
self-timer, my pics taken with the digital zoom are awful.

Is is me, or are digital zooms mostly good for nothing?

thanks,
--
gail aka 'Ole sneakerfoot'
http://www.pbase.com/gailb ~ WSSA Member #21
Nikon CP 5400 BLOG:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/nikon-coolpix-5400/nikon-coolpix-5400-tips.htm

 

[gaberlunzie]

you can use digital zoom in optical way The credit goes to
another ntf member who mentioned this. (5700 in mind) If you shoot
on 2 mp and use 1.5x digi zoom, then camera actually does not use
the digi zooming. It rather takes a 5mp snap and uses only the
middle portion (2mp).

I suppose this is the same as taking the photo in 5Mp and then cropping it later. However you would be using up more space on your CF Card. I would only use digizoom if I really wanted to get a close up of something a long distance from my viewpoint, couldn't get any nearer to the subject and wasn't worried about the quality of the photo.

Andy
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/a.sargent/
St. Albans, England
CP5700 and Canon Ixus V[/U]

 

[Ron T]

Is is me, or are digital zooms mostly good for nothing?

They actually are good for something but you are right mostly nothing.

The digital zoom is about the same as cropping in Photoshop. If you are a person who doesn't do any photo editing then this "may" be useful at some point. For example, if you wan't to take a photo of the moon you could use the digital zoom if you were just going to be taking your memory card to Costco for processing.

Ron T

 

[Al Adrian]

Is is me, or are digital zooms mostly good for nothing?

One good thing that I use Digital zoom for once in a while is for focusing my telescope with my 5400 mounted on it

It's mostly at full zoom when attached to the scope, so for high fidelity focusing of the scope (camera is set on infinity) I up it to max digital zoom, twiddle the knob, then lower back to optical zoom again..

Al....

 

[John Va]

This is my favorite 32x pic, Not perfect by far, but it helped make those white spects on the mountin have meaning

 

[twvette]

I was under the impression digital zoom was useless also until taking moon pics. There is no way you could produce the photos by not using digital zoom and then cropping, enlarging, zooming in photoshop. I dont really understand exactly why it produces a much clearer picturer by using the digital zoom on the camera vs. a digital zoom in PC software but it is beneficial in some cases.

It kinda hard to argue this point when you see these at full digital zoom ...
compare the first pic which was without digital zoom to the others ...

http://community.webshots.com/album/156155087wcfYBu

This is my favorite 32x pic, Not perfect by far, but it helped make
those white spects on the mountin have meaning

--
Nikon 8700
Nikon Fisheye and Wide Angle Lens

 

[Tirzah]

Here is a shot I took using digital zoom w/CP8700... mostly 'cuz I haven't ordered the tele lens yet which I will get around to... Just too many other gadgets came first.

BTW... there was no touchups done for this pic other than crop.

 

[goodchild]

Since Nikon CP don't enlarge a portion of the image to help us in
Manual Focus mode and the Focus Confirmation fonction is not
working well for me, I use the digital zoom to verify focus. Then I
zoom back in optical area and shoot!

all this with manual focus right?

btw what's the best way to use manual focus? I tried a bit but I don't really understand when the image is on focus or not, I used film reflex camera for years so I think to know how to get a picture in focus, but turned to digi camera (cp 5400) I find manual focus pretty awful.

 

[ramsdens]

Kamran

Totall agree. I tend to se my 8700 on 5MP setting - but if I know I'm going to need digital zoom I up it to 8MP to try and retain some of the quality.

But as a rule...I DO NOT USE DIGITAL ZOOM... cos it sucks.

Simon

you can use digital zoom in optical way The credit goes to
another ntf member who mentioned this. (5700 in mind) If you shoot
on 2 mp and use 1.5x digi zoom, then camera actually does not use
the digi zooming. It rather takes a 5mp snap and uses only the
middle portion (2mp).

--
Kamran
http://www.pbase.com/kmahbub
C P 5 7 0 0, W C 8 0, T C 1 5 E D, S B 2 4, F 8 0 1

--
8•7•0•0
CATS Member #16
Shoot first, worry about the release form later...[/U]

 

[gail]

This is my favorite 32x pic, Not perfect by far, but it helped make
those white spects on the mountin have meaning

That's true. I also have a few similar photos ... not in subject matter but quality, or should I say, lack of quality.

Regarding your photo (and mine): Can we print it and have a quailty print? No! If we enlarge it, will it look okay, whether shown on the web or printed. No!

I walk through a Florida Scrub several times a week, taking photos of the unique environment which includes endangered species of birds. As I walk and look around, my 5400 is on and lens zoomed to it's max (4x). I would never have the lens fully extended with digital zoom.

As someone with an interest in photography beyond taking just snapshots, to me a digital zoom is useless (except perhaps, as someone indicated, in rare circumstances).
--
gail aka 'Ole sneakerfoot'
http://www.pbase.com/gailb ~ WSSA Member #21

Nikon CP 5400 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/nikon-coolpix-5400/nikon-coolpix-5400-tips.htm