Most of the digital cameras within the mid-priced range include a 3x/4x lens - the first number refers to the optical zoom with the second number referring to the digital zoom. A few of the lower-end priced cameras have only a digital zoom, but their photos are rather dull and slightly fuzzy. The zoom effect in a digital camera is similar to, yet different, from that of a conventional camera. It brings distant subjects closer.

However, in a digital camera there are two kinds of ‘zooms’. The first is similar to that of a conventional camera and is known as the optical zoom. The second is the digital zoom, and is more interesting. It ’simulates’ optical zoom by enlarging a portion of the image that is the digital zoom selects a portion of the photograph and blows it up.

The zoom effect should not be confused with photo editing, where an image editing software is used to crop and blow a picture on a computer screen. Cropping a picture can refer to enlarging the main subject, or an area of choice - thereby eliminating the remaining parts. Another misconception associated with digital zoom is that it is very handy in capturing long distance images. Nothing can be more misleading. Optical zoom matters more in a digital camera. Read the rest of this entry »