What’s the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom? Does it affect picture quality?

Answer 1

Optical zoom is the same as using binoculars

Digital zoom, uses the digitized image and blows it up, causing more pixelization
example a 4 mega-pixel camera, uses 50% digital zoom, you'll get the resolution as if you used a 2mega-pixel camera. now 50% again you are down to the quality of a 1 megapixel camera

Answer 2

Optical zoom actually enlarges the subject being photographed with the camera lens. Digital zoom just enlarges the center of the digital photograph, thus making the pixels of the photo larger.

Digital zoom isn't all bad, but I find I can only use 1X to 1.5X values before I start seeing the image degrade in quality.

Cameras of better quality offer more optical zoom. Digital zoom is a cheap way of offering zoom.

For more info, click on the link included.

Answer 3

Optical zoom should be the only one you care about as it actually gets you closer to the item. Digital zoom artificially shifts the lens closer, but since it is computer-generated it will not allow you to have any focus on what you are looking at. Some camcorders advertise a 1000x digital zoom, but the optical zoom is truly what is needed by a user. Honestly, I can't think of any practical application for digital zoom.

Most mainstream cameras have a 3X optical zoom. Larger cameras (like the Canon S2) might have a 10X zoom, but the physical camera is much bigger.

Answer 4

An optical zoom is preferred because it speaks of the strength of the lens. A digital zoom means that the electronics are zooming in on the picture already taken and amplifying the pixels. Therefore, the digital is not as clear. You want to optimize the optical zoom number. These factors can become very picky however... for most users either is fine.

Answer 5

Optical Zoom is used in 35MM Photography and uses Elements being moved(manually or by Auto Focus).
Depending on the Optical lens Used the quality is very Good compared to Digital zoom!.

Digital Zoom is used in Compact Digital cameras,this employs an Electronic Zooming technology(That does not Involve Glass Elements or lens Optics),Therefore this method does cause Low Picture Quality!

Answer 6

Most people who have used a 35mm camera or an APS camera are aware of only optical zoom. Optical zoom uses the optics (lens) of the camera to bring the subject closer. Digital zoom is an invention of digital video cameras. It is not uncommon to see digital videocams with 300x digital zoom.

Digital zoom is not really zoom, in the strictest definition of the term. What digital zoom does is enlarge a portion of the image, thus 'simulating' optical zoom. In other words, the camera crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size. In so doing, you lose image quality. If you've been regularly using digital zoom and wondered why your pictures did not look that great, now you know.

Is digital zoom therefore all bad? No, not at all. It's a feature that you might want in your digital camera (in fact, all digital cameras include some digital zoom, so you can't really avoid it), especially if you don't care about using (or don't know how to use) an image editing software. So, as far as digital zoom is concerned, you can do it in camera or you can do it afterwards in an image editing software. Any cropping and enlarging can be done in an image editing software, such as Photoshop.

So, when a digital camera is advertised with 3x digital zoom, no big deal. You can achieve the same 3x (and in fact as much as you want) digital zoom effect in an image editing software. The advantage of doing it later is that you can then decide exactly which portion to crop and how much to enlarge (3x, 4x, ...). If you do it in camera, image quality is irreversibly lost.

Someone in a digital camera forum once mentioned that he uses digital zoom because it might mean the difference between capturing a great shot or not at all. Umm, let's think about this a bit. True, if by zooming digitally in camera you get to see what your subject is doing and thus can capture the shot at the right moment. Not quite true, if it's something like a landscape shot, and the mountains ain't going nowhere fast, because you can achieve the same cropping and enlarging effect after the fact in your image editing software. So, it's really up to you, if you know what you're doing.

What, therefore is the rule of thumb, when it comes to using zoom? Here it is: Always use optical zoom. When buying a camera, choose one that warns you that you are about to use digital zoom or that allows you to disable digital zoom (most do). If you do use digital zoom, use it only if it does not appreciably impact your image quality. If you rarely print past 4x6 in. photos, digital zoom may not adversely affect you.

When comparing cameras, you should always use optical zoom. There is no point in comparing digital zoom with digital zoom or optical zoom with total zoom. Always compare optical zoom with optical zoom.

Answer 7

[In my best caveman impression]
Optical zoom good
Digital zoom bad

Digitial zoom does affect picture quality because it is a software manipulation of what the sensor captures. Most photo tip websites will advise photographers to turn that feature off.

Answer 8

Only use digital zoom as an aid to manual focusing. Otherwise only shoot using optical zoom or none at all.

Answer 9

Not sure if I can explain this thoroughly but digital zoom will give you a greater magnification but reduces the number of pixels. So if you wanted to enlarge a digital zoom picture to an 8x10, it may come out fuzzy. The migher number the megapixels the better.

Answer 10

optical zoom is better, digital is usually worse quality, if you can try a camera out with both, you'll see the difference. good luck!