What is "real image zoom"?

Question

I'm shopping for a digital camera and keep coming across "real image zoom". what does that mean?

Answer 1

"Real image zoom" means that when you are looking thru the small viewfinder, you are seeing the real life image (not an electronic copy). This applies even when using the zoom.

This is good! Generally the real image is clearer and brighter than what you see in an Electronic View Finder (EVF) on some cameras.

The one disadvantage of Real Image viewfinders is that they usually only show 80-95% of what will be in the actual pic. So you have to remember to zoom a little closer if you want to fill the frame.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Might mean 2 things:

1 Optical Zoom (ignore digital zoom)

2 Zooms are often stated what a 35 mm camera would get. Maybe they mean what this camera gets vs a 35mm camera. I lot of digitals are 'cropped' so they appear to be a lot closer.
Like this:
Focal length: 7.3 to 29.2mm (35mm film equivalent: 35-140mm)

Since every digital camera is different, using the 35mm equivalent gives a standard we can use.