Digital Photography Tip #1: Avoid using the digital zoom feature

The so-called digital zoom marketed by most digital camera
manufacturers is one big gimmick. Don't be fooled by it. You see,
digital zoom simply performs an in-image crop to give a 'zoom' effect.
However, in doing this, the image quality will definitely suffer. I
never use digital zoom in shooting my digital photos.

For more information, visit my website at:
http://www.basic-digital-photography.com

Best Regards,
Gary Hendricks

Gary Hendricks wrote:
The so-called digital zoom marketed by most digital camera
manufacturers is one big gimmick. Don't be fooled by it. You see,
digital zoom simply performs an in-image crop to give a 'zoom' effect.
However, in doing this, the image quality will definitely suffer. I
never use digital zoom in shooting my digital photos.

For more information, visit my website at:
http://www.basic-digital-photography.com

Best Regards,
Gary Hendricks

There are a few conditions where digital zoom is useful - in particular
where JPEG compression in involved the zoomed image will suffer less from
the compression than an unzoomed one. You may also get better exposure or
focus.

I use digital zoom rather infrequently, but not "never".

David

(Gary Hendricks) wrote in
om:

The so-called digital zoom marketed by most digital camera
manufacturers is one big gimmick. Don't be fooled by it. You see,
digital zoom simply performs an in-image crop to give a 'zoom' effect.


Have you tested it with your camera? I found that with my camera that
certain types of photos are better off with digital zoom than with cropping
and resampling in photoshop. The differences were rather subtle though. In
most cases it probably doesn't make any visable difference in the final
printed image. (With my camera).

Bob

--
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(Gary Hendricks) wrote in
om:

The so-called digital zoom marketed by most digital camera
manufacturers is one big gimmick. Don't be fooled by it. You see,
digital zoom simply performs an in-image crop to give a 'zoom' effect.


Have you tested it with your camera? I found that with my camera that
certain types of photos are better off with digital zoom than with cropping
and resampling in photoshop. The differences were rather subtle though. In
most cases it probably doesn't make any visable difference in the final
printed image. (With my camera).

Bob

--
Delete the inverse SPAM to reply

(Gary Hendricks) wrote in
om:

The so-called digital zoom marketed by most digital camera
manufacturers is one big gimmick. Don't be fooled by it. You see,
digital zoom simply performs an in-image crop to give a 'zoom' effect.


Have you tested it with your camera? I found that with my camera that
certain types of photos are better off with digital zoom than with cropping
and resampling in photoshop. The differences were rather subtle though. In
most cases it probably doesn't make any visable difference in the final
printed image. (With my camera).

Bob

--
Delete the inverse SPAM to reply

In message ,
"David J Taylor" wrote:

There are a few conditions where digital zoom is useful - in particular
where JPEG compression in involved the zoomed image will suffer less from
the compression than an unzoomed one. You may also get better exposure or
focus.

I use digital zoom rather infrequently, but not "never".

If it weren't for the camera manufacturer's obsession with a small set
of standardized image sizes, digital zoom could just be an
un-interpolated crop, which benefits from zooming in on the LCD or EVF.
There would be no drawback if it were used, because nothing would be
lost, except the wider field of view, which the operator has already
decided is worthless.
--


John P Sheehy

In message ,
"David J Taylor" wrote:

There are a few conditions where digital zoom is useful - in particular
where JPEG compression in involved the zoomed image will suffer less from
the compression than an unzoomed one. You may also get better exposure or
focus.

I use digital zoom rather infrequently, but not "never".

If it weren't for the camera manufacturer's obsession with a small set
of standardized image sizes, digital zoom could just be an
un-interpolated crop, which benefits from zooming in on the LCD or EVF.
There would be no drawback if it were used, because nothing would be
lost, except the wider field of view, which the operator has already
decided is worthless.
--


John P Sheehy

In message ,
"David J Taylor" wrote:

There are a few conditions where digital zoom is useful - in particular
where JPEG compression in involved the zoomed image will suffer less from
the compression than an unzoomed one. You may also get better exposure or
focus.

I use digital zoom rather infrequently, but not "never".

If it weren't for the camera manufacturer's obsession with a small set
of standardized image sizes, digital zoom could just be an
un-interpolated crop, which benefits from zooming in on the LCD or EVF.
There would be no drawback if it were used, because nothing would be
lost, except the wider field of view, which the operator has already
decided is worthless.
--


John P Sheehy

wrote in news
If it weren't for the camera manufacturer's obsession with a small set
of standardized image sizes, digital zoom could just be an
un-interpolated crop, which benefits from zooming in on the LCD or EVF.
There would be no drawback if it were used, because nothing would be
lost, except the wider field of view, which the operator has already
decided is worthless.


Yepp - I would like that functionality. It is useful.


/Roland

(Gary Hendricks) wrote:

The so-called digital zoom marketed by most digital camera
manufacturers is one big gimmick. Don't be fooled by it. You see,
digital zoom simply performs an in-image crop to give a 'zoom' effect.
However, in doing this, the image quality will definitely suffer. I
never use digital zoom in shooting my digital photos.

You can't say never. It depends on what image size you are shooting at and
the maximum image size of the camera. If you are shooting at VGA size
(sometimes called TV size) digital zoom is simply cropping the higher image
size and no quality is lost.

If you only put pictures on the web, and never print them, there isn't much
point in shooting a large image, only to have to reduce it before putting
on the web.

Don donwiss at panix.com.