Zoom

Optical vs. digital zooms, or be very careful!

My camera has a 3x optical zoom, with an additional 8x digital zoom. On a camera with both optical and digital zooms, the two are used in combination. First the optical zoom is used, then the digital zoom is tacked on.

The optical zoom is the same type of zoom that you find on a film camera. It creates higher quality images than a digital zoom, which is really just manipulating the image rather than using a lens to allow you to get closer to your subject. I almost never take photos using the digital zoom. In my experience, the photos taken with the digital zoom are definitely not as clear as those I've taken with the optical zoom only.

If you know you'll use a zoom lens in your travels, make sure your camera has an optical zoom - or make sure you're OK with compromising picture quality by using a digital zoom. I like having both - but I wouldn't be happy with a camera that only had a digital zoom.