Choosing a Digital Camera: Zoom Types

Digital cameras, even the compact budget variety, probably have a zoom feature. You may understand that “x4” zoom mean that the zoom will move in towards the point you have aimed at, four times as close. But do you know the difference between “optical zoom” and “digital zoom”? Some of the better manufacturers explain what this is in their sales pitch for their particular cameras, others are silent. It can be a crucial thing in deciding what camera to buy, so be armed with this information before you go shopping!

Like with video cameras, digital cameras measure zoom by magnification factor. As I’ve already said a camera with 4x or 4 times zoom magnifies the image by a factor of four. This does not mean that your subject will appear 4x larger than it does to the naked eye but that it will appear four times larger than it does in the natural, original “unzoomed” lens position. In fact most compact digital cameraswill have a starting lens position that makes the subject appear further away that it does to the naked eye. This allows you to fit more into your shot. It’s a sort of mini-wide angle starter.
Optical Zoom
Optical zoom magnifies the image using the cameras optics. That’s the lenses. This means that light is passing through curved glass which in turn makes your subject look bigger in your photo. The actual quality of the magnified image depends on the quality of the lenses and coatings on those lenses. Optical zoom is the traditional kind of zoom and can produce extremely sharp images. It’s been around since well before digital cameras.
Digital Zoom
Digital zoom appeared much more recently than optical zoom. Firstly on video cameras. I had one on my very first primitive camcorder and found that the zoom was disappointing though because the quality of it was so low and grainy. That is because digital zoom produces magnification by cropping the image and up-sampling the cropped portion. The result is a loss in quality. This is because cropping reduces the number of pixels used which you can see as a blocky or blurry looking image. The more you zoom in, the fewer pixels are used to make the image, reducing quality. So digital zoom is rubbish right? Well, no, not now.

With the advent of digital photo cameras, digital zoom has become somewhat more useful. Here’s an example. You’ve taken a picture of the Taj Mahal from a distance, but want to check that you haven’t got a car park just away to the side, or a plane flying by in the distance in the top left corner. You can use the digital zoom to zoom up on it on the cameras screen. This will bring into clear sight portions of the photo. Using the digital zoom permits you to look closer at the photo and reshoot if necessary. Note that using the digital zoom to zoom up on a photo after you took it does not reframe or permanently zoom up on that photo. It is just a tool to let you see it more closely. So- yes, look, there was a plane at the top left of the Taj Mahal. Take that photo again!
Now that you know the basic difference between digital and optical zoom, the question is how much zoom do you need? If price weren’t a factor, some may assume that the more zoom you have, the better. Not necessarily. A big zoom may mean that for the reasonable price, they will have cut corners elsewhere. Most people take pictures of their friends and families. When taking photos of this kind of subject, rarely will you be zooming up from far off. In fact you’d probably do better with a camera that has a wide-angle lens, to get more of them in the shot, especially when shooting indoors. How many times has that cry gone out when trying to take a picture of everyone sitting down at the dinner table.. “Move in closer- I can’t get you all in!”

Where a powerful zoom does come in handy is when shooting vacation photos or photos of recitals or other events where you can’t physically move closer. Most digital cameras on the market today have a 3x optical zoom. This amount of zoom fits with the needs and budget of most digital camera buyers. It is now possible to get cameras with optical zoom as powerful as 15x or more. While these can be very appealing, be aware that you are sacrificing some sharpness in order to get the versatility of a lens with such a large zoom range.

Another potential downside to buying a camera with a powerful zoom is that these cameras tend to be much larger and heavier. So if having a slim pocket digital camera is important to you, you’ll probably have to forget about getting a powerful optical zoom. Most small cameras max out at 4 or 3x zoom.
As for how much digital zoom you need? Well mostdigital cameras being produced today have more than adequate digital zoom. No issue.
Just remember that the optical zoom is truly the important specification to look for. Now zoom off and start looking for your perfect camera!



For more information on digital cameras visit:http://all-cameras.com/

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Android 4.0.3 for Sony Tablet S


Finally available in Europe and then in France today, the update to Android 4.0.3 ICS brings many new features and improvements tablets Tablet Sony S and P. In addition to a major overhaul of the user interface, the update includes several new applications and features unique to Sony (direct access to the contents of the SD card, mini-apps and new options pictures (editing, panorama, slideshow) . All owners of a Sony Tablet will be automatically notified of the update to Android 4.0.3.

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Assange be extradited to Sweden


The verdict is, Assange, founder of Wikileaks, will be extradited to Sweden where he is accused of sexually assaulting two young women, aggression he has always denied. Five of the seven judges of the High Court of Justice UK have indeed given the green light for the extradition.
On probation and house arrest for two years, Assange had already appealed in February 2011 for the same judgment. This time, all cards are exhausted English to avoid extradition, and his only recourse is the European Court of Human Rights.
Assange was arrested in 2010 for sexual assaults, shortly after the release of thousands of confidential diplomatic cables from the white house. This very short period of time between the two cases is an argument for the proponents of conspiracy theories. If Assange is repatriated to Sweden, he might fear extradition to the United States where it may very big.

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New Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 and Chromebox


Google announced yesterday the release of a new Chromebook, both manufactured by Samsung!
The Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 features a 12.1 “screen (1280 × 800), an Intel Celeron 867 Dual Core 1.3 GHz with 4GB of RAM, an Intel GPU HD 3000 Graphics, 16GB SSD, a card Reader 4-in-1, Wi-Fi, an Ethernet port, optional 3G, a HD webcam, two USB ports or a DisplayPort output, while the Chrome OS with a weight of 1.480 kg and an endurance 6am. From 450$.
The Samsung Chromebox is a small box was connected to one or two screens of 30 “, which loads an Intel Celeron dual-core B840 clocked at 1.9 GHz with 4GB of RAM, an Intel GPU HD 3000 Graphics, 16GB SSD , 6 USB ports, Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, Ethernet port and two DisplayPort outputs and one DVI, all under Chome OS course. Count 330$.

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Olympus announces M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm 1:1.8


Dslr Cameras Gadgets Olympus announces M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm 1:1.8, a new objective for PEN and OM-D, equivalent to 150mm in 35mm format. This fully designed with a metal engine MSC ultra quick and quiet, has a very open, ideal for portraits, sports photography and indoor shooting far indoors (concerts, shows).

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Avatar the new game Motocross Madness Microsoft Studios


New Game Motocross by Xbox 360, A few days of a formal presentation with great fanfare at E3 some games fuitent unfortunately. Worse, some games whose name should be unveiled at the show are already known by simply looking at the name leakées images. A textbook case in which the new Microsoft Game Studios is no exception with the first two pictures of Avatar Motocross Madness leakées on NeoGAF forums.
It is neither more nor less than the return of the license Motocross Madness released on PC in 1998 to the sauce avatar, the virtual characters of the 360, not the film by James Cameron.

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Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-35mm F/2.8 X


Panasonic has a little mini-cati announce its new target destination devices Micro4 / 3 with the Lumix G Vario 12-35mm F/2.8 X. As you can see is a constant aperture zoom and bright as it opens at F/2.8. This is a 24-70mm equivalent in 35mm and it offers optical stabilization not to mention a development obviously very quiet, all in a weight of 300g. Count still € 1099 to the end of summer 2012.

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Loewe Assist Media remote control App for the iPad


Loewe released his iPad application dedicated to its TVs, the Loewe Assist Media App. If you have a Loewe TV, more searching around your remote, your iPhone has enough control your TV.
Thus, you can change the channel, get info on current programs, the TV program checker, record a program, open directly into the favorite channel, in short, the total directly on the tablet. The Loewe Assist Media App is available for free at first

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LG unbreakable and flexible displays for 2013


Manufacturer LG seems confident about the future of OLED technology for flexible displays.
The first devices to benefit from this technological advance will also count on a surface as unbreakable announced by LG. Expected in the course of 2013, this combination of technologies flexible / Unbreakable is made possible through the use of plastic substrates.
LG announced that this technology is already applicable to the current device market, we must therefore expect to see land products by the year 2013 .

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Samung Galaxy S3 50 GB of storage available Dropbox


The Samsung Galaxy S3 attracted much attention since its announcement last night. Well it seems that the new smartphone from Samsung still holds surprises. Indeed, Samsung associated itself with Dropbox to make a small gift to all purchasers of the Galaxy S3, which landed on May 29, namely 50 GB of storage.
Of course, this gift will surely have an expiration date, and will probably be possible only under certain conditions. But 50 GB will not be too much to make the most of sharing options of the Samsung Galaxy S3.

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Sony Playstation 4


All Sony Playstation game players and fans are so exclamation and waiting for PS4. There are Rumours and gosips About Some playstation 4 release date.
For years there is to WAR Between Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation named: Console Wars. As we know Microsoft Works on new Xbox at the other side is working on sony playstation 4 too. There are rumors sourced sony playstation 4 release date About 2012 points.
Its interesting to see Sony adds body movement controls to Playstation 4 as core features. We know these controls as Microsoft Xbox Continue reading Sony Playstation 4

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Nokia patent war joins in the festivities


Nokia has filed several complaints for patent infringement against RIM, HTC and Viewsonic for not less than 45 of its patents.
Initially, the first Finnish filed a complaint with the U.S. ITC – International Trade Commission, against HTC. This was followed by a second complaint in Germany this time against Viewsonic, RIM and HTC, which again seems decidedly in the sights of Nokia.

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Plustek Mobile office S410 portable scanner


Plustek Mobileoffice S410 portable scanner, a company specializing in the design of multifunction scanners has unveiled the Mobile Office S410, a portable scanner. In fact it weighs 410 grams with dimensions of 295 x 50 x 40.5 mm.
The device is capable of scanning an A4 sheet in 9 seconds at 300 dpi, which is pretty decent compared to a traditional scanner. It can also accept smaller formats like maps for example from 5.8 cm sides. In terms of image quality we are entitled to a resolution of up to 600 × 600 dpi. It connects with your computer via a USB cable, offers compatibility with the standard TWAIN and runs Windows XP, Vista and Seven and Mac OS from version 10.5. It comes with a suite of software including software that allows the OCR character recognition and more.

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