What is the point of digital zoom?

[mrob7]

I understand how it works and all but why would anyone ever want to use it? On all my camcorders i've used I always turn off digital zoom. Why would you use something that degrades picture quality? Especially on a hd camcorder...

[darosk]

I understand how it works and all but why would anyone ever want to use it? On all my camcorders i've used I always turn off digital zoom. Why would you use something that degrades picture quality? Especially on a hd camcorder...

In my opinion digital zoom has absolutely no use on camcorders, and much less on digital cameras. They're an excuse for the companies to patch BIG NUMBERS LIKE 100X DIGITAL ZOOM on their products as bait.

Cropping can be achieved with much more control in post.

[angelo913]

Digital zoom IMO is just marketing. Myself I have it disabled.

But if you ever needed a close-up, I wouldn't go beyond 2x digital zoom or 20x total on the HDV20.

...Angelo

[angelo913]

In my opinion digital zoom has absolutely no use on camcorders, and much less on digital cameras. They're an excuse for the companies to patch BIG NUMBERS LIKE 100X DIGITAL ZOOM on their products as bait.

Cropping can be achieved with much more control in post.

I agree, re-sizing post would be best.

...Angelo

[Lunchbox]

Digital zoom is mostly useless. I agree.

For digital camera, there're people don't use Photoshop or any photo editing software. So digital zoom will be good for them. It will be similiar here someone intended to output SD and choose to shoot in SD instead of HDV and down size in post.

I did turn on digital zoom with my HV20. I was shooting in HDV but knowing I only will output to SD. The digital zoom actually gives me additional zoom power but won't cause quality loss because the fake magnification is resize down to SD.

I know it's controversial. However, I have done it and it proves to work great in my SD output. You can't tell that was shot with digital zoom on.

There is another useful tip in shooting HDV output SD. I posted here.

http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=2362

[Worley]

Digital Penis Envy.

[astrogreek]

I never used the digital zoom on my previous SD camcorder, the image became so blurred and noisy it was totally useless. However, with my HV20 I do use the digital zoom if I need more tele than it has. I think the image quality holds up surprisingly well in the lower range of the digital zoom.
AG

[w.pasman]

One advantage of digital zoom in the camera instead of in post is that the camera *might* do the zoom on the RAW images instead of the compressed images. In post you always work with the compressed images unless you are grabbing raw from the HDMI.

Therefore digital zoom might give higher quality images than post.

[bob619]

Unless you have a native 1920X1080 display, you couldn't really tell that you are into the digital range (at least the lower range), just don't over do it.

I have a native 1366x768 and its really hard to tell when I am in the digital zoom range.

I also agree with w.pasman that the camera might be interpolating on the uncompressed 1920*1080 image and not the mpeg2 compressed 1440*1080 image. Therefore it might have a slight advantage than using the 10x optical and interpolating (zoom) in post.

[Rikki]

Hold on, so these £4.99 computer speakers I bought arent really 1000watts either? Says so on the box! :P

[TyrantT316]

Hold on, so these £4.99 computer speakers I bought arent really 1000watts either? Says so on the box! :P

Even though I work in promotional marketing for products, I laugh everytime I see something like that....

"ULTIMATE SURROUND SOUND POWER!!! Sound System Kit!"

meanwhile it is a cheap $19.99 stereo system, 5 watts and takes 3 AAA batteries...

[Rikki]

Yeah good old PMPO :D

[Verne]

I did turn on digital zoom with my HV20. I was shooting in HDV but knowing I only will output to SD. The digital zoom actually gives me additional zoom power but won't cause quality loss because the fake magnification is resize down to SD.

I know it's controversial. However, I have done it and it proves to work great in my SD output. You can't tell that was shot with digital zoom on.

I've recently purchased a HV30, and but don't have a blue-ray burner, so can't really output HD which will play on a set-top box.

I've been shooting in HDV since I figure that someday I'll have that capability, but was wondering if shooting in SD would allow me to use some digital zoom without penalty, considering that the sensor in the HV30 appears to really be 2048x1536.

Anyone know if the camera is smart enough to know to use real pixels if I say kept my digital zoom use down to 28x or less (as the quoted text seems to imply)?

[Lunchbox]

I don't think that would be the case.

[ncusa367]

most of the projects i do i film in hd and output in sd, being in hd gives me extra room to play around without loosing quality. I could use digital zoom and not have it be noticeable, but i would much rather zoom in post so i can have more control

[eplayerd]

It changes the image size without affecting the perspective. It has artistic value if nothing else.