Charlize
Hi, anybody knows if there are any digital cameras and/or camcorders offering optical zoom in video mode?
All I've ever had are camcorders and digital cameras that feature only digital zoom when recording video, and the quality of that zooming is lousy; you see the quality difference immediately, when playing back the videos.
If anybody knows, I'd appreciate some suggestions, preferably budget cameras, USB compatible, so I can transfer to my PC.
Thanks a lot in advance for your suggestions.
Answer
All "real" camcorders have optical zoom and digital zoom.
It sounds like you are using a very low-end flip-like or toy camcorder or a camera that is primarily used for taking stills (and happens to have a "video" feature).
MiniDV tape based camcorders provide the best available video quality - but they use firewire (not USB) to transfer video to your computer. USB is only used for transferring stills from the camcorder's memory card or webstreaming (of the camcorder has either of these features). Adding a firewire port is typically not difficult - and it is pretty cheap.
Canon ZR800, ZR950, Sony DCR-HC52, HC62 and Panasonic PV-GS320 are good, entry-level, examples.
Hard drive and flash based camcorders compress their video a lot, but the quality isn't too bad... Video is transferred using USB. Sony DCR-SR45 and Canon FS10 are examples. They typically cost more than miniDV, but that does not mean the video quality is better - compression of the video information translates into lost data and can result in reduced video quality.
In any case, when you shop for a camcorder, do not use digital zoom as a feature comparison item - because when you bring the camcorder home, your first step is to turn digital zoom off. Use only Optical zoom.
Other things to look for in a good camcorder:
Mic-in jack (optional, but very useful)
Some sort of audio manual control (again, optional, but if you think you might be recording loud audio, like bands, this will be a requirement).
DO NOT BUY A DVD BASED CAMCORDER. Their video is terrible - especially for editing or uploading to the web. The discs are a pain and can be unreliable (resulting in list video).
All "real" camcorders have optical zoom and digital zoom.
It sounds like you are using a very low-end flip-like or toy camcorder or a camera that is primarily used for taking stills (and happens to have a "video" feature).
MiniDV tape based camcorders provide the best available video quality - but they use firewire (not USB) to transfer video to your computer. USB is only used for transferring stills from the camcorder's memory card or webstreaming (of the camcorder has either of these features). Adding a firewire port is typically not difficult - and it is pretty cheap.
Canon ZR800, ZR950, Sony DCR-HC52, HC62 and Panasonic PV-GS320 are good, entry-level, examples.
Hard drive and flash based camcorders compress their video a lot, but the quality isn't too bad... Video is transferred using USB. Sony DCR-SR45 and Canon FS10 are examples. They typically cost more than miniDV, but that does not mean the video quality is better - compression of the video information translates into lost data and can result in reduced video quality.
In any case, when you shop for a camcorder, do not use digital zoom as a feature comparison item - because when you bring the camcorder home, your first step is to turn digital zoom off. Use only Optical zoom.
Other things to look for in a good camcorder:
Mic-in jack (optional, but very useful)
Some sort of audio manual control (again, optional, but if you think you might be recording loud audio, like bands, this will be a requirement).
DO NOT BUY A DVD BASED CAMCORDER. Their video is terrible - especially for editing or uploading to the web. The discs are a pain and can be unreliable (resulting in list video).
Digital versus optical zoom in camcorders: How do they work side by side?
vipanesq
I understand that a high optical zoom (when used) delivers a clear picture while a high digital zoom (when used) delivers an unclear picture. What I want to know is, do these 2 different features work dependantly or independantly from each other? Are there camcorders that come with both high optical zooms and low digital zooms at the same time? Or does having a high optical zoom inevitably impose the camera with a high digital zoom? And, if this is the sad but true case, can the digital zoom be deactivated during shooting, leaving active only the optical zoom, so that zooming is done optically instead of digitally, for the sake of capturing a clear and well defined picture, instead of a fuzzy, pixelated image? By the same token, just for knowledge purposes, can the optical zoom be deactivated while leaving active only the digital zoom?
Answer
Typically, the optical zoom would be used 1st until it has reached the upper limit, then the digital zoom takes over at that point. Therefore, the digital zoom is more of a supplement to the optical zoom.
Here's a good explanation of digital zoom:
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Digital_Imaging/Digital_zoom_01.htm
Typically, the optical zoom would be used 1st until it has reached the upper limit, then the digital zoom takes over at that point. Therefore, the digital zoom is more of a supplement to the optical zoom.
Here's a good explanation of digital zoom:
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Digital_Imaging/Digital_zoom_01.htm
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