Optical Zoom vs Digital Zoom: Which one do you prefer?

The optical zoom is a process of zooming or bringing subjects closer by using the lens of the camera. With this mechanism, images captured and stored by the camera are sharp and full of details. On the other hand, the digital zoom uses image application to enlarge pictures. In short, it's not really a real zoom.

More specifically about the digital zoom, the camera will crop a portion of images you desire, and then magnify it back to size. With this method in mind, you might see that the image quality is reduced. Obviously, if you use too much of digital zoom, usually your photos are blurred, not sharp, and loss some details.

Therefore, when you're considering buying PowerShot or other digital cameras, pay attention to only the optical zoom and leave the digital zoom alone. The more optical zoom the camera has, the better it is.

Effect of the digital zoom

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