{"id":173,"date":"2018-01-21T17:19:47","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T17:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/?p=173"},"modified":"2018-08-04T20:46:35","modified_gmt":"2018-08-04T20:46:35","slug":"why-optical-zoom-matters-kodak-blog-february-21-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/why-optical-zoom-matters-kodak-blog-february-21-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Optical Zoom Matters (Kodak Blog, February 21, 2007)"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOTE: This is a \u201creprint\u201d of my blog post to Kodak\u2019s previous \u201cA Thousand Words\u201d blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

Looking for a new digital camera?  What features are you looking for?  Many users and reviewers are quick to look at features such as resolution, LCD size, camera type (compact, ultra compact, full body, SLR) and price.  Other features such as video capabilities and image stabilization are also improving and becoming more popular.  The brand of lens is often mentioned, along with a camera\u2019s zoom range, but few consumers actually think about this.  Why not?  How much zoom do you need?  What are the trade-offs?  Isn\u2019t digital zoom good enough?<\/p>\n

Many digital cameras have an optical zoom range of three to four times (i.e., 3X to 4X), taking you three to four times closer to your subject.  Many of these same cameras also have \u201cdigital zoom\u201d on top of their optical zoom, allowing you to zoom even closer, often times another three to four times closer than with the optical zoom alone.  Unfortunately, digital zoom is a kind of \u201cslight of hand,\u201d since it is primarily the result of enlarging and cropping an image directly on the camera.  In digital zoom, no optical resolution is gained, and the final captured image is generally of lower quality than an image captured with optical zoom alone.  Although imaging algorithms can be applied to help interpolate or enhance the results of a digitally zoomed image, the bottom line is that optical zoom usually provides crisper, higher quality results.<\/p>\n

In the past, one of the biggest tradeoffs to increased zoom range was camera size.  That is, if you wanted high optical zoom, you had to carry a bigger camera.  This is due to the fact that most zoom lenses are composed of multiple lens elements and that these components require a certain amount of physical space just to operate.  (For more details on zoom lenses, see Wikipedia (http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zoom_lens<\/a>) or the brief tutorial provided by Cambridge in Colour (http:\/\/www.cambridgeincolour.com\/tutorials\/camera-lenses.htm<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Advancements and innovations in technology, however, are changing this.  Kodak\u2019s V610 introduced last year, is the \u201cworld\u2019s smallest 10X optical zoom digital camera.\u201d  Nikon\u2019s Coolpix S10 also sports a 10X optical zoom in a pretty small package.  Smaller isn\u2019t always better, however, and some people may prefer to carry a slightly larger camera with a larger lens.  How do you decide what camera or what optical zoom range is for you?<\/p>\n

Personal experience is the true test.<\/em>  If you have an opportunity to borrow a camera from work, a good friend or a relative, take advantage of it!  Carry the camera around with you all day \u2013 this will tell you a lot about the weight and bulk of the camera.  Take it to an event.  Practice taking a range of different types of pictures that you like to capture.  Compare the results to your current camera, if you have one.<\/p>\n

\"nascar<\/p>\n

Most of the time I feel like my digital camera with 3X optical zoom is good enough. Once I borrowed a camera with a 10X optical zoom, though, I really did appreciate the power of optical zoom. I took a picture of a car in the parking lot from my sixth floor office. Six floors up, and I could actually read the license plate on the car below! I also captured the Blue Angels in action. Using a 10X optical zoom, you can actually read the tail number of each plane! In closing, here are a few sample pictures captured with the Kodak V610:<\/p>\n

\"seagull\"  \"boat\"
\n\"birds\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOTE: This is a \u201creprint\u201d of my blog post to Kodak\u2019s previous \u201cA Thousand Words\u201d blog. Looking for a new digital camera?  What features are you looking for?  Many users and reviewers are quick to look at features such as resolution, LCD size, camera type (compact, ultra compact, full body, SLR) and price.  Other features […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[7],"class_list":{"0":"post-173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-kodak_blog","8":"category-photography","9":"tag-kodak_blog","11":"post-with-thumbnail","12":"post-with-thumbnail-icon"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2007_02-nascar2005.jpg?fit=2074%2C1555","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9KV37-2N","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":146,"url":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/digital-action-shots-kodak-blog-september-14-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":173,"position":0},"title":"Digital Action Shots (Kodak Blog, September 14, 2006)","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: This is a \"reprint\" of my blog post to Kodak's previous \"A Thousand Words\" blog. There's something mesmerizing and often delightful about being able to freeze an action moment in time - that split second moment that even your brain can hardly recall. How much \"air\" can you really\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kodak_blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2006_09_14-ross.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":152,"url":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/closer-close-ups-kodak-blog-october-5-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":173,"position":1},"title":"Closer Close-Ups (Kodak Blog, October 5, 2006)","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: This is a \"reprint\" of my blog post to Kodak's previous \"A Thousand Words\" blog. One of the things that I love about digital photography is the ease in taking closer close-ups and the ability to zoom in on some of the wonders of nature. Most digital cameras today\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kodak_blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2006_10_05-1_passionFlower.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":215,"url":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/photo-wall-art-kodak-blog-december-22-2008\/","url_meta":{"origin":173,"position":2},"title":"Photo Wall Art (Kodak Blog, December 22, 2008)","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: This is a \u201creprint\u201d of my blog post to Kodak\u2019s previous \u201cA Thousand Words\u201d blog. As you may have gathered from my previous blog post on color (and paint), I\u2019ve been doing quite a bit of home remodeling. Now that we actually have some finished walls, I can actually\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kodak_blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2008_12_4_sunset.jpg?fit=800%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":161,"url":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/photo-guest-book-photo-favors-kodak-blog-october-26-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":173,"position":3},"title":"Photo Guest Book & Photo Favors (Kodak Blog, October 26, 2006)","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: This is a \u201creprint\u201d of my blog post to Kodak\u2019s previous \u201cA Thousand Words\u201d blog. A Photo Guest Book is a great way to remember a special party or gathering such as a rehearsal dinner, house warming party, costume party, baby shower, etc. The result is a wonderful memory\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "diy"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2006_10_26-mom_burke_album.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":183,"url":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/maker-faire-is-coming-kodak-blog-may-18-2007\/","url_meta":{"origin":173,"position":4},"title":"Maker Faire is Coming! (Kodak Blog, May 18, 2007)","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: This is a \u201creprint\u201d of my blog post to Kodak\u2019s previous \u201cA Thousand Words\u201d blog. [Side note:\u00a0 FYI, I only received a handful of responses to my post on \u201cPhoto Identity\u201d so far, so there\u2019s not a lot of data to report back on yet.\u00a0 Thanks to all who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kodak_blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2623161-lg_gilleleje_rowboats.jpg?fit=790%2C614&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":185,"url":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/food-as-art-kodak-blog-june-19-2007\/","url_meta":{"origin":173,"position":5},"title":"Food as Art (Kodak Blog, June 19, 2007)","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: This is a \u201creprint\u201d of my blog post to Kodak\u2019s previous \u201cA Thousand Words\u201d blog. Visual presentation is just as much a part of the dining experience as are taste and aroma.\u00a0 As camera phones become more and more commonplace, pictures of what we eat are also becoming more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kodak_blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2007_06dessert.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":626,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173\/revisions\/626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.staciehibino.org\/stacie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}