Zoom Technology

• Optical zooms on digital cameras use lenses to magnify an image before a photograph is taken. This is similar to how you can use binoculars to clearly see an object from a long distance. In contrast, digital zooms work by cropping and enlarging the photo that you are taking. Instead of using digital zoom, you can use photo editing software to enlarge the photo after taking it and achieve the same results.
  
  

Quality

• Because optical zooms use lenses to magnify the object, the quality of the photograph is not affected. However, digital zooms degrade the quality of the image. As the image is enlarged, the camera's software must make assumptions about the visual data that makes up the photograph. The same effect occurs when you use a computer program to enlarge an image.
  
  

Uses

• Because of its superior image quality, optical zoom is always the best choice. However, when your optical zoom is not enough, digital zoom may make it easier for you to see the subject of a photograph on the camera's small screen. It is important to note when your camera has begun using digital zoom so you can decide if the loss of image quality is acceptable. Many cameras have an indicator on the camera's screen for this purpose.
  
  

Cost

• Cameras with optical zooms are more expensive than cameras with only digital zooms. Similarly, digital cameras with powerful optical zooms such as 5X or 10X cost more than digital cameras with only 3X optical zoom and a digital zoom feature. Because only optical zoom produces the highest quality image, the advertised combined zoom of cameras with both optical and digital zooms should not be compared to the optical zoom of another camera.