Optical Zoom

zoom camera advertising and product specifications will talk about optical and digital zoom. However, these are very different terms and can be misleading unless you understand what each of them means.

Optical Zoom

Optical zoom lenses actually “move” you closer to the subject via a system of lenses. This is why you see the lens physically move out from the body as you zoom in on your subject. What you see is what you get without any sacrifice in quality. The higher the optical zoom rating on a zoom camera, the farther away you can be to take a photograph and still get a clear, close-up image. The concept of optical zoom is essentially the same as the zoom on a film (non-digital) camera. The optical zoom rating is the number you want to pay particular attention to.

The downside to a powerful optical zoom camera is the possibility of camera shake and subsequently blurred images. In the past it would have been necessary to use a tripod to safeguard against this but whilst a tripod is still advisable for very long shots or shots taken in poor light conditions, most modern zoom cameras have Optical Image Stabilizer Technology which helps to combat this problem.

Visit our Digital Zoom page for an explanation of that term.

Example of optical zoom resulting in a clear magnified image.

All the zoom cameras featured on this site have powerful optical zoom lenses from 10X to 20X optical zoom. Click on the image below to see a detailed description and full technical details for each zoom camera together with latest prices.

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