About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, July 09, 2012

Z is for ZOOM

Zoom-Zoom = the exhilaration and liberation from experiencing the emotion of motion.  (from Mazda's website)  As the last part of Round 10 for my theme of photography, I'm using the word ZOOM, which ties in nicely to Mazda's idea of it.  With the zoom feature or the zoom lens, the photographer is free to get up close and personal, be it an insect or your child out on the soccer field.  It also ties in a bit with my post on "telephoto" lenses (here). However, in my research on zoom, I found out that there is a difference between digital zoom and optical zoom

Optical zoom is true zoom. This function of a camera uses the lens within the camera to draw the image closer. Using the optics of the camera the image is bought forward much the same way as binoculars and other such instruments. When using optical zoom quality remains the same and the full resolution of the camera can be used on the zoomed image. Different levels of optical zoom can be achieved by changing the distances between the lens'. The motion of the front lens moving outwards on a camera is the lens achieving a greater level of zoom. The rating of optical zoom on a camera is measured like 2x 4x 8x etc. bringing the image 2x 4x and 8x closer respectively. The best cameras have a high level of optical zoom.  Here's an example of one of my photographs using the optical zoom on my camera:


Digital zoom is not a true zoom. The image itself doesn't actually come any closer as the optics in the camera stay the same. The way the digital zoom works is much the same way as it does on your PC at home. The idea behind digital zoom is that it takes a portion of the image and expand that image to the full size of the picture. What happens here is that the section of image that you are looking at becomes bigger, not closer. The image does look closer because it has been expanded however all that has happened is that the image quality has been reduced because it has been expanded with no new data for the image.  (from here) Here is an example of one of my photos where I used digital zoom:


This is a great (less than 2 minutes) little video explaining the difference very well. 

A zillion thanks to our zany hostess, Denise Nesbitt, for zeroing in on a niche for getting people from all around the world together in common interest.  Her zesty and zealous group of assistants zoom around the site to help her welcome everyone by commenting on your contributions.  We look forward to reading about zuchinnis, zebras, a history of the zither, how to sew a zipper, the mining of zinc, and even your zodiac chart.  You could even tell us about Zacharius, Zacchaeus, or Zechariah. Put some zing into your post to keep us from becoming a zombies zonked out from our visits!  To become a part of ABC Wednesday, click here.  Round 11 starts next week so I'm really looking forward to seeing old and new friends!

26 comments:

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Hi Lesley, I have no idea how to use one of the larger digital cameras, by the time I get it right, I have lost the moment :-) I love the photo with the flower and the bee :-)

Roger Owen Green said...

great end of the the series
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Meryl said...

Great post (although I couldn't visually tell the difference between your two (lovely) photos, one with the optical zoom and the other with the digital. I also like your new icon with you on the bike...cool!

Carver said...

Your photography posts are so interesting. Great take on the letter Z. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

photowannabe said...

You did it. All the way through the alphabet in camera terms.
I learned much from you and your pictures have become snippets of art.
Looking forward to Round #11.

Anonymous said...

I know my camera has digital zoom, i don't know how or even if i use it.

Annie said...

Thank you for this clear explanation of the difference between the zooms. I've enjoyed your photography posts a lot!

Carol said...

Good info! Your duck photo is gorgeous!

Powell River Books said...

Missed it again, I've always that Z is for zunga a perfect match. - Margy

Penelope Postcards said...

Interesting and informative post as usual Leslie. These concepts can be a little tricky to grasp but you explain them with clarity. I think it is your teacher background coming to the fore. :)

Joy said...

You've zoomed through this series on cameras. I've enjoyed the trip.

Hildred said...

I have learned something new from each of your camera postings, Leslie, - thanks so much. I can tell that you have been (and are) an excellent teacher...

Rinkly Rimes said...

Sad! I only found your camera postings when we'd got to letter 'Z'! What's your topic next time?

Chubskulit Rose said...

Don't have a good lens so my zoom feature is not as good as I want it hehehe.

Zucchini
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Reader Wil said...

I thought you would take "Zoom". Great post and well written!

magiceye said...

lovely take on the theme!

The Poet said...

Dear Leslie,
I can honestly say I've learn something today with "zoom". Thanks for sharing my friend.

Black Jack's Carol said...

Very interesting information, Leslie, and that last paragraph blew me away. You found a whole list of words that I hadn't even considered. It was truly a zinger!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I always did wonder about those zoom types!

Carola said...

Great post! And a fantastic writing about photography.
Yes it's a brilliant idea to have a topic for ABC Wednesday.

Carola said...

And I just had a stroll around all your photographic posts:
PERFECT !!!

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Perfect choice to end with (and logical)! Zoom on a camera lens is a good feature-one we can't live without! See ya in Round 11!

Arthur Schenck said...

I've really enjoyed this series! As someone who has to use digital photos form amateurs to produce publications, I often have to explain the difference between digital and optical zoom, and I think you did a great job!

Lisa said...

A perfect ending for a fabulous series on photography. You did an excellent job with all your posts!

Jheylo said...

wow! that's a lot of Z's right there hehehehhe. nice zoom/focus on the object too. :)

visiting back from http://www.noypeeto.net/

Anonymous said...

so i guess digital zoom is useless!!