Digital Zoom HELP!!! Hi, I want to buy one of these small camcorders, flip ultra or kodak Zi6, but Ive noticed that the zoom its only 2x, can anyone tell me how can I compare this 2x zoom to the optical zoom of a digital camera??
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The zoom here is digital zoom not optical zoom so going much over 2x is pretty useless as quality plummets quickly. The Flip is the only camera Id recommend but the zoom is not too useful. Zooming in and out on any of the cameras is going to be rough and shaky at best. Cameras like this are super easy to operate and give fantastic results. Id say stick with flip and go ultra then if its not your bag resell it as theres a hungry market to buy from you. I have used flip for most all the videos at 90secondsuccess and will be buying another one any day now. Hope this helps. rb
642370
The Sony Bloggie Touch blows the Flip away. The quality of the Sony is far superior. I bought one for my Father-In-Law and one for my wife. My wife had a Flip, so I am speaking from hands on experience. Neither one of the Sony units has given us one bit of problems. Don't know why the other person went through ten of them. I tend to think "user error". I'd get one for myself if I didn't already have a larger hand held Canon that cost me like $600.
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It's "CoolPix L110" btw. From the User Manual, page 73, under "Recording Movies" - number 3, 4th bullet: "Digital Zoom cannot be used while recording movies. If digital Zoom is used before recording, it will be cancelled when recording starts." Optical zoom works fine, though :D
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Same deal for me. No response from Flip yet . Love the camera, wish it would work. Got it for the Inaugural on the mall next Tuesday. Oh well.
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Thank you very much, ALT, I really appreciate your feedback. Yesterday I ordered the Fuji S1000fd instead. For $231 the 10MP and 12X optical zoom was just unbeatable. Now I've got to find out if I can use filters on it, too. Thank you!
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I love how this always works out for me. I wanted this camera for my cruise on the 18th, but went ahead and got the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Red) last week because I didn't think the Nikon would be here in time. Now that it's here, what should I do? I like the GPS on the Panasonic, but it takes HORRIBLE low light pics. Any help would be appreciated!
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Thank you for the Advice E Thomas, I have a kodak, that when I zoom in, its not the shot I wanted, now I know why, thank you again!!Stacey2426@aol.com
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I don't own either but I'd think that if she needs camera and video that the Canon camera is the way to go. Who would want to carry both a camera and a flip? They both shoot in 720p HD. But this camera is much smaller, has a bigger screen, is easier to carry than the flip and it has image stabization.
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Your responses have been very helpful! I have always used Sony cameras and when looking to upgrade to a good zoom, I find Sony does not have a date stamp on any of their higher end cameras :-( so I'm looking to Panasonic. My question to you is - will this Panasonic FZ18 do well when just set to automatic when used for zooming? I like GOOD pictures...but don't like fiddling with the camera and losing the "moment." Also, what is the difference between OPTICAL zoom and DIGITAL zoom? Thank you.
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That is a great question. I tried to figure that out by checking the difference camera modes without success. I pushed E-Zoom on the top behind the zoom toggle button which bumped up the digital zoom to 16X. However, the digital zoom was inaccessible for me, also.I am sure that it is some simple solution....
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I'm also trying to decide if the Canon XS or XSI is right for me. I own the original 6.1mp Canon digital Rebel slr and am wondering if now is a good time to upgrade? I used to shoot primarily landscapes while traveling, but am doing more portraits now that I have kids. The Digic III processor definitely caught my attention, but I'm wondering how much of a difference in the cameras will I notice?
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Hello Debbie, thanks for the message. I actually have a Kodak EasyShare Z612 (not as good as the Z1015IS). I have owned my Kodak for several years and have been happy with it from a performance perspective. If I was in the market for a new camera, I would definitely consider the Z1015IS. Just to let you know, if you are looking for a camera that you can easily put in a pocket or purse, this isn't the camera for you. It is a full size camera. Personally, I feel that one can take better pictures with a larger format camera. It is also nice because it has the LCD screen and a view finder. I use the viewfinder on my Kodak all of the time but there are times when the LCD is helpful. The zoom lens is awesome. I'm sure you can get a real bargain on one since Kodak has exited the digital photography arena. I wouldn't be concerned about that (Kodak's exit). Our Kodak has been very reliable over the years that I have owned it. Best of luck to you. Overall, I would recommend this camera to you if you are looking for a full-size camera, with advanced features, that takes great pictures.
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I didn't look at the newer review, but my guess is the person doesn't know the difference between optical and digital zoom. Optical zoom will never get grainy. Digital, by its nature and how it works, will get grainy on any camera at some point. This camera has both and switches over after maximum optical zoom is reached, but can be disabled. I don't know anything about the newer model, but I do know this one has great optical zoom without needing to buy accessories, which is why I was attracted to it. The digital zoom is gravy.
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That is so helpful!! I have been trying to figure that out for a while for skype and stuff because my friends cant see me when i get online. I have a flip camera and i was trying to see if you could use it as a webcam! THANKS!!!
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I also consider this an important feature. I was decided to buy this camera, but when I was in the store checking whether I could zoom while in the motion picture mode and I discovered I could not do so, I gave up... It's a pitty because apart of that, the camera is nearly perfect for me...Ken Techbuyer, maybe you should have start recording instead of only selecting the motion picture mode? This camera has no zoom while recording movies.
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Thank you for the tip.I like the camera very much, great zoom, it also has facial recognition.If you get it, one little note, make sure the rec, is on when your recording.I believe I hit it too quick when I put the camera on, and it did not register.Yes I did not record a whole chunk that I thought I did.Wish you the best with your camera stuff.
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I don't think that it is the same as a digital zoom. I believe that the term should be "field of view crop factor" which means that because the sensor is about 1/2 the size of a full framed 35mm piece of film, what you see with the E-M5 is 1/2 the size corner to corner. The focal length mulitiplier is therefore 2, because you'd need twice the focal length lense to get the same sized corner to corner image. See? I think it falls into the category of the marketing department taking what may be a negative (less than a full framed sensor) and making it sound vaguely ok. Don't worry about it: it is a truly great camera!