Digital ZoomDigital Zoom

Digital Zoom refers to the technique of zooming in on a subject with adigital camera. When using a digital zoom, the camera doesn’t get closer to its subject. Instead, the camera enlarges the size of its pixels to render a bigger image. While the digital zoom can effectively capture its subject on a larger scale, the degree to which it is used should be tempered by the amount of image distortion that occurs.

For example, bigger pixel size can make lower the resolution of the film, making the resulting picture grainer and less sharp if it isn’t done delicately. The upside of digital zoom is that the picture file size will be smaller (due to less pixel information within the frame) and, therefore, will take up less memory on a digital camera (or computer hard drive).

Often, the effect of digital zoom appears similar to that of cropping a photo: the side details are omitted to make the subject larger and more centrally placed within the frame.

A photographer can recreate the effects of digital zoom after having taken the picture by using computer-editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop. The “resizing” tool can also help a photographer zoom in on a subject. However, like the digital zoom feature, it tends to decrease the resolution and clarity of the resulting photos.