Digial zoom vs optical zoom

[IamZombie]

I don't think anyone would know what "aural zoom" is.

[Sonicrunch]

I wouldn't get hung up on the use of the word optics. They are terming the feature optical zoom, not really that big of deal. The problem is they need to word it for marketing purposes, mostly because it is a feature worth talking about, and most of the folks being marketed to don't really know squat about it.

Optics isn't solely lens and image formation, it involves more complex issues that cover the study of waveforms over the entire EMF spectrum. Analysis of waveforms using optical techniques outside the visible spectrum is common.

Acoustics are not a part of EMF. Thus, referring to optics when talking about acoustics is inaccurate.

[Sonicrunch]

I don't think anyone would know what "aural zoom" is.

lol, True that!

[fishwater]

Acoustics are not a part of EMF. Thus, referring to optics when talking about acoustics is inaccurate.

Sorry for the confusion. Your right, sound is a longitudinal  mechanical  wave, not part of the EMF spectrum.  I was trying to impart that the word optics is commonly used outside of visible image and picture formation when dealing with waves in a technical sense because folks are hung up on justification for such wording and looking for eyewear on their sonar units.

The return 'image' is mapped over the distance displayed on the flasher, in essence at any instant it's a 1-demensional  image.  This is done over and over.  A light wave image is mapped to make a 2d picture.  Using lenses with light you can zoom and display greater resolution.  The Optical Zoom does the same deal over the  depth, zoom provides greater resolution that equates simply to separation (since it's 1 dimensional). Sorry, I don't see that as being inaccurate, it's clearly more accurate..

  

[Sonicrunch]

Sorry for the confusion. Your right, sound is a longitudinal  mechanical  wave, not part of the EMF spectrum.  I was trying to impart that the word optics is commonly used outside of visible image and picture formation when dealing with waves in a technical sense because folks are hung up on justification for such wording and looking for eyewear on their sonar units.

The return 'image' is mapped over the distance displayed on the flasher, in essence at any instant it's a 1-demensional  image.  This is done over and over.  A light wave image is mapped to make a 2d picture.  Using lenses with light you can zoom and display greater resolution.  The Optical Zoom does the same deal over the  depth, zoom provides greater resolution that equates simply to separation (since it's 1 dimensional). Sorry, I don't see that as being inaccurate, it's clearly more accurate..

Yeah, I get what you mean. I guess Marcum should put a disclaimer in fine print for those of us who tend to analyze the specifics.

[CaptainMusky]

Yeah, I get what you mean. I guess Marcum should put a disclaimer in fine print for those of us who tend to analyze the specifics.

Yeah, a simple "dont worry about the details or how it works, its just flat out better than the competition" would suffice IMO

[OnAFly]

It's marketing. They take a couple of words that people associate with better performance and use them in a way that sounds good, even though it makes no sense.

It's kind of like saying, "My tires are guaranteed not to have any death crystals!" There's no such thing as death crystals, but the consumer doesn't know that, so they will think it's a better tire.

If anyone here has had any jobs in product development, they'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The product might be better, but the way it's described doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how it actually works.

[Sonicrunch]

Oh God no. You don't want death crystals!!

[fishwater]

The product might be better, but the way it's described doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how it actually works.

I'm not saying there isn't any marketing Mumbo Jumbo to wade through, but if you're selling a product with features that are sell-able, you need to phrase the features for consumers. Simply saying we're better with no explanation isn't going to cut it. Frankly it does actually work.

In all honesty, I think the phrasing Optical Zoom is about as good as anyone could expect.

If you can create an image with a specified resolution and visual content (out of a set of data), then apply a magical zoom in some manner and create a new image with a better resolution over an area of the previous content, it's a very short jump to the phrase Optical Zoom. They could use something like HD zoom, but the LX-5 was created before the HD marketing cesspool was in full swing.

[IamZombie]

One of my favorite webcomics.

[MNice]

Marketing.... I worked at a grocery store as a kid in the '70's and if a product was not selling well at 29 cents, my boss would mark it at 3 for $1 and they'd sell like hotcakes. Still makes me smile.

[simple1]

There is a fine line between marketing and false advertising. Optical zoom is a well known feature in photography that relates to lenses. Saying your product has optical zoom when it does not is false advertising. I now know what they are saying and perhaps they should have said it better in the first place.

Simple1

[CaptainMusky]

Everyone is hung up on the phrase optical zoom. Those looking for definitions are undoubtedly finding camera companies defining it. It does not necessarily mean use of lenses but that has already been stated by others here yet some still cannot understand.

[Sonicrunch]

Everyone is hung up on the phrase optical zoom. Those looking for definitions are undoubtedly finding camera companies defining it. It does not necessarily mean use of lenses but that has already been stated by others here yet some still cannot understand.

Some people are just more detail orientated than others.

[Esox_Magnum]

I think in laymans terms this is the best way to decribe it, all I do know is regardless what it's called it's far and away better than the competition and after reading their websites one could argue false advertiseing on them all....

[DTro]

I think it was a valid question to ask what the difference was and what sets it apart from other flashers.

I can't say that the difference equates to looking at 2 pictures, one taken with a 20x lens and one digitally zoomed to 20x though