Know The Difference Between Optical and Digital Zoom

Many camcorder manufacturers will try to trick you into thinking you are getting a good zoom on your camcorder by having a high digital zoom when it is the optical zoom you need to pay attention to.

Optical zoom is the zoom your camcorder uses when the lens is actually focusing closer on the object.

Digital zoom is merely making the individual pixels in your picture larger rather than getting closer to an object. Digital zoom can make your video look out of focus and digitized, as well as enhance any movements you make. Most digital video professional disable the digital zoom on their camcorders.