Being able to "zoom in" using a camera of any type is a feature we have come to expect. However, when it comes to digital cameras, you should know the difference between OPTICAL zoom and DIGITAL zoom. The ability to get visually closer to an object using optical zoom is based on the glass lens in the camera itself. You'll notice that a camera with a high optical zoom rating (like 40X) will have a larger camera body and the lens will move out and away from the camera to accomplish the "zoom". Enlarging an image using optical zoom creates a high quality image, but the trade off is having to have a physically larger camera (so the lens can be moved back and forth.) Digital zoom creates a larger image by taking what is coming through the lens of the camera and electronically bumping it up in size. While you can get a larger image this way, the picture quality is not as good as the one produced by the optical zoom. On many cameras that boast of high zoom rates (like 50X or higher) that are using digital to accomplish it, you can see much lower image quality as you zoom in. The advantage of the digital zoom is that it allows for a much smaller camera body. Many cameras will have two zoom ratings, such as: "3x optical zoom and 5x digital" This means that the image will be enlarged up to a point by the camera lens optics, then the digital will kick in and take it the rest of the way." This can be a good compromise. When choosing a digital camera, make sure you check out the zoom settings and test them in the store if you have the opportunity, and always choose one if possible that has at least some optical zoom. A camera that only uses digital zoom will be attractive because of it's small size, but consider the quality of the picture you will get if you need to use the zoom feature. This will be especially important if you plan to print out your pictures.
