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Many cameras have a zoom lens as standard now. Even when you buy a 'big' DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera) the lens that comes with them as a standard is usually some kind of zoom. It is because we all want the detail, the close-up, the intimate, to be able to catch the distant action. These three images of the beautiful Raffaelle Monti marble statue of a Veiled Vestal Virgin show how a true optical zoom work, all the increasing detail is real detail. The stone seemed almost semi-transparent, an amazing carving. It is to be seen in the Oak room at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. It was featured in the recent film version "Pride and Prejudice". The alternative to zoom is to actually get in closer and not to be 'lazy' about composition by using the zoom.
The Human eye has no zoom, but is remarkably good at differentiating light and dark and colour. We have designed cameras and binoculars to do with lenses what we cannot do ourselves, and that is to get up close and personal even when we are sometimes physically remote.
Do not however trust digital zoom. As mentioned in a previous post digital zooms are filling in the tone and colour between the known tones and colours using software prediction. Any real detail is not being recorded. Optical zooms are actually using a set of lenses to effectively get closer to the subject and real detail is being seen, just as if we were walking up the the object to see it better with our eyes. Unfortunately all those lenses and the distance makes the image dimmer and poor quality lenses not only create a blurred image, but one that is often darker and flat in tone. Of course the higher the quality of the lens then the higher the price, but for good quality images there is no shortcut.
Next blog will be on wide angle and telephoto lenses and some of the interesting effects you can get when using your different lenses.
The Human eye has no zoom, but is remarkably good at differentiating light and dark and colour. We have designed cameras and binoculars to do with lenses what we cannot do ourselves, and that is to get up close and personal even when we are sometimes physically remote.
Do not however trust digital zoom. As mentioned in a previous post digital zooms are filling in the tone and colour between the known tones and colours using software prediction. Any real detail is not being recorded. Optical zooms are actually using a set of lenses to effectively get closer to the subject and real detail is being seen, just as if we were walking up the the object to see it better with our eyes. Unfortunately all those lenses and the distance makes the image dimmer and poor quality lenses not only create a blurred image, but one that is often darker and flat in tone. Of course the higher the quality of the lens then the higher the price, but for good quality images there is no shortcut.
Next blog will be on wide angle and telephoto lenses and some of the interesting effects you can get when using your different lenses.
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