• atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    Using less of the sensor to take a picture and calling it zoom is a lie. That’s just cropping the picture to be smaller not zooming.

    • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      22 hours ago

      It does depend on the type of sensor, the comment above was close but a bit incomplete/imprecise. Many modern sensors use a technique called binning where the final image’s pixels are calculated by combining a 2x2 grid of sensor pixels via some signal processing, halving resolution in both dimensions but improving sensitivity and allowing for many DSP-based capabilities; whether they are actual improvements over the raw image is implementation-dependent and partially subjective. When shooting at 2x digital zoom though, you bypass the binning and use the sensor pixels directly, resulting in an image with the same “true” (non-upscaled) resolution as a 1x shot, minus the signal processing. Any other digital zoom, whether between 1x and 2x or above, is indeed a crop of a larger image.

        • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 hours ago

          Well, it’s why we distinguish “optical zoom” and “digital zoom”. In its broader meaning, “zoom” means magnification and nothing more. I do agree with you that optical zoom is superior in every way, but if you shoot a 2x digital zoom image on a binning sensor its resolution will not be an upscaled “lie” as is the case for digital zoom generally.

          I am not trying to defend marketing deceptions or pretend that optical and digital zoom are alike. I just wanted to mention this piece of technical information so that someone that cares can know that if you do want to zoom beyond the optical capabilities of your phone (provided it has a binning sensor, basically every “50MP” phone does*), exactly 2x is the way to go, as it is indeed higher quality than shooting at 1x and cropping to 2x afterwards.

          *Admittedly this point is kind of moot because most phones have a dedicated telephoto camera that uses a different, smaller sensor when you switch to 2x. This only applies if your tele is 3x or higher or you have a single lens with a sensor >>12.5MP

          • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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            3 hours ago

            If you are going to split hairs on it not being a lie then I am going to split hairs on it not being magnification.

                • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  2 hours ago

                  It’s pretty hard to read something that was never written, all your arguments seem to remain in your head. You’ve yet to articulate anything at all, what exactly did I not read? If you did explain to some length how and why you think that posting anything that is not OC is harmful, then I do admit to missing it and would appreciate a link. But that’s fully besides this discussion.

                  I am actually serious, I am curious and eager to read the argument for digital zoom not being zoom at all you said you’re going to make and will read it with full attention. I commented because I like photography and sharing accurate information, not because I have a bone to pick with you.

                  • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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                    2 hours ago

                    I’ll say it again… Lemmy does not need to be a copy of Reddit. If you disagree with that then disagree with it. But acting like it’s not a valid point is just ignoring my argument.

                    I also already made my point here. Zoom requires a zoom lens not just a focusing lens and not less pixels. No matter what tricks you played 35mm is never going to be zoomed in full format and the same is true for digital.

                    This is the last time I repeat myself for you.