Zoom Power
When you read the specs for a camera—or read the logos painted on its body—you frequently encounter numbers like "3X" or "10X." This number tells you how many times the camera can magnify a distant image, much like a telescope. Unless there's fine print, it's a measure of optical zoom, the actual amount that the lenses can zoom in (to magnify a subject that's far away).
Then there's digital zoom, which you may also see on the box. Camera makers seem to think that what consumers want most in a digital camera is a powerful digital zoom. "7X!" your camera's box may scream. "10X!" "20X!"
But when a camera uses its digital zoom, it basically blows up the image. The image gets bigger, but its quality deteriorates.
Avoid digital zoom altogether, and base your camera-buying decision on the optical zoom power. That's the zoom that counts.
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