T5i 3X to 10X digital zoom

[nikki]

I recently purchased the Rebel T4i.  In reviewing the specs for the T5i, I notice that it is going to have the 3X to 10X digital zoom that the T4i does not.  As I am new to the dslr industry, can you explain to me exactly what this means?  Should I exchange the T4i for the T5i?  Thank you.

[cicopo]

I haven't read very much on the T5i but digital zoom is not (as far as I'm concerned) something to shop for when buying a quality camera. Optical zoom is done through lens magnification, but digital zoom is just zooming in on the pixels just like you do on your computer. The further in you zoom in the lower the quality of the image. It works OK on screen but not in prints.

[Skirball]

Personally, I'd turn off the digital zoom.  Digital zoom is no different than opening up a photo in photoshop (or any photo software) and cropping down to a small picture (thus "magnifying" your image).  You're just tossing out all those other pixels.  All that money that you spent on have a bigger sensor with an SLR gets tossed out. If you want more zoom, buy a longer lens.  Swapping out the proper lens for the job is half the point of an SLR.

10X digital zoom is rediculous.  The quality will be crap.  They do it because the Rebel cameras are marketed to get people to upgrade from point and shoot cameras, which use that silly multiplication factor. And the "X factor" for SLR lenses is small - because it's not applicable. All it is, is the longest focal length divided by the shortest.     So the 18 - 55 that may have come with your camera is a 3X.  A 600mm prime is zero X, but it's going to get me a lot closer than any point and shoot.   But when someone goes into best buy and sees a $300 point and shoot with 15X and askes the salesman what the X factor on the more expensive T4i is, we have a problem.  Hence them putting this junk on the Rebel line.  Higher end SLR cameras have no digital zoom, because the people that use them realize it's marketing hype.

Edit:  Sorry, I never do any video on my SLRs so I don't think from that perspective.  I see the use of  (limited) digital zoom when using video.  Though I'd imagine at 10X you're still degrading image quality.

[nikki]

What I have been reading online it has been said it would be most useful for video.  As I stated, I am new to this, so not sure exactly what that means.  I do want to use the camera for both still photos & video and I do have the longer STM lense.  So an additional question to this would be why did they have the 3X to 10X digital zoom on the T3i, take it off the T4i, then bring it back to the T5i?  Thanks to all for your help!

[Skirball]

I don't shoot video, nor follow the latest tech for it, so I'm only guessing here.

I have no idea why they'd pull it then put it back again, other than the fact that Canon does all kinds of weird stuff like that with specs.  My guess is that they pulled it because anything above 3X degrades quality, but received complaints so they put it back just to make people happy.  The spec list on the Rebel series is twice as long as those for the higher lines of cameras because people who don't know better want to see all these "features".  More = better, even if you'll never use 90% of them.  Just marketing.

Again, I don't follow the tech, but the way I see it: your camera has an 19MP sensor, so that's roughly 5200 x 3500 something pixels.  Full HD is 1920 x 1080 pixels. So you can use the inner 1/3 of those pixels and still have HD video without upscaling.  There’s your 3X “magnification”. Anything above that you’re losing resolution – unless Canon did something new with the T5i, but I can’t imagine what it is since they’re using the same sensor.  They know that the quality is compromised at 10X, but they know most people that look at buying it won’t know that at the time of purchase.  Note this is all for full HD (1080p), if you’re shooting at 480p, I think that has a 640 vertical?  So I guess that gets you in the ballpark of 10X.

[hsbn]

Where do you get this 3x-10x thing? I've read both the T4i and T5i manual, and the only thing regarding to the 10x zoom is the ability to zoom in 10x on live view to do manual focusing or for image playback. Do you care to share the site where you get your review?

PS: nevermind, I was able to find the information on Google.

[hsbn]

I just checked the manual for T3i and there is an option for DIGITAL ZOOM 3x-10x on movie recording. I checked again and there is no where on the T5i (700D) manual where it says digital zoom available. So from the manual, I don't think the T5i has this function. The manual even says "you cannot zoom while shooting movie".

[nikki]

I didnt check the manuals.  I'm going off of what I have read online.  I do have the T4i and you actually can zoom while shooting a movie. 

[hsbn]

I checked the T5i manual from Canon website and it doesn't have the feature you mentions. It's not even a decent function anyway, so I don't think you miss out much. Enjoy your camera.