S2IS when zoomed

guys might be a silly question:o . but when you start zooming in do you loose pixel quality eg: if at say5-12xzoom does the picture loose its 5meg rating. only ask cause our camcorder does when we zoom in, so if i want to take a still shot with it the quality is very poor(camcorder that is)
thank you . cheers rick

once you start to go into digital zoom, then yes, u lose quality, but if u stay within the optical zoom area, quality is not degraded.

To ensure that you don't accidentally go into digital zoom territory, turn digital zoom off entirely in the menu. You can always activate for that 'must have' moment but it will save you from accidentally taking a sub-par overzoomed shot.

I keep the digital zoom capability turned on in my S2, because there is a clear indication -- a couple, actually -- when you've reached the end of the optical zoom and enter the digital range. And in truth, I don't fear using the digital zoom when I feel the need... it's really quite good compared to older/other digizooms. I won't swear it's as good as enlarging on the PC, and with the 12x optical zoom it's often not even needed... but I like to have the option available all the time. Time/subject permitting, I'll try to get several shots at various zooms, including digital, and then choose afterwards which to keep.

Oh yeah -- camcorder stills are often sub-par quality because the video doesn't have nearly the megapixels of a decent still camera. I guess 640 x 480 or thereabouts is the norm. The S2, by contrast, will shoot full-res stills while recording video at 640 x 480. Video performance on it is pretty decent for a still camera, and you can use the zoom lens as well.

thanks once again guys, this sure is the place to have questions answered.
i guess with zoom work, a tripod would be of most importance to assist in picture quality, all tripods are not quiet the same. any suggestions on a brand that is suited bush and outdoor work.??? cheers rick

it has an image stabliser so in bright conditions you are unlikely to need a tripod even zoomed unless you want a small apeture.
Rob