40d Live View Zoom Q?

I'm just wondering when zooming in LV, it's digital zoom right? Not the lens zoom is it? I don't have a 40d yet... did tinker with one and don't remember the zoom feature in LV.

Yes, you zoom into the area of interest. I am not sure if digital zoom would be the correct phrase as the displayed picture has much less resolution than the sensor is delivering and already has been remapped to the screen resolution. I believe what happens, though the manual is not clear, is that you choose a section of the sensor you want zoomed in and that section is re-mapped to the screen resolution. What you see on the screen is an enlarged section the original image but do not get the pixilation of true digital zoom.

well sure doesn't sound like optical zoom. So it's a digital zoom to me. OK my question therefore is if you zoom in on a section then snap the picture, is that zoomed section be captured then? But the lens zoom is not used though? Hmm... i need to go test this out.

delhi wrote in post #4278537
well sure doesn't sound like optical zoom. So it's a digital zoom to me. OK my question therefore is if you zoom in on a section then snap the picture, is that zoomed section be captured then? But the lens zoom is not used though? Hmm... i need to go test this out.

You initially zoom into your subject using the zoom on the lens (if using a zoom lens). LV zoom simply magnifies the area so you can accurately manually focus.

delhi wrote in post #4278537
well sure doesn't sound like optical zoom. So it's a digital zoom to me. OK my question therefore is if you zoom in on a section then snap the picture, is that zoomed section be captured then? But the lens zoom is not used though? Hmm... i need to go test this out.

Maybe your term "digital zoom" is a bit confusing, because it is a term used by point-and-shoot cameras that is rather misleading.

With this camera, the optical image is all there being caught by the sensor. The LCD can show "all" the image, but at a ver low resolution. The zoom feature simply takes a portion of the available image data and displays that at screen resolution, enlarging that section's view, and so can show more detail.

You could call that "true digital zoom". It does not affect the optical capture: the whole sensor is still "seeing" the whole image, so that if you take the shot you get the whole, not the "zoomed", image.

Is that what you were asking?

It's not digital zoom ala the zoom you see on cameras that eventually make the picture look like what you are seeing.
The "back zoom" on the LCD is for refinement and letting you focus via the lens.
The only "zoom" of consequence is the zoom that you had done via the lens when it comes to picture output. So to that end it is NOTHING like the digital zoom found on P&S cameras where the end picture is the result of some digital manipulation of zooming in on a section of the sensor.

arrgeebee wrote in post #4278667
You initially zoom into your subject using the zoom on the lens (if using a zoom lens). LV zoom simply magnifies the area so you can accurately manually focus.

Ok got it! thanks for the replies. But I will still go to the store to try it.