Question about optical VS digital zoom

[BJH]

So sorry for the novice question, and I have tried to find the answers via google. I understand my new iPhone 13 Pro has 3 lens. My question is does the camera change from optical to digital zoom as I zoom in, especially if I'm in the 3X telephoto lens and zoom past the the 3X setting? And if so, how much does the image degrade once the camera is in the digital zoom range. And how do I know I'm in digital rather than optical zoom? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

 

[scifan57]

Image quality degrades quickly when maxing out the digital zoom feature . When using the camera app, the zoom magnification is shown in the camera app while taking pictures. If the zoom magnification shown is greater than the optical magnification of the telephoto lens, you’re utilizing digital zoom.

 

[BJH]

Thank you for the reply. It's very much appreciated. Am I correct in that if I zoom somewhere between the .5X lens and the 1X lens, I am in the digital zoom mode? And if I am somewhere between the 1X and 3X lenses, I have to be in the digital zoom range as well as the three lenses have fixed focal lengths? And does that mean there's image degradation as I choose settings between these fixed focal length lenses? I'm just trying to get the best image quality possible regardless of zoom setting. Thank you again for the information!

 

[scifan57]

The three lenses on the iPhone are fixed focal length. When Apple uses the term optical Zoom it means switching between the three available focal lengths. Anything in between and beyond those focal lengths is using digital Zoom.