in Video camcorder which is best - 40x optical zoom or 10x optical zoom. my opinion 40x is good but the price?

Renita Sefton: the more optical zoom the better. 10x optical zoom can only go farther by using digital zoom. digital zoom is when you reach the farthest the lens can zoom then magnify it by enlarging the existing picture, in the way that microsoft paint zooms in on a picture when you enlarge it. in short the more optical zoom you have the better original quality you have for a nice clear picture, but if you go with less optical zoom the camera will have to "fake" the picture beyond what the lens can reproduce....Show more

Dan Seen: Problem with the optical zoom is the picture quality that you get when you go up to 40X. It gets really fuzzy. Plus the fact that when you are at 40X, any slight camera movment will be greatly exaggerated on the screen. If you want good picture quality and less camera shake, go with the 10X optical zoom. Thanks.

Jerrod Guilfoil: Hi there!Just try to find a good camera with big optical zoom. I know that when u zoom to much you canno! t record steady, but you don't have to use full zoom man. I just bought the Sony DCR-SR52E which has 30Gb Hard Disc + Memory Stick Pro Duo slot, 25x Optical zoom and 2000x Digital zoom and with Steady Shot technology. The optics are Carl Zeiss and the video quality is amazing!If u want google my camera for the full specs and see if you like it :)...Show more

Delora Struzzi: Anything more than 10x zoom cannot be handheld. While getting close to the action sounds like a good idea, it is really hard to keep a moving subject in the field of view at 40x. It is no longer just a matter of a tripod either, the footing itself has to not be shakey. 40x is really impractical, but it is a selling point if the camera is not worthwhile otherwise.