zoom help

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Paul Beeston
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Good evening, 1st post so hi to all and sorry if Its in the wrong place

Iv only ever used my phone for photos before but we have a couple of holidays coming up and a few family events so my wife decided she wanted something a bit better.

Any way we went with the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX350 after watching and reading reviews it seemed like it would be ideal and the price was spot on to.

Its arrived and the pictures are very good but when we were watching youtube videos and reading reviews it says/shows people zooming in for a very long distance, the reviews even say it can zoom to show the craters of the moon.

Now mine doesn't do that so Im obviously doing something wrong. Im not going to lie to you I know nothing about cameras, there setting on it I have no idea what they are but can any one suggest something that it might be as to why Im not getting the zoom others are?

Iv added a link to where I got it from and it shows in the description some of the zoom pics, mine seems to get to about 10x judging by them pictures

http://www.jessops.com/online.store...hot-dsc-hx350-compact-camera-118486/show.html

Many thanks
 
Good evening, 1st post so hi to all and sorry if Its in the wrong place

Iv only ever used my phone for photos before but we have a couple of holidays coming up and a few family events so my wife decided she wanted something a bit better.

Any way we went with the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX350 after watching and reading reviews it seemed like it would be ideal and the price was spot on to.

Its arrived and the pictures are very good but when we were watching youtube videos and reading reviews it says/shows people zooming in for a very long distance, the reviews even say it can zoom to show the craters of the moon.

Now mine doesn't do that so Im obviously doing something wrong. Im not going to lie to you I know nothing about cameras, there setting on it I have no idea what they are but can any one suggest something that it might be as to why Im not getting the zoom others are?

Iv added a link to where I got it from and it shows in the description some of the zoom pics, mine seems to get to about 10x judging by them pictures

http://www.jessops.com/online.store...hot-dsc-hx350-compact-camera-118486/show.html

Many thanks

Hi & welcome to TP

I have had a quick look at the manual for this one and there are two ways of setting controlling the zoom:-

1) The zoom lever that surrounds the shutter button
2) The zoom setting(?) switch on the lens barrel ~ the manual refers to this control as allowing manual zooming

I could not find anything about whether there is a zoom limiting setting but form what you describe that is what I thought might be the issue

So please confirm just what you are doing by way of 'zooming' and as you have the manual, just what does it say about using the zoom function?

Of course you could just take it in to Jessops and ask them to show you how it works ;) Thinking about it let them show you on their display model!
 
Jessops was my next trip, its just a good 2 hours away to my nearest store, hence why I ordered online ;)

I have been using the zoom lever. In the settings there is 3 different settings, optical zoom only, clear image zoom and digital zoom.
 
Jessops was my next trip, its just a good 2 hours away to my nearest store, hence why I ordered online ;)

I have been using the zoom lever. In the settings there is 3 different settings, optical zoom only, clear image zoom and digital zoom.

The spec claims that the optical zoom is x50 though I have yet to find the zoom magnification for the digitally extended zoom levels And the example zoomed images do state the up to x50 level

The manual simply(?) says this

Enlarge images using the W/T (zoom) lever when shooting.
1. Enlarge images with the W/T (zoom) lever when shooting. Move the W/T (zoom) lever to the T side to zoom in and to the W side to zoom out.

Hint When you select other than [Optical zoom only] for [Zoom Setting], you can exceed the zoom range of the optical zoom to zoom images.

When the Zoom/Focus switch is set to AF/ZOOM, you can zoom images by rotating the manual ring.

But does not explain how or whether the two zoom methods interact or override one & other! So whet the heck will it not yield the zoom range x50 for you???
 
This is a long shot but double check the model number on your camera. Some of the bridge models only have a 10x optical zoom as they have faster glass.
 
Two further thoughts

Can you take two pictures of a scene e.g. as per the example shots one at wide and the other at Max optical zoom (zoomed on the building/structure in the distance) just try to show 'us' what you are getting.

I found this community forum and someone there may be able to throw more light on the matter

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/cyber-shot-compact-cameras/bd-p/ca_en_3
 
This is a long shot but double check the model number on your camera. Some of the bridge models only have a 10x optical zoom as they have faster glass.

Oh! you think they sent him the wrong model?
 
Well it is possible, as they are selling a lot of similar cameras and in the warehouse they may have picked the wrong one. Looking at the Jessore page the expensive models have a 10x optical zoom.
 
Well it is possible, as they are selling a lot of similar cameras and in the warehouse they may have picked the wrong one. Looking at the Jessore page the expensive models have a 10x optical zoom.
Well, it is a thought???
 
A nice thought too!;)

Actually if the OP ordered one thing and they sent him another that he has yet to realise.................................not a nice thought at all :mad:
 
Unless you ordered a Skoda and got a BMW !

Now your just bring silly.............why would anyone want a BMW ;)

Having said that I thought the Octavia VRS always had rave reviews as a great drivers car compared to Beemer.


Edit
Sorry @Paul Beeston we have digressed but there is some serious intent, including in the frivolity above, about how best to advise you.
 
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No I defiantly have the right camera. I will get to shots later for comparison.

Thank you
 
No I defiantly have the right camera. I will get to shots later for comparison.

Thank you
As a belt and braces do check out the dedicated community forum I linked............. in case there are no users here at TP to give you a heads up to pilot error/simply a settings issue?
 
Could it be possible that the 50x zoom goes in 3 stages?

Zoom once for a max of 10x
Release and zoom to get to 30x
Release again and zoom to get to 50x?

Clutching at straws as I've never used a bridge camera.
 
Could it be possible that the 50x zoom goes in 3 stages?

Zoom once for a max of 10x
Release and zoom to get to 30x
Release again and zoom to get to 50x?

Clutching at straws as I've never used a bridge camera.

Not common AFAIK but (and Paul has noted it above) there are settings that control whether and how much digital zooming is used.

But the spec clearly states x50 optical zoom unless "they" are being economical with the truth and are including the first phase of digital zoom as 'optical zoom'!
 
Not common AFAIK but (and Paul has noted it above) there are settings that control whether and how much digital zooming is used.

But the spec clearly states x50 optical zoom unless "they" are being economical with the truth and are including the first phase of digital zoom as 'optical zoom'!

Now I don't think they'd get away with that!

I suppose switching to the manual zoom using the lens would be the best option to check how far the digital zoom would actually go.
 
The max zoom you've seen in reviews is probably digital zoom (cropping)... you probably need to enable that.

If you click the link in the OP the text states x50 optical and the example photos show the PoV difference at various optical zoom levels.
 
If you click the link in the OP the text states x50 optical and the example photos show the PoV difference at various optical zoom levels.
If that is accurate, then perhaps it is something else.
I have seen cameras that limited zoom/functionality if it is in an incompatible mode (i.e. macro) or at an incompatible aperture (manual)... but these have always been small P&S type cameras and I have ~0 first hand experience with bridge cameras.
 
Ok would just like to thank everyone for there input, As said I know nothing what so ever about cameras, literally learning as I go so I bit the bullet and did the 4 hour round trip to my nearest jessops for some hands on help. So glad I did as they found it to be faulty and it was only allowing the lens out half of what it should so they swapped it for a new one so fair play to them.

Anyway home now and zooming like a maniac lol

Thanks again
 
Ok would just like to thank everyone for there input, As said I know nothing what so ever about cameras, literally learning as I go so I bit the bullet and did the 4 hour round trip to my nearest jessops for some hands on help. So glad I did as they found it to be faulty and it was only allowing the lens out half of what it should so they swapped it for a new one so fair play to them.

Anyway home now and zooming like a maniac lol

Thanks again

I am glad to hear you got it sorted out,............now get out there and take some pictures :)
 
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