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Point and Shoot Basic Question
  • Is it true that if I zoom in a bit on my point and shoots cams that my images will be a bit sharper? The range of my Canon S110 and S100 are 24mm to 120mm. So would, say 60mm produce a sharper image than either 24mm or 120mm?

    Also, do these point and shoot cams also have an F-stop sweet spot like my Lumix 100-300 lens where between f5 or f8 is its sharpest. Is that the same for point and shoots?

    Harold House

  • 5 Replies sorted by
  • All Many lenses perform slightly worse at extremes, and better in the middle of the zoom range, CA, Vignetting, corner blurring, distortion and sharpness loss is more pronounced on wide and tele ends. That is even more visible with cheaper lenses e.g. on point and shoots.

    This should also stand for f-stop sweet spot.

    So theoretically it is correct, but there are so many in cam sharpening and aberrations corrections going on that it is often hard to notice those flaws.

  • Is it true that if I zoom in a bit on my point and shoots cams that my images will be a bit sharper? The range of my Canon S110 and S100 are 24mm to 120mm. So would, say 60mm produce a sharper image than either 24mm or 120mm?

    It is not true, it can be different for different cameras. For ultrazooms usually long end or middle start lacking.

  • Yes, I was perhaps over generalizing, it depends on the lens design.

  • Well, my Canon Powershots are only 5X zoom so would what inqb8tr said apply to those cams? Short of that, I'll have to set up a test and see if the cams I have, the S100 and S110 are sharper near the middle of the range for both zoom and aperture. Thanks.

  • @ragnar

    I'll have to set up a test and see if the cams I have, the S100 and S110 are sharper near the middle of the range for both zoom and aperture

    xactly!!!
    Also would depend on focus distance, (if) macro mode, f-stop, shutter speed, light conditions, etc. Have in mind that sharper doesn't necessarily mean "best looking", which would also have to do with subject. Everything has a context ,-)

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    screen grab from film HCTD

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