Camcorder Zoom Capabilities

Digital camcorders have both a digital and an optical zoom.

Digital Zoom
It does sound very nice when you hear that a camera has a 300X or higher digital zoom, it is not all that it is cracked up to be. A digital zoom tends to blur or make the image fuzzy at higher levels.

Optical Zoom
Optical zoom levels have a much lower number than the digital zoom. The optical zoom is done with the acutal lens, just like the optical zoom on a regular camera. If you are looking for a high quality, crystal clear video, then you should look for a camera that has a higher optical zoom level. A good example of this would be about a 16X Zoom and higher.