Digital camera zoom capabilities come in two configurations: optical zoom or digital zoom. It is important to understand the two types of zoom lenses because they are very different.

In the battle between optical zoom and digital zoom, there is only one thing photographers can use consistently: optical zoom.

Read on for more information that can help you better understand camera zoom lenses.

Optical zoom measures the actual increase in the focal length of the lens. Focal length is the distance between the center of the lens and the image sensor.