Although not heavily promoted by manufacturers, the digital zoom feature included in many recent camera models has significantly improved since it was first introduced in the mid-2010s. Early versions were crude, simply enlarging a portion of the sensor’s data without additional processing. As a result, images were widely criticized for poor detail and heavy artifacts—and that reputation still lingers.
In recent years, however, manufacturers—now often referring to the feature as a “digital teleconverter”—have refined their JPEG processing engines. Companies like Fujifilm and OM System (formerly Olympus) now enable their cameras to output cropped, upscaled JPEGs of surprisingly high quality. These systems typically include selectable magnification factors, such as 1.4x and 2x. OM System has continued to enhance its digital teleconverter functions in cameras such as the OM-1 Mark II, OM-5, and OM-3.
The current OM-1 Mark II, for example, includes a built-in digital teleconverter that outputs cropped JPEGs at 2x magnification. The quality of these JPEG (not RAW) images is unexpectedly strong, with effective in-camera sharpening and noise reduction.
This feature adds new reach to shorter lenses. For instance, pairing the $399 OM System M.Zuiko 75–300mm f/4.8–6.7 II Micro Four Thirds lens with the OM-1 Mark II provides a 35mm equivalent focal length of 600mm. When the digital 2x converter is enabled, that reach effectively doubles to 1,200mm.
While the results may not match the image quality of top professional telephoto lenses—many of which cost between 276% and 1,780% more—the output is more than adequate for social media or web display. Purists may object, but I own both the OM System 150–400mm f/4.5 and 100–400mm f/5.0–6.3 lenses, and when images from either are compressed to 72 dpi WebP format for online use, much of their superior resolution is lost. At reduced display sizes, the difference between digital converter and optical zoom becomes far less noticeable.
If you have an OM-1 Mark II and an OM System 75–300mm f/4.8–6.7 II lens, here’s how to test this 1,200mm telephoto setup:
Set JPEG quality to Large Super Fine (LSF). (RAW is not supported with the digital teleconverter.)
Set ISO as low as lighting allows.
Navigate to the M2 camera menu, then to its second screen.
Turn the Digital Teleconverter function ON.
The image shown in the viewfinder or LCD will now reflect the final 1,200mm JPEG output.
At full zoom, the f/6.7 maximum aperture requires strong lighting, so lower ISOs are best. JPEGs will generally look fine straight out of the camera, but if noise is noticeable, post-process using Topaz or another denoising utility.
On this webpage are several samples of 1,200mm shots I recently took at a local park. They were captured on a sunny day at ISO 200. The OM-1 Mark II processed these in-camera to 5,184 by 3,888 pixels at 350 dpi. In Photoshop, I reduced them to 1,200 by 900 at 72 dpi for this web story. The photos demonstrate the level of sharpness achieved at 1,200mm using this technique.
About the author: Hoag Levins is an editorial multimedia producer at the University of Pennsylvania and a former staff reporter and photographer at newspapers and mainstream web news sites in Philadelphia, Manhattan, and Washington, D.C. You can find more of his work on his website
Image credits: Photographs by Hoag Levins
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