What's a good Zoom level?

[DavidBeier]

I remember reading in one of Barry's posts that when zoomed all the way out at 4.2mm (I think) the lense is going to be a bit soft. I'm curious when the lense is at its sharpest and thus what zoom levels are the best for the highest amount of resolved detail.

 

[Can Scanner]

Was it zoom level or aperture? I know in the HD modes you want to keep it more open than F8 or F9ish.

 

[DavidBeier]

I'm pretty sure I heard mention of zoom level as well.

 

[mrWr0ng]

I don't think it's "softness" of the lens so much as barrel distortion - kind of like when you have a fisheye or wide-angle adapter on the lens, the image tends to bow out a little bit when you're zoomed all the way out.

I've noticed it a tiny tiny bit, especially with straight lines, but just about everything is in focus, so I wind up using it a fair amount when I'm on a run & gun shoot.