Optical zoom versus digital zoom.
FUNCTION: Digital zoom crops the image down to a centred area with the same ratio as the original, and also interpolating the result back up to the pixel dimensions of the original. this method involves cropping, hence the resolution and quality is reduced
The optical zoom ratio of a digital camera measures how much the lens can actually zoom in to make subjects appear closer. Optical zoom, enlarges a picture while keeping the resolution and sharpness of the picture high.
RESOLUTION AND DIGITAL QUALITY: Digital zoom, crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size. And due to this, image quality is reduced in comparison with the original one.
There is no relation between optical zoom and the resolution of the photo, as optical zoom only enlarges the whole image or the subject to a certain range. So image quality only depends upon the mega pixel (MP) of the camera.
From the article: "After selecting the portion, the software crops the rest of the photo and enlarges the selected area to fit the complete photo frame. The software calculates new values for the pixels that were cropped in order to result in a full frame photo. The main disadvantage of this digital process is that the enlarged photo quality is lower than the original photo taken. "
Digital Zoom vs Optical Zoom - Difference and Comparison | Diffen
Edit: Also this. "Optical and digital zoom are two very different ways to snap a closer photo without moving your feet. Optical zoom — the only zoom that’s really worthwhile — means the camera can zoom using physical lens parts, while digital zoom means the camera uses software to “zoom.” "