Video Zoom - iPhone 3GS's first and only video zoom

FAQ
1. What are the uses of Video Zoom App?

A. The iPhone 3GS video camera does not have a zoom feature. The Video Zoom app adds the digital zoom capability to the 3GS video camera.

2. What is the maximum zoom level supported by the App?

A. Upto 3x digital Zoom. However, for best quality we recommend you use zoom level upto 2x.

3. How do I use the app to record video with zoom?

A. It involves three simple steps:
i) Focus on the subject, adjust the zoom level using the slider,
ii) Once you are comfortable with the zoom level, press the recording button,
iii) Stop recording after you are done, press the "Use" button and after this the video is post processed to generate a zoomed video. This needs some time and will automatically save the zoomed video in the camera roll at the end.

4. Can I change the zoom level while recording ?

A. You can do so, but then the earlier selected zoom level would be over ridden. So if you change the zoom level from 2x to 3x on-the-fly while recording, the whole video will be post processed with respect to 3x zoom level. This means that the previous part of the same video which you wanted at 2x zoom will also be zoomed 3x. Therefore, it is not recommended that you change zoom level anytime after tapping record button.

5. Can I also save the Original(unzoomed) video in addition ?

A. Yes, you can do this by pressing the button "Save Original" after the post processing is complete.

6. What is the default resolution of the zoomed Video ?

A. Inversely proportional to the zoom level. Assuming the default settings where the recording quality is set to High(640x480), for 1.5x zoom, it is 426x320. For 2x zoom, it is 320x240.

7. Can I force a higher resolution for the zoomed video ?

A. Yes, you can do this by choosing "Rescale Video" which will automatically scale the zoomed video to 480x360 resolution.

8. How much time does it takes to post process?

A. Proportional to the duration of the video. Under default settings(high quality recording, no rescale), it takes around 1.5*Video-Duration to post process. So a 30 seconds clip would take around 45(=1.5*30) seconds to post process whereas a 120 seconds clip would take around 180 seconds. Hence, the app is best suited for short video clips.

9. Can I further reduce the post processing time ?

A. You can reduce it significantly by choosing recording quality to Medium(instead of default High) in settings. However, it comes at the cost of quality of the resulting video. Feel free to try it out on your own and compare the results.

10. Recording automatically stops after 2 minutes, why does it happen and how can I change it ?

A. This will happen because by default, the max recording duration is set to 2 minutes. You can change the setting to 5 minutes or 10 minutes.

11. Does post processing still happen if I have disabled zoom or the zoom level is default 1x ?

A. If you have disabled zoom in the settings, or kept the zoom slider at the default level, no post processing takes place which implies no waiting time to shoot another video. Thus, you may use this app also as a plain video camera which provides you control over recording quality and max recording duration.

12. Does the app supports recording/zooming in portrait mode ?

A. Yes, the app supports recording and zooming in all the modes -- Portrait and Landscape.

13. But Some reviewers say that the app does not work in Landscape mode and some say that it does not work in Portrait mode ?

A. To use the app for recording in landscape mode, make sure you hold the iPhone in landscape mode, adjust zoom and THEN press recording button. Likewise, to record in portrait mode, you must hold the iPhone in portrait mode, adjust zoom and only then press recording button. The iPhone 3GS video recorder locks itself with the orientation of the phone WHEN you pressed the recording button -- not before or after it. Therefore, if you follow this rule there will be no issues.