BurBunny:
Composition by moving closer to the subject is *very* different than cropping in camera. Many cameras have a function where you can actual crop in camera, some by using digital zoom, some by actually cropping. They're a very sloppy way to crop.
"Visual cropping" as you define it is entirely different. It's important to use terms correctly. Having an understanding of the terms beyond book learning helps when explaining terms to others.
I am not sure if you misread my comment or just trying to spin the issue, I said:
“Crop in camera as much as possible, not after the picture is taken.”
My statement clearly defines pre-process or BEFORE the picture is taken. Your example is defined as a form of post-process by using the camera’s electronics, AFTER the image is recorded.
So the real question is why would your post-process cropping via the camera electronics “degrades the pixels” and the more common post-process cropping via a computer will NOT “degrades the pixels”???
And the act of cropping the image (post processing) itself will NOT “degrades the pixels”. It’s when you blow up or increase the cropped image size to the size of the original image that you lose the image quality or as you stated “degrades the pixels”. If the image were cropped then left alone there will be no image quality lost with digital.
Very interesting that you would equate an uncommon practice of post-process cropping with the camera’s electronics to the more common term of cropping in camera via the viewfinder before recording the image. Because not all cameras have this feature, certainly not films, but not all digitals as well.
From your statement:
“Many cameras have a function where you can actual crop in camera, some by using digital zoom, some by actually cropping. They're a very sloppy way to crop.”
“Crop in camera” had always been a common term with film photographers that is why I included the links.
“Having an understanding of the terms beyond book learning helps when explaining terms to others.” I agree, it most certainly applies in this case after reading your statements.