Like I said before I really hate this "Zoom out "debate.
First thing wrong is choice of terms.
Few people chose to use term "zoom out" for using a manual memory capture mode and forced it upon us. That is not only wrong and unfortunate but is confusing because it has nothing to do with the actual Zoom mode most scopes have.
To add to confusion, this "zoom out" means different things to different people :
- 1. You put scope into manual memory mode so it captures fixed amount of time every time (say 10ms) regardless of time base setting. That way you can set timebase knob to 100ns/div but on trigger scope actually captures 10ms every time. Then if you stop, you have 10ms captured always, regardless what you see on the screen. Then you can use timebase knob to change "timebase" on stopped capture and move left and right with horizontal knob. This works deterministically as long as sample rate doesn't change, you don't change numbers of channels etc. And your triggering rate will be very low. This works well for long sparsely repeating sequences with large memory allocated.
- 2. Keysight Megazoom scopes have a feature that they capture same as Siglent (auto mode, only screen length) but when you press stop, they trigger of another trigger and then keep sampling full memory. That final sample after you pressed Stop will have more data than on screen if timebase is set to some fast settings (for instance you are at 100ns/div, scope will actually capture 100us of data). Then you can use timebase knob to change "timebase" on stopped capture and move left and right with horizontal knob. Make note that except for that final additional capture, Megazoom scopes don't capture anything outside scope screen while continuously triggering. So, for instance, if your signal makes a burst and stops, you press Stop, there will be nothing outside screen.
None of that is using Zoom function.
Siglent, Picoscope, LeCroy, uses different paradigm (similar to what a CRT scope does) where data captured is length of the screen. It doesn't mean it uses screen pixels, but that a time length captured always is same as screen width timewise (time/div*N of horizontal division). So, as you would with a CRT scope, you need to fit all the data you want to see on a screen. That makes it hard to see detail though. And that is why there is actual Zoom mode. You press Zoom and now you have dual timebase and position on a screen: one smaller full signal, and one magnified portion with separate timebase that you can position horizontally anywhere you like in larger buffer.
It is obviously different way of dealing with things. I find it logical and easy to use. I can see it only being a problem on scopes with small screens or if you want to cram all 20 channels 4 math channels, 4 reference channels and 4 decodes + tables on the screen at the same time. Which will be crowded anyways.
Some people don't like it for whatever reason. They insist this is wrong and a bug and retarded or whatnot. It is not. It is different of what they like and they should not buy it if it doesn't work for them. There are many of us who find it perfectly usable and more logical. Go figure, we all are different...
But with this bullying campaign, i feel like a lefty being forced to write with a right hand. There is nothing wrong with either way, you just learn how to use it. And to add, I have several scopes from all of the 3 groups and they all work fine. I simply learned to use them as they are meant to be used.
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