This plugin is the jQuery version on the fancy zoom effect.
As describe on the fancy zoom web site, this effect is providing a smooth, clean, truly Mac-like effect, almost like it's a function of Safari itself (see the demo below).
As the well famous light box plugin you must encapsulate your thumb images with a link that point to the zoomed image:
//required <script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.dimension.js"></script> //optional <script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.shadow.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.ifixpng.js"></script> //the plugin it self <script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.fancyzoom.js"></script>
Add your images in the html page, but wrap it with a link to the zoomed version:
<a href="image1.jpg"><img src="image1-small.jpg" alt="" /></a>
After it, select the links and call the jQuery Fancy Zoom plugin. See some examples:
<script type="text/javascript">
$(function() {
//Set the default directory to find the images needed
//by the plugin (closebtn.png, blank.gif, loading images ....)
$.fn.fancyzoom.defaultsOptions.imgDir='../images/'; //very important must finish with a /
// Select all links in object with gallery ID using the defaults options
$('#gallery a').fancyzoom();
// Select all links with tozoom class, set the open animation time to 1000
$('a.tozoom').fancyzoom({Speed:1000});
// Select all links set the overlay opacity to 80%
$('a').fancyzoom({overlay:0.8});
//new rev > 1.2
//apply fancyzoom effect on all image whose class is fancyzoom !!
$('img.fancyzoom').fancyzoom();
});
</script>
Click on the image to see the zoomed version.

Images are zoomed from the place they are as in the mac osx dock.
While loading the image, a png animation shows to the user that image is loading.
If you add the ifixpng, ie 6 and ie 7 are full compatible.
But also safari 3 and firefox 2.