completely clueless...

furrypaws · 22nd May 2004

dear photography-lovers...

need ur 2 cents, 2 dollars, 2 pounds advice here..
my heart is in complete pieces when my olympus C730 slipped thru my fingers like fish outta water and smashed onto the ground earlier, with the lens popping out and the zoom misaligned..

no amount of crying nor praying is gonna bring back that moment where i felt/thought/knew that my hand was slipping thru an empty loop instead of the real loop...

so.. anyway.. what better lesson could that teach that life, is nothing but full of impermanence..

repair's prob gonna cost a bomb.. and perhaps its a sign, telling me that i should move on.. i *just* started toying with the thought of getting a DSLR.. cuz thats where experience and knowledge can grow.. and guess its helping me to speed up my decision...

problem is.. i know nuts about SRLs.. and m completely baffled and lost in all the techy jargons.. how should i proceed from here??

earlier i was at best denki, checking out the D70, i asked the sales lady what the zoom was.. and she told me there's no zoom? i was like huh? isnt there a 3x, 5x, 10x optical wat-have-u zoom?? another guy who was on the verge of purchasing the toy said "oh.. its 18mm-70mm.." something to that effect. i was like.. er.. so.. what does that translate to?? i was desperate to draw parallels to terms i was familiar with...

and the myriad choices of lenses that comes with it... my....

is there someone here who's willing to lend a guiding hand to this completely clueless, heartbroken soul here....

any advice will be much appreciated

my last pic taken with my olympus, who has gone thru thick and thin with me, i will always remember the good moments we spent... adios my friend.

Witness · 22nd May 2004

optical zoom is used in the normal digital camera range coz they cant change lens

in slrs....zoom depends on lens...as long as the lens dun have a fixed focal lenght...its considered a zoom/telephoto or wateva...i dun tink theres any digital zoom on DSLR....

lytefunk · 22nd May 2004

Basically for SLR, they don't really use the word zoom, even for some prosumers, they try not to use zoom

For most digicams, they have a starting value of 28 or 35 or 28mm

These would be the wide values.. The smaller the number, the wider it is (they are also the 35mm film equivalent)

lets say for a minolta 7hi (cause well, thats my old cam, dunno the range of the other cams)

Its a 28mm-200mm, 200 would be the tele end.. so based on this, 200/28 = 7.. Its a 7x zoom

(on a side note, other things to take note for camera lens is the aperature.. in the case of most zoom lens, its variable.. cheaper to make.. Thus my minolta is a 28-200, F2.8-3.5, where u get more light at the wider end - F2.8 and lesser light at the tele end - F3.5.. makes sense if you think about it for a while)

For the case of the nikon D70, the kit comes with the kit lens which is the 18-70 F3.5-4.5.. These are the physical features of the lens when mounted on a 35 mm film body..

However, for the D70, it has a reduced sensor size, giving a crop of 1.5x (Think of it such that the "film" of the D70 is smaller by an area of 1.5x, thus you cut away the borders of the image projected onto the sensor plane)

Thus, you get an equivalent of 27-105mm F3.5-4.5...

Based on those numbers, 27mm gives you a wide enough view for most landscape, and 105 gives you a mid range tele

If you want to convert to zoom, its 3.8x zoom.. Well, that, you have to live with it, cause dSLRs have bigger sensors than prosumers and other digicams, thus in order to get the sharpness and quality of the image, the zoom ain't that good...

However, there are longer zooms available (for example, 80-200, 28-200) but they are either a lot more expensive (like $2k per lens), or produce softer images...

Welcome to the world of dSLR

jimtong · 22nd May 2004

First of all, sorry to hear about your C730. No point repair.. prob beyond repair. Take heart, got to move forward.

For DSLR/SLR nobody use the terrm 5x, 10x zoom.... people usually use the len's focal lenght to describe the the focusing lenght like 28-70mm, 17-40mm.

Hope it helps.

jimtong · 23rd May 2004

Maybe here is an articles to start off with

http://www.clubsnap.org/display.php?...graphy101.html

finkster · 23rd May 2004

Btw, your C730 has a 38-380mm zoom. Hence, the 10X effect. Generally speaking, SLR lenses do not have such a large zoom range, with some exceptions, that is.

In terms of picture quality though, any reasonably good SLR lens will perform better than a C730.

Oh yeah, especially in the SLR world, it's really the lens which makes the difference and is far more critical than the camera body. Always keep this in mind.

furrypaws · 23rd May 2004

hey folks,
thanks for sharing and the empathy dispensed!!
really appreciate it..
will take a while to slowly absorb and digest all thats been said.
thanks very much

a loong way to go for me! but its a learning process i know i'll surely enjoy loads!

Gymrat76 · 23rd May 2004

You won't go wrong with the D70.. the learning curve may seem steep, but you learn as you go along, check out forums like ClubSnap.org, DPReview.com's forums and just generally just read as much as you can on photography. I was in the same boat as you just 2 weeks ago when I decided to get my D70, and have learned quite a bit since then (especially from today's class, organized by Ziploc!). I spent 2 hours in Kinokunia just reading as many books on digital and general photography as I could the other day, and coupled with my experiments on my D70, have found that a lot of things make sense. Its fun, trust me!

clive · 23rd May 2004

have u considered film body as a cheaper alternative? =)

smallaperture · 23rd May 2004

Originally Posted by clive

have u considered film body as a cheaper alternative? =)

Yeah, some start off with a film camera and then move up to a dSLR. When I say move up, it's in monetary terms. A film camera body is very affordable, either used or new + one or two good lens. IMHO, a cheap film body + some good lenses would give u much better satisfaction than a D70 and some cheap lenses, for the same amount of money.

With CS here, it is so easy to buy and sell equipment, so, in the end you don't loose that much when you decide to upgrade.

furrypaws · 23rd May 2004

hm.. no lor.. been using digital for 1.5 yrs now, wont go back to film.. find it a hassle lah.. to not be able to see the results instantly and wait for processing, and then a huge space for storage..

i prefer digital tho its another kinda pain if the pc goes bonkas and u realise the last time u did backup was 6 months ago

22nd May 2004	#1
furrypaws Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 189	completely clueless... dear photography-lovers... need ur 2 cents, 2 dollars, 2 pounds advice here.. my heart is in complete pieces when my olympus C730 slipped thru my fingers like fish outta water and smashed onto the ground earlier, with the lens popping out and the zoom misaligned.. no amount of crying nor praying is gonna bring back that moment where i felt/thought/knew that my hand was slipping thru an empty loop instead of the real loop... so.. anyway.. what better lesson could that teach that life, is nothing but full of impermanence.. repair's prob gonna cost a bomb.. and perhaps its a sign, telling me that i should move on.. i just started toying with the thought of getting a DSLR.. cuz thats where experience and knowledge can grow.. and guess its helping me to speed up my decision... problem is.. i know nuts about SRLs.. and m completely baffled and lost in all the techy jargons.. how should i proceed from here?? earlier i was at best denki, checking out the D70, i asked the sales lady what the zoom was.. and she told me there's no zoom? i was like huh? isnt there a 3x, 5x, 10x optical wat-have-u zoom?? another guy who was on the verge of purchasing the toy said "oh.. its 18mm-70mm.." something to that effect. i was like.. er.. so.. what does that translate to?? i was desperate to draw parallels to terms i was familiar with... and the myriad choices of lenses that comes with it... my.... is there someone here who's willing to lend a guiding hand to this completely clueless, heartbroken soul here.... any advice will be much appreciated my last pic taken with my olympus, who has gone thru thick and thin with me, i will always remember the good moments we spent... adios my friend.

22nd May 2004	#2
Witness Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: www.maverickatwork.com Posts: 6,768	optical zoom is used in the normal digital camera range coz they cant change lens in slrs....zoom depends on lens...as long as the lens dun have a fixed focal lenght...its considered a zoom/telephoto or wateva...i dun tink theres any digital zoom on DSLR.... __________________ w maverick.photography b maverick.blogging

22nd May 2004	#3
lytefunk Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 333	Basically for SLR, they don't really use the word zoom, even for some prosumers, they try not to use zoom For most digicams, they have a starting value of 28 or 35 or 28mm These would be the wide values.. The smaller the number, the wider it is (they are also the 35mm film equivalent) lets say for a minolta 7hi (cause well, thats my old cam, dunno the range of the other cams) Its a 28mm-200mm, 200 would be the tele end.. so based on this, 200/28 = 7.. Its a 7x zoom (on a side note, other things to take note for camera lens is the aperature.. in the case of most zoom lens, its variable.. cheaper to make.. Thus my minolta is a 28-200, F2.8-3.5, where u get more light at the wider end - F2.8 and lesser light at the tele end - F3.5.. makes sense if you think about it for a while) For the case of the nikon D70, the kit comes with the kit lens which is the 18-70 F3.5-4.5.. These are the physical features of the lens when mounted on a 35 mm film body.. However, for the D70, it has a reduced sensor size, giving a crop of 1.5x (Think of it such that the "film" of the D70 is smaller by an area of 1.5x, thus you cut away the borders of the image projected onto the sensor plane) Thus, you get an equivalent of 27-105mm F3.5-4.5... Based on those numbers, 27mm gives you a wide enough view for most landscape, and 105 gives you a mid range tele If you want to convert to zoom, its 3.8x zoom.. Well, that, you have to live with it, cause dSLRs have bigger sensors than prosumers and other digicams, thus in order to get the sharpness and quality of the image, the zoom ain't that good... However, there are longer zooms available (for example, 80-200, 28-200) but they are either a lot more expensive (like $2k per lens), or produce softer images... Welcome to the world of dSLR __________________ Do life. Live visually.

22nd May 2004	#4
jimtong Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,362	First of all, sorry to hear about your C730. No point repair.. prob beyond repair. Take heart, got to move forward. For DSLR/SLR nobody use the terrm 5x, 10x zoom.... people usually use the len's focal lenght to describe the the focusing lenght like 28-70mm, 17-40mm. Hope it helps. __________________ My humble little album

23rd May 2004	#5
jimtong Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,362	Maybe here is an articles to start off with http://www.clubsnap.org/display.php?...graphy101.html __________________ My humble little album

23rd May 2004	#6
finkster Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: LAS Posts: 648	Btw, your C730 has a 38-380mm zoom. Hence, the 10X effect. Generally speaking, SLR lenses do not have such a large zoom range, with some exceptions, that is. In terms of picture quality though, any reasonably good SLR lens will perform better than a C730. Oh yeah, especially in the SLR world, it's really the lens which makes the difference and is far more critical than the camera body. Always keep this in mind.

23rd May 2004	#7
furrypaws Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 189	gee.. thank you all! hey folks, thanks for sharing and the empathy dispensed!! really appreciate it.. will take a while to slowly absorb and digest all thats been said. thanks very much a loong way to go for me! but its a learning process i know i'll surely enjoy loads!

23rd May 2004	#8
Gymrat76 Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,591	You won't go wrong with the D70.. the learning curve may seem steep, but you learn as you go along, check out forums like ClubSnap.org, DPReview.com's forums and just generally just read as much as you can on photography. I was in the same boat as you just 2 weeks ago when I decided to get my D70, and have learned quite a bit since then (especially from today's class, organized by Ziploc!). I spent 2 hours in Kinokunia just reading as many books on digital and general photography as I could the other day, and coupled with my experiments on my D70, have found that a lot of things make sense. Its fun, trust me!

23rd May 2004	#9
clive Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 2,573	have u considered film body as a cheaper alternative? =)

23rd May 2004	#11
furrypaws Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 189	film vs digital hm.. no lor.. been using digital for 1.5 yrs now, wont go back to film.. find it a hassle lah.. to not be able to see the results instantly and wait for processing, and then a huge space for storage.. i prefer digital tho its another kinda pain if the pc goes bonkas and u realise the last time u did backup was 6 months ago