stupid newbie questions...

snelly · 21-03-2003, 4:46 PM

Chaps hi hope someone can help,

I am looking at buying my first dv cam and whilst I comprehend most of the specs I do not have a photography background. I have been getting a bit confused about the effects /interaction between focal length, optical zoom.

I do understand what these basically are and that if I have focal length of 10mm to 100mm then I have 10x zoom. But what do the absolute values of focal length represent???

I have read conflicting posts on usenet that if you add a telephoto extender (say 2x) to a zoom lens then 10 - 100 becomes 20 - 200and that this gives greater zoom. Obviously this does not give 20x optical zoom but it must be doing something right???

Help

Thanks
Tim

28-03-2003, 5:26 AM

Tim,

I learned before buying a camcorder, the first question to ask yourself is what you plan on doing with it in the first place?

For example, do you plan on using it for family holidays/events or are you a budding Steven Spielberg?

Answering this question first is a much better start than getting bogged down on the focal length comparisons between still-photo and video IMHO (In My Humble Opinion).

YipYazoo

28-03-2003, 5:26 AM	#2
YipYazoo Guest Posts: n/a	What's the Use? Tim, I learned before buying a camcorder, the first question to ask yourself is what you plan on doing with it in the first place? For example, do you plan on using it for family holidays/events or are you a budding Steven Spielberg? Answering this question first is a much better start than getting bogged down on the focal length comparisons between still-photo and video IMHO (In My Humble Opinion). YipYazoo
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