RE: OT - Digital Cameras

["Phil Harris" <phillip.harris1@xxxxxxx>]

> I don't know how it is worked out but zoom ratings are different for
SLR
to
> APS to most digital cameras. Just a little food for thought.

Zooms are the same ... a 3 x zoom is still a 3 x zoom no matter where it
is.
What does change is the *FOCAL LENGTH* due to the CCD not eing the same
size
as a 35mm film frame. On something like a Canon EOS D30 (a digital EOS
which
takes standard lenses) then you have to apply a 1.6x multiplier so - say -
a
50-200mm lens becomes an 80-320mm lens. This is good for long range work
but
when you want to do close up work then you're screwed as short focal length
lenses are phenominally expensive.

The Nikon Coolpix range have very good macro capabilities by the way ...
down to 2cm IIRC.

> The other thing is digital cameras eat batteries so I would want to
make
> sure that spare rechargeable are to hand and their cost.

Agreed to a degree ... my C3030 used to last a day on a set of
rechargeables. My E10 would get through a set of rechargeables (using a 1Gb
microdrive as storage) in about an hour. With the C3030 I'd carry a spare
set of batteries just as I would for any electronic device but I wouldn't
say that I ever really worried about its appetite.

Of course I had an old 35mm film camera that took little CR123A batteries
and I hardly ever replaced those!

Phil