18-55 camera lens

[mazzywoo]

Hi all.
I am thinking of upgrading from my Olympus superzoom camera (it can go up to x24 and to x39 using the in-camera 'crop' along with the zoom) to an entry level DSLR. I have seen a Pentax k-x which comes with an 18-55 lens. Can anyone tell me what sort of zoom this would give me? Honestly, it's a minefield when it comes to choosing cameras-there's so many around and so many conflicting reviews!
Many thanks, Maz

[jno]

I think - and someone will correct me if I'm wrong - that 18-55 on a digital lens is roughly the same as 35-110 on an old-fashioned SLR lens. Anyway, that's a 3x zoom (55 being about 3 times 18). You don't get the same amount of zoom with DSLRs as on the fixed-lens cameras, even if you have a longer lens you can switch to. But (I am told) you get better pictures.

[mazzywoo]

Thanks for that Jno. I thought that might be the case. I think I will stick to the Olympus because I do get get some good close up pics (usually of our cats!). It's just not too good on action shots or low light situations. You pays yer money and takes yer choice I guess! Plus, coz the zoom lens is integral, it means not having to lug a huge camera bag around to accommodate the extra lenses!
Many thanks for your reply.

[Old_Geezer]

As I'm not an expert I may have the wrong end of the stick, but in ye olden days when I was quite keen on photography I thought 35mm and lower was 'wide angle' rather than telephoto zoom. Was that what you were lokoing for ? IIRC Normal was about 55mm ish ? So you are looking at one that varies from 18 to 55 ? Sounds useful for landscapes and stuff, but I'm unsure you could zoom into anything far off.

[Ellipsis]

The Pentax k-x has an APS-C sensor, and its 35 mm equivalent focal length is 1.53, making that 18-55mm lens about equivalent to a 28-80mm lens in old money.

[Old_Geezer]

Err digital numbers are different ?!? What will they think of next ?

[Ellipsis]

LOL, Old_Geezer ... even film cameras were different if you went from a 35mm camera to, say, a medium format camera such as a Hasselblad. Digital cameras are different again. It's all to do with the size of the "receptor", whether that's film or an electronic sensor.

More details here:

http://en.wikipedia.o...uivalent_focal_length

[mazzywoo]

Phew! I am certainly not an expert in this field guys! My OH used to have an SLR film camera so we have been sitting here trying to convert the lens specs! It seems that the 18-55 is mainly wide angle with a teensy bit of zoom too? Tell you what, instead of purchasing a new camera, maybe I should buy a book on practical photography LOL. Thanks for all the replies-my mind is made up now and I will stick with the devil I know!
Best wishes, M x

[venator]

When I used to do black & white and enlarged my photos to 20" x 16" or larger, the standard zoom lenses produced poor results, and I had a medium format 120mm camera with a range of lenses. My portrait lens cost over £900 some years ago, and it's all unsaleable junk now.

The big change is the sensor in digital cameras, which just don't need super quality lenses. The weak point used to be the lens - now it's the sensor.

If you're not shooting bigger than A4 or 10X8, it's not worth going for a DSLR.

[Ellipsis]

> It seems that the 18-55 is mainly wide angle with a teensy bit of zoom too?

I know you're not going to buy one, so it makes no difference to you - but for the benefit of anybody else reading the thread, the answer is no, that isn't the case. On the k-x the 18-55 lens is equivalent to 28-80 on a 35mm camera, aka a midrange zoom, covering from mild wide-angle to mild telephoto ...

[jno]

thanks for doing the sums for me, Ellipsis. 35mm in old money was supposed to be roughly the human range of vision, so 28 was wideish angle and 80 only moderately zoomy; and overall it's about a 3x zoom. You're right about the pros and cons - 'compact' or bridge cameras aren't great in low light but they aren't so heavy and you don't have to faff around changing lenses while the subject matter walks off. I've made the same decision as you have in the meantime: stick with the fixed-lens camera and don't take many photos after dark.