Digital SLR versus Ultra Zoom / POS

[koffiejunkie]

So my 28-300 is only 10.7x even though it has a greater difference than the tamaron you mentioned?

Yes. Two examples. My Sony Cybershot T100 is 5x optical zoom. The lens 5,8-29mm. 5.8 x 5 = 29mm. The G9 is 6x - 7.4-44.4mm 7.4 x 6 = 44.

That's why I say, the zoom factor is of limited relevance. Field of view in degrees would be much more sensible.

 

[Rouxenator]

Dont fret - it's never too late to learn.

Pixual, you'll have to hand this one to the pros. They know what they are on about.

The X times factor for zoom is to market things easier. It would be pretty hard to explain wide to tele with relation to sensor size to someone that just wants to buy a camera. Yet it is very important to understand. The guy that bought my old Kodak Z812 asked me if I am bought the newer Z1015 because I needed the "3x extra zoom". I had a tough time explaining to him that the new one with its 15x zoom (420mm) actually had less reach than the old 12x (432mm) model he bought since it starts out at a wider angle (28mm vs 36mm).

In the end he just said "ok cool" and I guess that it did not really make any sense to him. Perhaps its the kind of thing you need to learn with diagrams and not just words

 

[Pixual]

Real image quality has nothing to do with sharpness, reach or noise and everything to do with knowing how and when to trip the shutter, regardless of the type of camera.

Pictures of people's backs at corporate functions are crap even when they are shot with a Nikon D3s and you can see the dandruff on the jacket when zooming in at 100% in Photoshop. However, if you can get in close and get the moment on your cellphone camera you have succeeded, even if the picture isn't as sharp.

Sure, rpm would probably do better (eventually) with a low end DSLR, but that comes at a price. Trust me, even with those auto modes, no DSLR can compete with the human mind and a bit of know-how, especially in a difficult shooting situation like indoors with limited light.

 

[Rouxenator]

Sure, I'm not arguing against that. In fact my whole flickr page is dedicated to showing how much you can do without a bulky SLR by just using a little skill and perseverance. In many cases I also recommend non SLR cameras to people wanting to get into photography, but this case is just not one of them.

 

[koffiejunkie]

Trust me, even with those auto modes, no DSLR can compete with the human mind

I don't think there's any doubt about that around here.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Dont fret - it's never too late to learn.

rofl Bwana!