Nikon D3100 how do I know the optical zoom rating. I'm a novice.. How do I caculate the optical rating?
52074
Ok, short answer: If you get the kit lense, it's a 3x optical zoom, roughly (not sure where you think you saw a digital zoom rating... there shouldn't be one). Long answer follows (and you should probably read the long answer, because it's good information to have if you're looking at getting into SLRs) The zoom for an SLR is always in the lens you choose to pair with the camera's body, and that is always an optical zoom (digital zoom refers to what is, essentially, cropping the picture and blowing it up, which has an accompanying loss in resolution; you won't see digital zoom as a feature on an SLR as that essentially would amount to only exposing light to part of the sensor, which is ultimately pointless) If you look at lenses, you'll see a bunch of numbers. It might look something like 55-300mm f/3.5-5.6. That first set of numbers is the focal length, and since it's a range, you're looking at a zoom lense rather than a fixed lense (a fixed lense might just say something like 35mm or 50mm). The effective magnification of that range is roughly 6x... but 55mm is already a bit magnified, particularly on a D3100, which has a smaller DX type sensor that effectively magnifies all shots by around 1.5x. So if you got this camera with the kit lense, which is 18-55mm and a telephoto lense that is 55-300mm, between the two lenses, you'd have an optical zoom of a little less than 17x... though you would have to carry both lenses and swap between the two as needed in order to get that full range. So essentially, the point is that the zoom of this camera is up to you. If you want to, you can even buy one of those fixed focal length mirror lenses rated at 1000mm or so and get some truly incredible magnification. But if you do, get yourself a tripod too.
582699
Okay, thanks a lot, new at this and I wasn't sure if the lens quality is the same. I appreciate everyone's help!
1327777
Hi Tabish, Once you press the zoom in, its using the optical zoom which is upto 30x. Once you reach 30x zoom, and Digital zoom is activated, it will now use the Digital zoom. You will notice a small horizontal line on the zoom icon which means that once you pass that line, Digital zoom is now in use. You can set your camcorder to use optical zoom only by turning of Digital zoom. -Vincent
33403
If yours came with the 18-55mm AF AV lense then it should. With the AV featured turned on vibration is minimal. My hands a failing so I went with the D3100-I can't really see shaking. I am not a pro. If you get it enjoy. This is the lense of choice on my Nikon; it starts where the 1st lense leaves off and gives very good telephoto capability.
1332330
I'm not sure what a zoom # is. It is very nearly a 4x optical zoom ( not digital ). It will give you a field of view ( based on the 35mm film camera or FF field of view ) of 90mm to 350mm due to the m4/3 sensor size which roughly has a 2X crop factor (while a Canon 6D or Nikon 7100 has a 1.6X crop factor).
1340325
The first number is the power of the lens, that is how much it will magnify the image. The second number represents the diameter of the lens in mm. They work together to calculate a number called the "exit pupil" or "exit ratio". Take the lens size and divide it by the power to get this number. The higher the number, the brighter the image. For example, 10x50 will give an exit ratio of 5.0, 8x42 would be 5.25, 10x42 would be 4.2. In my opinion, the exit ratio is more important than the power. My favorite binoculars are 8x50 (6.25) but I also just bought 10x50 as a gift who is delighted with that configuration. Stay away from high-power binoculars. They, for me, are too hard to keep steady due to the high magnification. I hope this helps. -Norm
474709
All I can tell you is TURN OFF THE DIGITAL ZOOM! Optical zoom is true zoom and on this camera will get you about 830mm! (I know Nikon just brought out 1000mm, but I have doubts about other aspects of something rushed into production.) Anyway, on my web site, click on the "I" as you scroll over any photo on the right, and it will tell you the actual EXIF including zoom. Since I'm taking pictures mostly of birds, you'll see that I'm using 830mm most of the time. Tack-sharp. Never have used a tripod, well not since 1985, and the IS with this camera is great!
547718
Kristy, I agree in principal with both of the other commenters. However, I'm not sure those answers completely address your situation. As not to compare apples to oranges, are you talking specifically about zooms or fixed lens? If you are interested in getting a zoom type lens, especially one f2.8 or faster, you are talking about some sizable dollars. Zoom range, low light capabilities, absence of distortion, cost constrictions and your personal standards create a host of considerations. But, comparing a digital fixed lenses specs to a digital zoom lens specs is not a fair caparison at all.
1449308
No you dont. The term 'focal length multiplier', and I am assuming you are referring to this number, does nothing to your focal length. It is a horrible term. It is your FOV (field of view) that changes.
1237827
This camera provides manual optical zoom; you will need to manually adjust the camera's lens at the time you install it. Underneath the camera you'll find 2 adjustment knobs, one for focus, one for zoom; you will need to twist both knobs to adjust the camera's lens from 2.8mm-12mm; by doing this, you can set up the camera's viewing angle from 40-115degrees and the viewing distance from 40-130feet
362405
Not sure. I can tell you I am struggling a bit with it myself. I have the D3100.
1351160
Since the effective focal length of this lens on D3100 is 36 -127.5mm, it is better to use 55-200 for a better zoom; Rest both the lenses have the minimum aperture of 4.5 and 5.6 at farthest focal length, which doesn't make a drastic difference. Use a higher ISO for freezing the action of the sports!
1177554
Wolfgang, I don't have a D50 so I don't know what changes in accessibility the camera has compared to the D3100 I have. All I can say is that the exposure information and some other technical things would translate in function. It's a pretty inexpensive item, considering.
1041573
Are you comparing it to the lens without VR. I work for Nikon and the price was actually the same price I get with my employee discount and it didn't include the extra filters. I used the lens on my d3100 to get some incredible shots of the lunar eclipse
71010
It's up to you, but the Swiss Scope that is shown below is recommended, however it is only a 8x zoom, which is like looking through a cheap pair of binoculars. You may want to aim for a the same brand, but look for anything with an adjustable zoom, or simply a 10-16x zoom.Not that the 8x zoom doesn't work good, it's great! But it just will not zoom in or focus as hard as you would see when compared to a 12 or 16x zoom scope. So try the 8x zoom from Swiss recommended below, or you can risk it and try out other scopes. All you need to know is if it has a rail mount, which most do, including the 8x zoom. It's up to you, but the Swiss Scope that is shown below is recommended, however it is only a 8x zoom, which is like looking through a cheap pair of binoculars. You may want to aim for a the same brand, but look for anything with an adjustable zoom, or simply a 10-16x zoom.Not that the 8x zoom doesn't work good, it's great! But it just will not zoom in or focus as hard as you would see when compared to a 12 or 16x zoom scope. So try the 8x zoom from Swiss recommended below, or you can risk it and try out other scopes. All you need to know is if it has a rail mount,... » Read More It's up to you, but the Swiss Scope that is shown below is recommended, however it is only a 8x zoom, which is like looking through a cheap pair of binoculars. You may want to aim for a the same brand, but look for anything with an adjustable zoom, or simply a 10-16x zoom.Not that the 8x zoom doesn't work good, it's great! But it just will not zoom in or focus as hard as you would see when compared to a 12 or 16x zoom scope. So try the 8x zoom from Swiss recommended below, or you can risk it and try out other scopes. All you need to know is if it has a rail mount, which most do, including the 8x zoom. « Show Less
1077896
I can only reply that the 500 is wonderful and gets great definition with zoom. Can't compare it to 510 as I do not have that one.
2279391
I would compare it to my smaller camera as a 10x zoom for the really good zoom go up to the next lens, I loved my photos at the Grand Canyon, Walking around I used the 30-110 and to zoom in on the river aprox 1 mile below I used my bigger lens 110-220, I like the polarize filter, It is great for outdoors, no glare and crisper color, email if you need more details