how do you tell people how much your camera' zooms'?!

[stupot]

So I'll have my 300mm attached and someone will ask "how much does it zoom?"

I'm not sure what to say, I first try telling them you can really quantify it because it's a prime and anyway what are you comparing it to... Well, they don't understand, and just repeat themself so what am I supposed to say?! 1x zoom?! Or do I just 'zero' it at 50mm and tell them its a 6x zoom?! Or do I just tell them to shutup and stop bugging me:)

My response so far has been to hand them the camera, and then I have to explain how to focus it because they grab the focus wheel and it all goes blurry... argh!

Just annoys me that theres so much misinformation in consumer photography... It's great that with digital, everyone's becoming a photographer and taking more of an interest, but at least manufacturers could stop telling them all the crap they do. When people see a camera with 10x zoom they have absolutely no idea what that means, they think things get 10x bigger...

[R Hardman]

I usually say it brings it twice as close ect...

[cdifoto]

I don't think I've ever been asked how much any given lens zooms. I did show one guy on a beach how I could get a sailboat off in the distance to fill the frame with Bigma at 500mm though. Got a "wow" out of him....or was it a "holy ****!!"... I don't remember... :)

[Tee Why]

just tell them something like a 100x like on those digicams. Most asking those questions just want to be impressed anyway. Give them a story to tell back home.
:)

[Woolburr]

I tell them it doesn't zoom at all....then ask if they would like a long or short explanation. Most just say...."if it's so complicated that you have to explain it, I'll stick to my little pocket camera."

[SimonG]

... When people see a camera with 10x zoom they have absolutely no idea what that means, they think things get 10x bigger...
Doesn't a stat like this generally refer to a factor of 10x between the minimum and maximum focal lengths? If that's the case, then they would indeed be correct in thinking that, no?

[stupot]

Yes it does, but they don't understand it:) Sorry, I wasn't clear, I meant 10x bigger than real life, not 10x bigger than the widest zoom.

[Mark_Cohran]

I really don't even try to explain it. I just tell them it doesn't work that way and just shrug it off.

Mark

[Permagrin]

I really don't even try to explain it. I just tell them it doesn't work that way and just shrug it off.

I do that too....although this:
I tell them it doesn't zoom at all....then ask if they would like a long or short explanation. Most just say...."if it's so complicated that you have to explain it, I'll stick to my little pocket camera."

"warning that I'm going to speak about long and usually very uninteresting subject" (otherwise known as "I'm about to bore you to death") is very appealing to my twisted sense of humor ;)

[Longwatcher]

Just tell them the camera has a 120x zoom, but you can get adapters to extend that even further.
This lens on the other hand doesn't zoom, but does magnify the view by quite a bit. The exact number it magnifies by would require esoteric physics to explain and is not important.

[liza]

I just tell them it doesn't translate from P&S to DSLR.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

That's one of the most common questions, by far, for me. Constantly, when I have my 5D and 24-70L, I get that question, because the lens is quite large. "What's the zoom on that thing?"

"Oh...almost 3x." :eek:


You just divide the longest focal length by the shortest (roughly, I say). For a prime, just say "It doesn't zoom...but I can see things really close up"

[theflyingkiwi]

You just need to print out a little card that you can give them which states the answers to some of the questions that you might get asked.

1. the zoom depends on the lens being used
2. no this doesn't have a movie mode
3. no I am not trying to make up for something.
4. yes I know it's big and yes I do know how to use it.
5. No I am not a pro and I don't shoot for a magazine
6. the reason you are reading this card is because I have hurd all the questiosn before and I am really busy trying to enjoy my hobby.

Thank you and have a nice day.

:)

[liza]

1. the zoom depends on the lens being used
2. no this doesn't have a movie mode
3. no I am not trying to make up for something.
4. yes I know it's big and yes I do know how to use it.
5. No I am not a pro and I don't shoot for a magazine
6. the reason you are reading this card is because I have hurd all the questiosn before and I am really busy trying to enjoy my hobby.


:)

Too funny! I've heard every one of those, too. :)

[peterdoomen]

I am definitely going to print that. I'll only add:

7. It has only 8 megapixel. Don't try to understand it's image quality is better than your P&S 10 megapixel.

[Permagrin]

Don't try to understand it's image quality is better than your P&S 10 megapixel.

Okay, that one made me laugh so hard I woke my husband :lol:

[Rob612]

You just need to print out a little card that you can give them which states the answers to some of the questions that you might get asked.

1. the zoom depends on the lens being used
2. no this doesn't have a movie mode
3. no I am not trying to make up for something.
4. yes I know it's big and yes I do know how to use it.
5. No I am not a pro and I don't shoot for a magazine
6. the reason you are reading this card is because I have hurd all the questiosn before and I am really busy trying to enjoy my hobby.

Thank you and have a nice day.

:)


Reading this, translate into Italian and sending it to my online business card printing service for a 500 copies was almost instant :D

I love it and I will do a good use of it :)

Answering to the OP, unless I am in a really good mood, I usually don't answer at all and either i'll play the "I haven't heard you" or the "Sorry I don't speak your language".

Living in a very tourist city has its advantages :)

[Lightstream]

I use the P&S rule. My longest glass, being a 450mm with teleconverter, divided by 17mm (my widest).

26X zoom.

If I want to slap the glass on my crop camera ('digital zoom'), that's roughly 42X zoom.

Tell 'em what they want to hear. Gets rid of 'em faster. :D

[calicokat]

I tell them its a 100x zoom and they stare in amazement :eek: