Lens question?

[Greg McCary]

I am looking at going in the next couple of weeks. Pardon the dumb question, but. I read that there is a conversion ratio from digital to film lens and I have always used a 28mm to 90mm zoom lens, so if I am looking digital do I look at the 18mm to 55mm or 28mm to 80mm? In other words is a 28mm to 80mm film lens the same as a 28m to 80mm digital lens? I now own a Canon Rebel with a 28mm to 90mm lens if I buy Canon what will my film lens be on the digital camera and will there be good enough quality to use it?
Greg

[EOSThree]

Not really a dumb question Greg, just a bit of an old one. Canon DSLRs have an "APS C" sensor(smaller than a 35mm film frame)with a 1.6x crop factor. Your 28mm will have the same field of view as a 49mm lens would when mounted on a film SLR.
Lens focal length is just that: focal length, over simply, the distance from the front element to the focal plane. So a 50mm lens is just that: one that focuses 50mm from it's input lens. The size of the film plane will determine the field of view. 35mm lenses were designed to project an image circle that will cover a full frame of 35mm film, the same lens mounted on a DSLR will be cropped by the small size of the sensor, limiting it's field of view.
A 50mm lens is a Wide angle lens when mounted on a large format camera, a normal lens when mounted on a 35mm film camera, and a short telephoto lens on a digital SLR.
Your 28-90mm lens will have the field of view of a 49-144mm if mounted on a 35mm full frame or film SLR, if you buy a kit lens with your new digital camera 18-55mm, it will have the field of view of 29-88mm, if mounted on a full frame or 35mm slr.
Congrats on your thoughts of going to a digital world, you'll like it. My EOS 3 is gathering dust.

[Greg McCary]

Thanks for the info that helps a lot. I guess it's the Canon Xt then. Now to get prices.
Greg