3x Zoom

[spatel]

Hi everyone,

How far in feet does a 3x zoom camera zoom to?

[Sebastian]

Impossible to answer.

Zoom means that a lens can change its focal length. A 3x zoom just means that it's longest focal length is roughly 3x the lens's shortest focal length. So a 10-30mm is a 3x zoom, as is a 100-300mm. On top of that, the area of the film or digital sensor affects the enlargement. A smalle sensor will appear to "reach further" than a larger sensor. Same with film, APS seems to have further reach than 35mm, etc.

[spatel]

okay seeing how i don't understand that here we go. the camera is the d50 with the 18mm-55mm lens. now could someone tell me how far i could zoom to to take a close up picture

[another view]

18 x 3 = 54mm (close enough to 55mm for them to call it "3X")

There's still not enough info to answer your question. How close you can get to something depends on how close that particular lens will focus. It might be about 2' or 3', but check the lens and see what it says. Zooming in is something different - a 55mm lens isn't particularly long on a digital SLR.

[Sebastian]

It is impossible to define a distance, only magnification ratios.