noob alert!! please help

**casio** · 6th November 2005

ok i dont know a lot about photography and camera's but the point and click kodak that ive got itsnt enough anymore i want to get a bit further in to it and get a few decent pictures for the wall so ive been having a look online for digital slr's and theres 2 that ive found 1 ive had a quick go with in the shop and quite like the other ive only found online, ive got a couple of questions

1 the one i had a go with is a canon 350d i thougt it was great but am i wrong ive had a look online at reviews and they all seem to say that its a good camera

2, this click me is the other one ive been looking at simply because of it having 2 lenses but are they any good or are a macro and a zoom or anything like that?

3, what do the numbers on the lenses mean and by that i mean the 1,8/4,2-42 (i got those of the camera ive got now lol) as well as the 14-55mm and the 50-150mm that it says on the lenses in the above link

thanks and +k will go to anyone who helps

cas

**slartibartfast** · 7th November 2005

Tough choice choosing a dslr, as they all offer good quality images and the differences between them are relatively minor.

Other cameras to consider are the Nikon D50, Minolta Dynax 5D and Pentax *ist DL.

It might be worth going into a shop and having a look at them as well, to see which feels more comfortable to handle, as a criticism that's leveled at the 350D by some is that it's too small.

The numbers on lenses signify its focal length and maximum aperture.

For example:

A 50mm f1.8 has a focal length of 50mm and a maximum aperture of f1.8 and is known as a "prime" lens because it has a fixed focal length.

A 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 has a focal length that ranges from 28mm to 135mm and a maximum aperture of f3.5, rising to f5.6 when used at 135mm. It has a variable focal length and is known as a "zoom" lens.

There are 3 general types of lens, telephoto, standard and wide angle. Ignoring the crop factor of dslr's, a rough guide to the focal length of each is:

18-35mm - Wide angle
50-55mm - Standard
80-500mm - Telephoto

Wide angles's will make things appear smaller and further away and have a wide field of view, while telephoto's make things appear larger and closer and have a narrow field of view. A standard lens has a field of view roughly equivalent to the human eye.

The aperture is what limits the amount of light entering the camera. Large apertures let in more light and allow faster shutter speeds while giving less depth of field, while small apertures let in less light giving longer shutter speeds and greater depth of field.