How do I get a "normal" lens out of my 10x zoom Sony Cybershot?

[snapsnap1973]

Hi.

I heard (and tested at a local store) that 50mm is what your eye sees and so that if you have a 50mm lens you'll get close to what your eye sees. I'm wondering if I can get 50mm with my 10x zoom Sony Cybershot DSCH20. Also, is there a way to tell how many (mm) I'm zoomed on my Sony Cybershot?

 

[Benco]

It's zoom is the equivilant to 38-380mm so just zoomed in a bit from fully wide would be about right, less than 2X anyway. What sort of scale does it give you?

 

[Overread]

Note that the "50mm is normal/what your eye sees" is not a fully correct statment on its own. For a camera with a 35mm sensor/film size then the angle of view that a 50mm lens gives for that camera is similar to what your eye will see. If the sensor size reduces (and in your Cybershot the sensor will be much smaller) then the focal length that you'd need to get the same angle of view will be much shorter than 50mm.

 

[ph0enix]

I just answered your other post which relates to the same concepts.

 

[Benco]

Note that the "50mm is normal/what your eye sees" is not a fully correct statment on its own. For a camera with a 35mm sensor/film size then the angle of view that a 50mm lens gives for that camera is similar to what your eye will see. If the sensor size reduces (and in your Cybershot the sensor will be much smaller) then the focal length that you'd need to get the same angle of view will be much shorter than 50mm.

Good point, the Sony has an actual focal range of 6.3-63mm so 50mm on that scale is near the maximum telephoto end of the lense. Given that the 35mm equivalent is 38-380mm then the equivalent to 50mm focal length on it is actually:

(50/38)x6.3 = about 8.3mm.

 

[SCraig]

Look at the zoom scale in the viewfinder. Fully left is normally fully wide angle and fully right is normally fully telephoto. There should be a line somewhere in the range (closer to the wide angle side) that indicates "Normal" or effectively zero zoom. Either side of that is either wide angle or telephoto.