I've just acquired a Canon EOS D30 body and am trying to find out if there is any way to compensate for the 1.6 focal length multiplier. The problem I'm experiencing is that my normal 28 - 200 zoom lense is now a 45 - 320. I'd like to get back to the wide angle capability of the 28mm lense. To achieve the eqivalent 28mm wide angle capability I would have to go to a 14mm lense and give up the zoom.

-- Don Choura (donc@bes.ci.portland.or.us), December 27, 2000

Answers

That's one of the problems with the current crop of digital SLRs. There's no fix that I know of. You just have to live with the lack of wide angle lenses. Buying a $2000 14/2.8 so you can get the equivalent of a $350 24/2.8 (probably with lower image quality) isn't exactly cost effective.

In 2001 I think we'll see the first full frame digital SLRs, though probably not from Canon. Give them a couple of years.

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), December 27, 2000.

Actually, you only need to go to a 17mm lens to get back to a 28mm equivalent. Still not cheap, but more available (there are several zooms which cover this range, for example). Much cheaper than the 14mm, I'm sure.

Other than buying such a lens, Bob's hit it on the head - that's the nature of the beast. Certainly it is a problem - but it's something you have to put up with to get the digital SLR...

-- Gary Berg (Gary_Berg@bigfoot.com), December 28, 2000.

You might consider using PanaVue Image assembler or the PhotoStitch app supplied with the camera. Two images stitched together cleanly can result in an image with an effective focal length of under 17mm. I have had some very interesting results myself.

DD

-- David Dight (rufusferret@hotmail.com), February 24, 2001.