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RKpro

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 27, 2008
467
1
Hey there experts,

In the summer I've had a Kodak ZX1 pocket camcorder (until I lost it), and it had a 4.1 mm fixed focus lens. To me it seemed a bit like a zoom lens, great for recording action 5 meters (15 feet) away. But when I film people close to me, I've always had to take a few steps back to get the whole person into the frame. And it sucked for filming inside of a car from the passenger seat. I'm not talking about the digital zooming, but the zoom level of the lens.

Now I'm looking at a Kodak ZI8 which has a 6.3 mm lens. Will this one be even more zoomed in? Or less? I would prefer something with a wider angle.

If it helps, the specs for Zi8 also indicate:
35 mm equivalent: 61 mm (1080p), 46 mm (720p/60 fps, 720p, WVGA), 42 mm (still)

...and I intend to use it for 720p 60fps like on my old ZX1. No 35 mm equivalent data is given for the ZX1.

Thanks.
 

zachsilvey

macrumors 6502
Feb 5, 2008
444
3
Battle Ground
If the ZX1 and the ZI8 have the same physical sensor size then the longer the lens in mm the more telephoto ("zoomed) the lens is. If you want a camera with a wide angle lens look for a 35mm equivalent of around 24mm. Wide angle < 50mm (35mm equivalent) < telephoto.
 
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