On 1 Jun 2005 10:17:11 -0700, wrote:

I should be a ragboater instead of a stinkpotter. I will study this
digital camera thing to death before I make a decision. Ratz. Olympus
had the inside edge until checked out the wide angle lens on the stock
kit and discovered the following "focal length multiplier" chart for
35mm SLR digitals. The 14 mm lens on the Olympus didn't seem "short
enough", and here's why:

To compare the view through a digital SLR lens vs. a standard camera
lens, one has to apply a "focal length multiplier".
The smaller the sensor area (plane where the light is gathered and
digitized) the greater the multiplier has to be.

For the benefit of anybody else considering a new SLR before the summer
cruising season is in full swing, here are the focal length multipliers
for popular brands:

Canon: 20D and below are all 1.6. The 1DMkII ($4k camera) is 1.3, and
the 1DSMkII ($8k camera) is 1.0.

Pentax: Both models are 1.5

Minolta: 1.5

Olympus: 2.0

Kodak: both cameras in the DCS-SLR series are 1.0, (and sell for
$3700)

Nikon: All cameras are 1.5

Chuck, I thought you knew this a year ago when we were discussing digital
cameras. I think you'll have to find a radical fisheye lens. Here's a Nikon lens
for you:

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resour...mm_f2.8_2.html

If 25mm is not wide angle enough, then check out this one:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1224.htm

That get's you down to about 18mm. Good luck!

Go to a camera shop and look through a few camers and lenses. I bought mine at
Penn Camera. Don't know if those are out there, but the folks were very
cooperative.


--
John H
On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes (A true binary thinker!)