Yes - I am aware of the old saying about "no such thing as a dumb question - only dumb answers" - but in this case I am totally at a loss to understand some of the differences between Digital Photography and 35mm (and other film formats) which I think I have a reasonable knowledge of

Question 1 - since I am used to using shutter speeds of as fast as 1/5000th of a sec - I do not have too much problem with camera shake because I know how to set the apperture appropriately - even using a 300mm lens with a 2x adapter ( I could not afford a true 600mm and dont have that much use for one these days

Does anyone know the equivalent shutter speeds of these digital cameras without having to fork out a years wages for an SLR body that takes 16 Megapixel RAW images? - which I think is probably a little bit of "overkill"

Question 2 - does anyone know the equivalent "depth of field" conversions for the cheaper digitals? - these days I no longer work and do not feel inclined to "waste" nearly 3 months pension on something that won't "do the job" (I still like to eat sometimes)

Question 3 - does anyone know the equivalent "shutter speeds" that the CCD produces - for that matter, is there someone that can explain the benefits of multiple CCD's and their focusing capabilities or is that all just "marketing male bovine droppings"

Question 4 - with the cigarette packet cameras - does anyone know the parallelex errors inherrant with the viewfinders at various focal lengths

Question 5 - is there anyone out there that can explain to an ol' bloke just how long it takes for the CCD to capture the image before transferring it to the RAM and is there a difference in the various RAM speeds with different formats

Please dont get me wrong - these are to me quite serious questions as I no longer have the financial ability to make expensive mistakes anymore - anyone that can help would be greatly appreciated and will possibly generate some more "dumb questions" that may also assist other people as well

I would very much like to "get into" this digital stuff because I like the hobby and even though I do not class myself as a good painter, I have managed to create some interesting conversions that may or may not inspire others to achieve the level of satisfaction that I have

I look forward to any replies - thank you

This is the most comprehensive source of information on the web:

http://www.dpreview.com/

1. Shutterspeeds - same as analogue, with more intermediate settings
2. No idea about cheap digitals - I use a Canon 20D at the moment
3. Fullsize CMOS is best; multiple CCD cameras are usually video/tv cameras while 'still' cameras are single device (generally)
4. Depends on the lens more than anything
5. Depends on how much you pay for the camera - and the memory card, as the cards come in a range of speeds. I have used some cheaper digital cameras and the biggest annoyance was the shutter delay from pressing the release. image write times are pretty quick now (I use Lexar 80X cards)

Work out a budget and then look for what best fits your needs at the time - the digital camera market is very fast moving and one slight advantage is that the previous top models drop dramatically in price as soon as they are superseded bu they are still fine cameras.

I still prefer the medium format analogue for landscapes, especially my 617. In digital terms, it would be around several megapixel equivalent (there are debates of equivalencies so I will not be controversially precise.)

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Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
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Anybody have a clue what these two old boys are on about

I was ok up to Question 1 then I lost it.

It looks like you could be asking goods questions and getting some decent answers (well Doth hasn't used a single Pun yet so he must be serious) but it all seems a little over my head.

If either one of you could do a 'idiots guide to Photography' it would be a great help.

'Old boy'? It with be a clout with a trout for you, you whippersnapper!

Something I missed out on earlier - one problem with very small cameras, for 'striplings' and 'mature' persons alike, is that they tend to have very, very small buttons. This can be a real pain. The upside is that compacts are extremely portable.

If you want to know more, dp review is the place to look.

Old.... sacker frasser wasser.... sambuca...

_________________
Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

Thank You Dorthonian for the answers - I am still mulling over some of them as that very nice site you referred me to tells me that I really want a Konica/Minolta Dynax SLR that is now discontinued and outside of my budget

I am going to try and borrow a couple of the cheaper ones around and compare results - what I want but cant afford is quite an eay choice - now I just have to readjust my criteria

I will eventually come back with some more dumb questions after playing with a compact that I cant see the keys for and a clunker that cant focus under 18 inches

Great things will happen eventually - I hope

Check websites regularly - there are some bargains to be had occasionally, especially when a model is replaced - the price of the older version drops quite a bit.

_________________
Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

the site for digicams review Dorthonion has mentioned is really comprehensive (I had checked it for days aside this one http://www.dcresource.com/ before buying my nikon(which is now an old large model and looks like D-SLR

so here some further criteria from me:

- 'shutter' speed is only important if you want to capture spontanous/moving elements.
- I also find the time important it takes before the camera is ready. this is the most annoying thing with digicams...
- I find the movable/turnable LCD at some nikon cameras so handy, I wouldn't want a camera without it anymore. (also the formed kind of handle makes it easy to hold or walking in hand with it. I've never used bands/ribbons with cameras)
- minimum distortion at the pic edges
- good white balance
- good colours/colour relations (though I know how to correct pics in Photoshop I want a good original)
- sharpness also at extreme zooming/enlargements (no edges with blue/red/white overlaying)
- I prefer large zoom (8 or 10x) to size/weight (not important for me as I usually carry a backpack with me)
- fast recharging batteries (I have 4)
- as one has to invest in additional batteries and memory cards this also might determine the brand (or staying with a brand)
what I miss at the nikon is a sort of optional grid in the LCD screen to get pics exactly straight for panoramas.

there a many more considerations...
as you say, have a try at somebody elses camera to define your criteria furthermore