Basic Canon 500D Questions?

Hi,

I have two really basic questions about the Canon 500D:

• What approximate zoom level does the 18-55mm lens kit provide? Is it roughly the same as a 3x zoom, a 4x zoom? I know these things can't be compared exactly, but I just want a rough idea.

• What is the sensor size of the 500D in inches? The Canon S90 has a 1/1.7" sensor. What's the sensor size of the 500D in this same format?

Thanks

image165 said:

Hi,

I have two really basic questions about the Canon 500D:

• What approximate zoom level does the 18-55mm lens kit provide? Is it roughly the same as a 3x zoom, a 4x zoom? I know these things can't be compared exactly, but I just want a rough idea.

Click to expand...

• Zoomrange 18-55 gives 3x zoom (55 devided by 18)
• 18-55mm is in FF equivalent (or film equvalent) 28mm (true WideAngle) through 'normal' into 88mm (light tele)
• Zoom as in 'enlargement' is often calculated with 50mm FFeq as normal so (88mm/50mm) 1.76

image165 said:

• What is the sensor size of the 500D in inches? The Canon S90 has a 1/1.7" sensor. What's the sensor size of the 500D in this same format?

Click to expand...

From DpReview: 22.3 x 14.9 mm (3.32 cm²)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_eos500d.asp

where 25.4mm is an inch, so 0.8818676383999999 x 0.5865994559000001 inch or .88 by .59 inch.
From DpReview:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos500d%2Ccanon_s90&show=all
D500: 22.3 x 14.9 mm (3.32 cm²)
S90: 7.60 x 5.70 mm (0.43 cm²)
makes any sense?

Crop factor of the 500D is 1.6

--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English

hey,

18-55mm is 3 times zoom (18mmx3 =54mm So it's a tiny bit over 3x zoom)

To get the zoom factor, divide the telephoto end by the wide end.

when someone says '10x zoom' that COULD be anything. It could be 10mm-100mm or 26mm-260mm or even 2000mm-20000mm!

image165 said:

• What is the sensor size of the 500D in inches? The Canon S90 has a 1/1.7" sensor. What's the sensor size of the 500D in this same format?

Click to expand...

From: http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Camera_System/sensor_sizes_01.htm

The 1/17" sensor is really 7.6mm x 5.7mm = 43.32 sq mm

The 500D sensor is: 22.3mm x 14.9mm = 332.27 sq mm

So the 500D sensor is 7.67 times the size of the S90 sensor, unless I messed up the math somewhere.
--
Olga

OK, thanks for your answers. A couple of other basic things I'd like to know.

How are you supposed to look through the viewfinder of a DSLR without squashing your nose? I can't get the 500D anywhere near my eye, because my nose always hits the LCD screen on the back.

Can you use it completely in Live View mode, compact camera style? It seems Live View is really an after-thought, and that you're supposed to use it looking through the viewfinder, the majority of the time.

image165 said:

OK, thanks for your answers. A couple of other basic things I'd like to know.

Click to expand...

That's it, keep on asking

image165 said:

How are you supposed to look through the viewfinder of a DSLR without squashing your nose? I can't get the 500D anywhere near my eye, because my nose always hits the LCD screen on the back.

Click to expand...

Well, indeed a nose makes looking through the viewfinder a bit awkward.

I usually use my right eye for the VF') and my nose (yes, I have a nose too!) does hit the left side of the LCD screen (and the buttons left of it) most of the time....
So lets have a try...
I just tried and asked my wife to make a picture of it with a cellphone... ')



So in fact my nose is just LEFT of the camera (most of the nose that is), be it a bit bent (my nose is a bit flexible)

let's reformulate the answer.

Yes, your thought that the nose is an obstacle for looking through the ViewFinder is correct. But most people I know do have a nose and are quite capable to look through the VF anyhow. Perhaps you should try holding a DSLR.

image165 said:

Can you use it completely in Live View mode, compact camera style? It seems Live View is really an after-thought, and that you're supposed to use it looking through the viewfinder, the majority of the time.

Click to expand...

You're right the LV mode is like an after thought and working with it in P&S style won't work. For one thing the shutter lag will be quite huge. Also: holding a camera like that will not improve the steadiness of the holding, quite often resulting in camera-shake-blur.

In general the LV mode is only suitable for working on a tripod for landscapes and such (unmoving subjects).

') To be honest I just love this question because it's a serious question but quite different from most questions I've seen.

') Most DSLRes seem to be designed to have the camera on the right eye, the VF is left of the centre of the camera
--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English

Great answer.

Do Canon perhaps sell a viewfinder eyepiece that is better suited for people that wear glasses? I wear glasses and I'm having a hard time looking through the 500D's viewfinder. I can't get my eye close enough to it, because my frames are in the way.

image165 said:

Great answer.

Click to expand...

Thanks

image165 said:

Do Canon perhaps sell a viewfinder eyepiece that is better suited for people that wear glasses? I wear glasses and I'm having a hard time looking through the 500D's viewfinder. I can't get my eye close enough to it, because my frames are in the way.

Click to expand...

Do you actually HAVE the 500D? If not (yet), go and look through different Viewfinders, there are big differences here.
If you have:

• yes there are eyepieces
• there's a small knob near the VF. you can turn it to meet some of your eye-correction needs (often enough, but not for everyone), see manual.

--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English

Yes, I actually HAVE the 500D. It was a Christmas present. A wonderful surprise, but I'm not actually sure it's the camera for me. So I'm considering returning it.

I've always been used to using point and shoot cameras, so the 500D may be a step up too far.

Just basic things, like how do you quickly lock the focus on infinity, are confusing me. It's so easy to do on a point and shoot camera, but I have no idea on the 500D. And I've searched through the PDF of the User Guide but still can't figure it out.

image165 said:

Yes, I actually HAVE the 500D. It was a Christmas present. A wonderful surprise, but I'm not actually sure it's the camera for me. So I'm considering returning it.

I've always been used to using point and shoot cameras, so the 500D may be a step up too far.

Click to expand...

I usually find that P&S have a lot more bells and whistles. dSLRs seem simpler to me.

image165 said:

Just basic things, like how do you quickly lock the focus on infinity, are confusing me. It's so easy to do on a point and shoot camera, but I have no idea on the 500D. And I've searched through the PDF of the User Guide but still can't figure it out.

Click to expand...

You have to remember that with a dSLR system you have interchangeable lenses. Distance is a lens function. A lot of the lenses offer a distance scale. The kit lens does not. However the kit lens offers Auto focus or Manual focus. Switch to manual focus, look thru the viewfinder and move the focus ring to infinity or even better, move to where the focus you desire is the best.

That said, in all my years I've never set a dSLR to infinity for any type of picture. I either AF or manually focus for a specific target regardless of reading on the distance scale.

--
Olga

Ok thanks.

But if you're manually focusing, how can you be sure that you've got the focus correct/perfect? Is there some sort of guide built into the camera, to assist you, or do you just do it all by eye?

Another question I have about the 500D is, how do you lock the exposure?

On a compact camera, when you lock the focus the exposure is locked at the same time. But on this 500D, if I've locked the focus, the exposure/brightness changes as I move the camera around. Why?

image165 said:

Ok thanks.

But if you're manually focusing, how can you be sure that you've got the focus correct/perfect? Is there some sort of guide built into the camera, to assist you, or do you just do it all by eye?

Click to expand...

There is a small green dot in the viewfinder below the image screen. It is on the far right next to the buffer counter. You might be having trouble seeing it if you wear glasses. If you have a lens attached, the indicator will light when you have achieved focus. If you have the audio on, you will also hear a beep. The indicator works whether you are auto or manual focusing.

As to your infinity focus question: The kit lens doesn't have any infinity focus mark. What I do when I need to keep infinity focus is to autofocus on some very distant object and then switch the lens to manual focus.

For exposure lock, there is a small button on the back of the camera. It is near the place where your thumb naturally rests when holding the camera. It has an * above it. That button can be used for exposure lock. It can also have other functions.

The way I keep my nose out of the way is to tilt my head forward and to the side when pressing my glasses against the rubber eyecup.

Please don't be offended, but you might want to spend some time reading the manual. DSLR cameras are fairly complex. I would suggest getting the PDF version of the manual and searching in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Welcome to the Canon forum, happy shooting.