[Annika]

Seems like all the digital cameras I see have 2x, maybe 3x optical zoom. The rest is digital zoom, and the quality deteriorates pretty quickly. My old Sony Mavica (used 3.5" diskettes) had 10x optical zoom (which was great, until I lost ithe camera by leaving it on a train). Anyone know why more than 3X optical is so hard to find now? Is there a techincal reason or just not enough market demand for it? Also, are there any cameras that DO have more optical zoom (that don't cost thousands of dollars)?

Annika

 

[Fred]

Hi there,

I'm not into the digital scene too much yet, so don't know of any technical reasons. What I do know is that there are cameras meeting your criteria that won't cost you thousands. For example, there is the Minolta Dimage 7i, 5.2 Megapixel, with 7x optical and 2x digital zoom. Street price is around $800.

I'm sure there are more in that price range, plus and minus, that might do the trick for you. Two reputable mail-order places to check out for what's available are http://www.adorama.com and http://www.bhphotovideo.com . You can also go to http://www.popphoto.com and access their forum to ask your question there as well. Many knowledgeable camera types hang out there. Hope that helps.