25
USING THE ZOOM LENS
This camera is equipped with a unique 5.7 - 17.1mm zoom lens. This is equivalent to a
37 to 111mm lens on a 35mm camera. The lens is operated by the controllerat the back
of the camera. The effect of the optical zoom is visible in both the viewfinder and LCD
monitor.
To zoom in on the subject, push
the up key (T) of the controller.
To zoom out, push the down key
(W) of the controller.
While zooming, the zoom
indicator is displayed on the LCD
monitor to show the approximate
zoom position.
The digital-zoom function can
increase the power of the lens.
The digital zoom is activated in
section 3 of the recording-mode
menu (p. 59).
The zoom lens not only affects how large the subject is in the picture, but it also influences the depth
of field and perspective. Depth of field is the area between the closest object in focus and the fur-
thest object in focus. As the lens zooms in to the telephoto position, the depth of field becomes shal-
lower, separating the subject from the background. Many portraits are taken with telephoto lenses.
Zooming the lens out to the wide-angle position makes both the foreground and background appear
sharper. Usually landscape photographs take advantage of the large depth of field of wide-angle
lenses. Wide-angle lenses also create a strong perspective which gives a sense of depth in the
image. Telephoto lenses compress the space between the subject and background and create a
weak perspective.

Shooting tips