Using The Zoom Lens - Minolta DiMAGE Xt Instruction Manual

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 controller at the back of the camera. The effect
of the optical zoom is visible in both the viewfinder and LCD monitor.
Shooting tips
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 furthest object in focus. As the lens zooms in to the telephoto position, the depth of field
becomes shallower, separating the subject from the background. Many portraits are taken with tele-
photo 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.
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.
The digital-zoom function can
increase the power of the lens. The
digital zoom is activated in the cus-
tom 2 section of the recording-mode
menu (p. 38).
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