Hey guys--kind of new to this whole photography thing..Just wondering about the lenses on the two different types of cameras..I just bought a Nikon CoolPix S560--5x optical zoom...Ive noticed that the bigger SLR's, i.e. Nikon D80--have biggers lenses with #'s, etc. on them--but it never gives the zoom size in the camera descriptions with thos types of cameras.. Any info would be welcomed..thanks! Please educate me; it would seem that cameras $200-300 more than mine would have bigger zooms, no?

I believe the reason you never read of the zoom size in the D80, etc., is that the zoom is determined by the detachable lens, and not the camera itself.

To over simplify matters, a zoom lens described as being 5x means that the range of the zoom is five times greater from the smallest aperture to the widest: i.e. 28mm to 140mm for example. Compact cameras like your new acquisition have a built-in lens covering the standard rage, which is designed around 50mm (50mm basically being the size you see with the naked eye). On an SLR camera things get different, because the lens (you can also buy the SLR camera body on its own) is detachable. So when you buy another lens, “5x” is pretty meaningless. Why? Well, some lenses are for people who want to shoot dead insects, say, which they want to mount as a collection, and so they want close-ups (small focal lengths, 28mm or lower) while others want to shoot the gargoyles on Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris for instance (large focal lengths = big zoom capability required – 200mm, 300mm). That’s why lenses off the camera are talked about in terms of their range. A big zoom of 200mm-500mm is still a 2.5x zoom, but so too is a lens of 30mm-75mm. “2.5” in these cases just doesn’t tell the prospective lens buyer everything he or she needs to know.

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it would seem that cameras $200-300 more than mine would have bigger zooms, no?

PS To answer this part of your question, yes, bigger zoom lenses are more expensive than shorter ones, but a more expensive SLR doesn't necessarily imply a longer zoom. Cameras alone (with no lens supplied) can cost a fortune and they can differ so much in terms of quality components, workmanship, and so on. The length of the lens is only one issue.