Camera Lens

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

I wanted to see if I could take better pictures of birds on my feeder. I have a Canon A75 camera and from the 100 feet or so I can get close enough with the built in 3X optical zoom. It has more digital zoom but its too hard to use without it being in a fixed position and the quality is iffy. So I did a search for a lens and found this:
http://www.amazon.com/HD5-TELEPHOTO-LEN ... 62&sr=1-80

I don't understand any of this camera stuff, but if I use a lens like that one does it mean I now have 6X optical zoom?
Does it mean I have 3x time 3x and now have 9x?

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

Here is an official Canon one.
http://www.newworldvideodirect.com/prod ... GgodbG0Z1A

[[JiF]Timmay!]

Using "digital zoom" is pretty much the same thing as enlarging the picture on your PC with PhotoShop or some such. Don't bother with it.

I don't remember the math (Beej?) but I think it means you'd have 9x now. Things to remember are that because you're adding more stuff to the light path, you're going to lose a little (or maybe a lot, depending on how good the optics are) in quality. Also, higher zoom means less-light/longer-exposure so action shots might be a bit trickier. That's not to say that you can't do very nice long-range action shots, just that you're adding some more variables to how good the end result can be.

Maybe there's a Ritz or something around where you could poke at one of these things?

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

So you are saying I can take better pictures of birds at my bird feeder with it, but it needs to be sunny out and setting my camera on auto won't be okay any more?
I think there is a camera store (maybe Ritz) at the Solomon Pond Mall.

[[JiF]Timmay!]

Last time I was there, Ritz was gone from the SPM. Dunno if it's back or not. BestBuy might have stuff..

So you are saying I can take better pictures of birds at my bird feeder with it, but it needs to be sunny out and setting my camera on auto won't be okay any more?

Add the words "may" and "might" and "might not" in there.

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

That's right last time I was there some employee in some store said a lot of stores were moving out.
Any more "may" and "mights" and you will start to sound old Timmay!