Normal Lens look w/ 300D

Hello. I have the original Digital Rebel (300D). I had not been really into photography for a little but i

recently became interested again. One of the things i want to do is go back to grass-roots in some ways

and use a 30mm lens so it simulates a normal lens.

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Here is my problem. When i set my 28-55 EF-S lens to ~30 mm, the viewfinder doesn't look "normal." I

also have a Vivitar V3800N (really grassroot) which has a 50mm and that <i>does</i> look normal. I

thought maybe it is the EF-S giving the wrong measurements. So, i used my 35-80 EF lens that came with

my Rebel 2000 (EOS 300) and that too didn't look close to normal at 35mm. With both lenses, they looked

normal at 50mm.

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I was under the impression that the viewfinder would show you the picture with the 1.6x crop but the

images don't look normal until 50, which is the classic size for normal lenses.

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If i had more time, i would shoot similar scenes w/ the Vivitar and have them processed and scanned and

then i would compare them to the Rebel's images. The problem is, i am going back to school in less than a

week so that is not practical.

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Any help anyone could give to shed some light on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I think it has to do with the viewfinder magnification. Regardless, rest assured that 30mm (or 32mm) on the digital rebel is the equivalent of 50mm on a 35mm camera.

Justin,

 

I hope I understood your problem correct, but let me try to wrap your "doesn't look normal" into different words:

 

If you look through the viewfinder with one eye, and on the object you want to photograph with the other, then turn the zoom-ring until both images (image seen by right and by left eye) are the same size, then ...

you're near to 50mm with your old camera (with seems reasonable), but you are near or at 50mm with the 300D as well (which doesn't seem reasonable at first sight).

 

Now try something. Point the old cameras twards a house. Set lens to 50mm. Point the center to something easy to find again. Keep in mind what's in the lower left and right corner, and what's in the upper left and right corner.

 

Do the same thing with the 300D at about 30mm. Point the center at the same you were pointing before. You'll find the same things in the corners as before. So the image with the 300D at 30mm is the same as with the old camera at 50mm. (Just regarding field of view).

 

Why do you then have the feeling something's not right? ... It's because the viewfinder in the 300D is small very small.

 

Rainer

There is a good argument which says that all this guff about the 50mm lens being 'normal' is a load of mis-concieved nonsense and really the eye sees with something like a 400mm equivalent angle of view lens. That is not to say that on viewing the results of the 50mm lens are pleasing.

If you where shooting with a 16mm movie camera one would say that the 'normal' lens was the 25mm, which gives roughly an equivalent angle of view to an 85 on a 35mm camera. the 12.5mm lens on 8mm movie camera gives a similar AOV. Though once I got it I enjoyed shooting with a 10mm lens with my Bolex H16.

 

I suggest you get on with expressing yourself with your camera and forget about what lens is normal.