In article <54im94$13dq@ds2.acs.ucalgary.ca>, rlarush@acs4.acs.ucalgary.ca says...

>Can anyone help me compare the equivalent focal lengths (or
>failing that, the angles of view) for an 8mm camcorder 6.3-63mm
>zoom lens to a zoom lens for 35mm photography? Camcorder
>salesclerks seem to be clueless when I ask them about this.

It isn't as easy as it would seem to be, since consumer camcorder
CCD chips may be 1/2, 1/3, or even 1/4 inch chips, and cameras
using digital image stabilization may reduce the chip effective
area. Best way I find is comparing the finder or TV image coverage
at the short end of the camcorder zoom range with 35mm camera
lenses to see what the equivalent is. BTW, virtually all camcorders
at the "short" end of their zoom ranges are no wider than a 45-50mm
lens on 35mm cameras - impressive "wide-angle", huh? I use a Raynox
Pro .5X and fisheye converters to remedy this, but they do not work
well with some camcorders, alas (they work very well with my canon
UCS-3, but not well with my Canon ES-5000).
Hope This Helps