Originally Posted by Magictofu
It might be a weird question but appart from light restrictions (need to use a larger aperture, especially with a long zoom), how does it affect the quality of the picture?
Well lens design involves compromises in different area's and the greater the zoom range the harder it is to maintain a balance between all the different aspects of lens design.
Distortion is one factor. Big zoom lenses have whats called barrel distortion at the wide angle end and whats called pin cushion distortion at the long end. The bigger the range the harder it is to keep it together, paticuarly in compact lenses. Resolving power over the entire range is also a factor. Getting a nice sharp image involves focusing all the light entering the lens onto exactly the same point which is no mean feat and those ultra compact, long zoom lenses just aren't that good at it so the results are blurry and uninspiring.
Thats why my advise is always to get a camera that has a limmited range but high quality lens over a ultra zoom lens that doesn't realy do anything that well.
A camera is a tool and even the full auto, supposedly idiot proof camera's still requires skill and technique to use well despite anything a camera salesman or user manual say's. An ultra zoom lens will allow the user to get into technical difficulty but provide no assistance to get you out of it photographicaly speaking. IE realy slow apetures. A shorter zoom range lens won't allow you to get into such a technical hole and then has quicker apetures to boot anyway.
See,
http://www.dcresource.com/ as my favorite review site on digital camera's.
Regards, Anthony