Maybe you want to take pictures of birds or other wildlife. Or, perhaps you want to remember your child’s achievements in sports. Either way, you need a capable camera.

Most point-and-shoot digital cameras come with an optical zoom of 3X or 4X. That may not get you close enough to the action.

Of course, you could buy an SLR and a telephoto lens. SLRs take better pictures than point-and-shoots. They have bigger masses of transistors that shape the image. They also offer the serious photographer a complete selection of controls.

The camera body and a powerful telephoto lens could cost you well over $1,000. You may not want to put so much money into a camera. And, really, you don’t have to. A point-and-shoot with a powerful zoom lens can solve your problem. Its pictures will not be as good as an SLR’s. But they will satisfy most people.

Before we get into those cameras, let’s explain millimeter ratings. Manufacturers compare their zooms to those on 35mm cameras. Technically, zoom is measured in focal length on digital cameras. Most people aren’t familiar with that.

So, manufacturers include the 35mm film camera equivalent. The low number is the widest available shot. The high number is longest telephoto shot.