Confused beginner needs education
 

Having gone way over the top and ordered an XL1s ( my excuse is that I've got a range of L Glass) I'm confused by zoom ratios and CCD size. The actual lens focal length has a multiplier of 7.2 to give a 35mm equivalent , what is throwing me is the difference between a single CCD and a 3 CCD device. I have it in my mind that a single CCD (other than Foveon) uses a Bayer transform where a block of 4 pixels (R,B,G,G,) produce a single colour pixel, whereas in a 3 CCD device each pixel is effectively producing a colour pixel. the question is really whether a 300,000 pixel 3 CCD image is the equivalent to a 1 megapixel single CCD or something in between?.
Can anyone stop my brain hurting with an answer or a link?

John: it doesn't matter, the end quality is what counts. You
bought a great camera!

You are right that a single chip uses a bayer and a 3 CCD camera
does not. How this translates into resolution and whatnot
differs from camera to camera and is of no real interest to me
personally.

The 7.2 magnification is only with the EF adapter and the EF
lenses. I'm not sure how the lens marking translates to 35mm
numbers. Zoom is just the distance the lens can travel from the
minimum focal length to the maximum. It is not the same as a
microscrope or telescope for example.

Thanks Rob- I've been trying to clarify in my mind what I'm asking and I think this might be the question-
If I take a photograph of an object with a 200mm lens on full frame DSLR such that the object fills the frame, what sort of focal length would fill the frame of an XL1s (from the same distance)- when I get the XL I'll be able to try it but until then I wonder if the video will get the same sort of shots as I get on still digital?

John

About a 28mm lens on the XL1 is equal to a 200mm lens on 35mm.

Thanks for replies - since my XL1s arrived this morning I'll be able to experiment happily and send my ignorance to the XL1s forum

Have fun John!