I'm just getting into the world of photography, stepping up from a point-and-shoot. I've just purchased a Nikon D3100 and it should be here in a couple of days.
I've done lots of research, but there's one thing I don't understand.
Why can a 200 dollar compact point and shoot zoom 10x or greater optically but to get anything over 200mm-300mm for a DSLR is going to cost an arm and a leg?
Is it sensor size that allows that kind of distance? Does something like the SX120IS and other compacts just have that small of a sensor so even zoomed all the way out, its going to be alot more magnified than something like the D3100 (which yes, I know, don't have a full size sensor either)?