I'd go with the Sigma 18-270, it's wide enough and about 5.3 power. 70-200 is not wide enough to capture wide angle shots but it is 4 power. 28-135 is not long enough for me. It's only about 2.3 power.
I bought my 43-86 Nikkor zoom while R&R in Hong Kong in 1970.
I sold mine to KEH camera. It's too short a zoom to be any good. And slow besides. It's a two X zoom, which goes from about normal to not quite two power. Almost any zoom is beter than this! Don't waste your money.
I can't say enough good about my Fuji HS 20! It just does it all well for me! I've had it for several years, upgraded from the Fuji HS 10. Now I'm planning to upgrade to the Fuji HS 50 for its extra bells and whistles. You can't go wrong with the HS 20. There are several reports out on it available online. Check them out
What a great camera! I had a Fuji HS 10, when the HS 20 came out I upgraded, and haven't looked back. 16 Megapixels and a 30 X zoom, with macro capabilities. It beats out my Nikon D 80's and all the assorted lenses involved by a long shot! And the range of other lenses you'd need to accomplish the same photo shoot, and added cost! What more could you ask for?
I bought my first Soligor lens in Hong Kong in 1970. I used it on my Nikon F for several years. It was a great, but inexpensive lens. They are generally good lenses. Here is something more on them.I also had a Miranda Sensorex camera with several Soligor lenses, a 25 mm, and a 200 mm I believe:
Soligor was originally the trade mark for the American Allied Impex Corporation, used from 1956 for lenses and later cameras imported from Japan. It imported cameras from Japan and also took control of companies in Japan. Among the first products was Miranda T camera and Soligor lenses.
Soligor GmbH is a German manufacturer of photographic equipment, optics, video surveillance equipment, and personal electronics. Founded in Stuttgart in 1968 as A.I.C. Phototechnik GmbH by Allied Impex Corporation (USA), the company changed its official name in 1993 to match the brand name used on its optical products.
Most commonly encountered products were manufactured in Japan, (to quite a reasonable standard-many by Tokina,) under the Soligor brand, as well as Miranda, (which was acquired by Allied Impex in the 1960s.) The company also seems to have had an association with Vivitar, (the T4 interchangeable mount, for instance).
The company is currently located in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, just outside Stuttgart, in Baden-Württemberg.
[edit]The T4 interchangeable mount
Most famously associated with Soligor, designed in the 1960s, (apparently by Tokina,) the T4 mount was intended to compete with Tamron's T-thread, and the later Adapt-A-Matic mounts. The idea behind these mounts was 'one lens, any mount'. A retailer, for instance, only had to keep one lens model and a few, cheap mounts, rather than many lenses in every different lens mount. It allowed automatic aperture, aperture indexing/metering facilities.
Mounts were offered in almost all popular fittings. It was superseded by the incompatible TX system, (though you could use a T4 mount on a TX lens.) Vivitar as a brand name was owned by Ponder & Best at this time (T4 for Two).
I've been considering the new Canon Powershot SX 50, but it is only 12MPX. My present camera is a bridge camera, Fuji HS 20 with 16MPX and a 30X zoom. I don't know that I want to go down from 16 megapixels to 12 megapixels. The Fuji zoom is a manual twist zoom, not motorized. So it's more accurate in zooming. KEH.com sells them preowned for a reasonable cost. I rather go up to 30 MPX if I'mgoing to buy another camera than back to 12 MPX.
viscountdriver, I have a Fuji Finepix HS20. It shoots 16 MP EXR photos. A friend who owned a studio in California and shot portraits and weddings for movie stars used a Fuji Finepix 602 for his personal photography. I have and shoot a couple of Nikon D 80's, but the camera I rely upon is the Fuji. It's not expensive and has an 24 to 720, 30 X zoom lens, twist to zoom, so you get accuracy in the zooming. KEH.com probably has some like new for a reasonable price. If you get anything from KEH and are not happy with the product, just call them and tell them and they'll take it back. I just checked and KEH only has a Fuji HS10, which is 10 MP.
I have been more than satisfied with my HS 10 and now HS 2O. There is also an HS 25 and HS 30. I know nothing about these two cameras. My Fuji HS 20 works great for me. Check it out on DPREVIEW.
I've had very good photos from the Fuji Finepix HS 10 and HS 20.Here is information about the HS 20. There are also the HS 25 and HS 30: F ujiFilm FinePix HS20EXR Review
Review posted 7/26/2011
Quick Take
Pros
Great Versatility from 30x optical zoom lens
dSLR style body is easy and comfortable to handle
Fully Automatic and Manual controls
High Quality Fixed lens
Good overall image quality
Robust shooting performance
LCD is an excellent shooting and viewing option
Good quality HD videos at 720p
HDMI output
Cons
Manual Zoom lens can be difficult to turn smoothly
Mid to High ISO image quality is poor
No audio input
Very noisy "Advanced" shooting modes
Bottom Line
Fuji's FinePix HS20 EXR is a powerful and versatile digicam that is loaded with easy-to-use and useful features. It has good performance and image quality, although it does struggle a bit with image noise at higher ISO settings. Read more in our Full Conclusion.
Fujifilm's award winning FinePix HS20EXR is an advanced, high quality SLR-like camera. It has been equipped with a new 16-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor, a powerful 30x manual optical zoom (24mm-720mm equivalent), and a tilting 3.0 high contrast LCD. The electronic viewfinder features a "heads up" sensor that will switch automatically from the LCD to the EVF. The HS20EXR can deliver high speed continuous shooting at 8fps at full resolution, and features the option to capture full panoramic photos (with Motion Panorama 360). With improved intelligent processors and EXR technology, getting the best looking image is easily achieved. Using your choice of 27 scene modes or the EXR Auto mode, the HS20EXR will automatically choose what settings are best for the current subject. You can also choose form a host of manual controls to add your own creative touches.
The HS20EXR is capable of shooting movies at a true 1080p HD quality. These are captured with H.264 high profile compression, for smaller file sizes without sacrificing quality. High speed movies can also be captured thanks to the new High Speed Movie Options, that can capture at an incredible 320fps.
FujiFilm FinePix HS20EXR features:
16-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor
30x manual optical zoom lens
3.0-inch titling LCD screen
Optical image stabilization
8fps burst mode
Full 1080p HD video
RAW, RAW+JPEG shooting
Motion Panorama 360
Purple Fringing Reducer/Corner Resolution Enhancer
Super Intelligent Flash
Multi-Bracketing
Face Recognition
Face Detection and Automatic Red-eye Removal
Photo Book Assist
Powered by 4 AA batteries
HDMI Output
SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
The FujiFilm FinePix HS20EXR is available now with a MSRP or $499.95 US. See our buy box below for the most current online pricing at various well known retailers.
What's n the Box?:
HS20EXR camera body
4xAA type alkaline batteries
Shoulder strap
USB cable
A/V cable
Lens cap and Lens cap cord
CD-ROM
Owner's manual
Lens hood (excluding China)
Additional Views:
Steve's Conclusion
Fuji's FinePix HS20EXR is a compact, powerful and incredibly versatile digital camera. Sporting a 30x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization, a 16M - back side illuminated EXR CMOS image sensor, and an EXR image processor, the HS20 is the most powerful Fuji yet. However, don't let this frighten you, this camera was still designed to be completely user friendly. Featuring Fuji's EXR Auto shooting mode, scene modes and specially designed advanced modes, there are shooting options for all beginner and amateur photographers. If that is not enough, a full set of manual controls is also present. A full 360° Motion Panorama and Full 1080p HD video capture top off the amazing set of features.
As one of Fuji's first camera's to sport the new EXR CMOS imaging sensor, the HS20 EXR combines the quality of Fuji's EXR system with the speed and quality of the back side illuminated sensor to produce outstanding image quality and amazing performance. EXR Auto chooses between 3 sensor modes and 27 scene shooting modes based on your current shooting conditions. This allows for anyone to capture the best possible images, even in the toughest situations. These features are paired with the Extra-Low Dispersion Glass lens to provide the best optics possible to complete the EXR system.
With the same shape and feel of a small dSLR camera, the HS20EXR is comfortable to hold and easy to operate. All of the camera's controls are easy to use and easy to find when you are out shooting. The only difficulty with the operation comes from the zoom lens which is a little hard to turn, causing it to not work as smoothly as it could. This could be an issue if you need to zoom while recording movies or making fine adjustments for your composition. To frame and view your images, you have the option between the 3.0-inch LCD screen or the EVF. With a 460,000 dot resolution, the tilting LCD is your best option for screen quality. With 100% frame coverage you will be sure to see everything that the camera will capture. If you are usually more comfortable with an optical viewfinder, then the EVF will be your preferred choice for framing. With a resolution of approx. 200,000 dots and 97% frame coverage, the quality isn't going to be as good as the LCD screen; however, it is easier to see in bright and direct light.
Looking at our outdoor sample images, you can see a good overall exposure, vivid colors and an overall sharp image. In the cannon shot, some of the white areas are overexposed, which happens often in this shot. There are also some minor instances of aberrations throughout the outdoor samples, along the sides of buildings and power lines. Framing and composing your images is made easy with the 30x Fujinon optical zoom lens. With a 35mm equivalent of 24-720mm, its versatility is amazing. This means that you will never find yourself in a shooting situation thinking that you wished you had a different lens.
Our indoor samples show the exposures are excellent, but the auto white balance is on the warm side. The lower ISO settings show very little noise and a great deal of detail. As the ISO increases so does the noise, making ISO 800 and above unacceptable for large prints. Assisting with your low-light and indoor photography is a small, built-in flash unit. With a range of up to 23.2ft. (W) at ISO auto, you will be able to fill a mid-sized room but with some image noise. Fuji's super-intelligent flash correctly lights the image while allowing your background to stay as you see it, adding a great deal of background detail to your images.
Shooting portraits is easy with the HS20EXR as the camera not only detects any faces within the frame, it can also recognize them. Since the camera knows that it is taking pictures of people, it automatically adjusts all of the camera's settings for the faces over the rest of the image; depending on the mode you are using. The camera did very well in this area, but the amount of noise that appeared in our sample image is a little disappointing. At just ISO 400, you would expect a little more detail in the image. There is enough noise here that it will become noticeable in larger prints. This means you will need to shoot your portrait images outside or use a more powerful external flash unit with your camera.
With Fuji's EXR system built-in, the HS20 is capable of some advanced shooting modes as well. It uses the system to capture multiple images quickly and combines them within the camera. This allows for the Pro Focus and Pro Low Light modes. After multiple images are captured, the camera combines them to lower noise and blur the background behind the subject. This also works for the Motion 360 Panorama mode. It captures multiple images and stitches them as you pan the camera, allowing you to see your image just a few seconds after capturing it. You can also play it back on the camera and watch it rotate as you did.
Another great feature available on the HS20 is its ability to capture full 1080p HD videos with just the push of a button. Its dedicated video recording button allows you to start recording instantly, no matter what shooting mode you are in. Our sample shows that the video is a little bright, as is tried to compensate for the dynamic range, dulling the color a bit. Auto focus worked well, keeping the subject in focus, but if you watch closely you can see it working. Since the zoom is manual, the entire 30x optical zoom is available, but it will throw off the auto focus if you zoom to quickly. Recording sound for your movies is a stereo set of microphones that are built into the body of the camera. While these are very sensitive, they did very well outside at not picking up any wind noise.
The HS20 is powered by 4 AA-sized batteries, allowing you to find a spare power source almost anywhere in the world. During our tests, we used Energizer 2450mAh Ni-MH rechargeable batteries which allowed us to capture approx. 300 images and several short videos before they needed to be replaced. This came up a little short of Fuji's claims for any type of batteries, but with such a readily available power source, you should have plenty of spares on hand at all times.
Bottom Line - FujiFilm's FinePix HS20EXR is an incredibly powerful and versatile digicam. It's loaded with appealing features, sporting Fuji's 16-Megapixel EXR CMOS imaging sensor, EXR processor and a 30x optical Fujinon lens. Its full auto modes make it easy enough for anyone to use, while the fully manual settings allow even a professional to be creative with it. It does lack a little on the performance end, and the images show a lot of image noise, especially at the mid to high ISO levels. With a MSRP of US $499 US, you are entering the price range of an entry-level dSLR. However, with the HS20's 30x optical zoom lens, and it vast array of exposure options, you will receive comparable features and versatility.
I use the connecting plates for my Manfrotto tripod. No problem. It also easily connects to any tripods with the body armor in place!
I use it on one of my Nikon D 80's. I like it. I haven't given it the gravity test to determine just how well the Camera Armor works, though. I think it would do a good job keeping the black paint on the on the D 80, and prevent any dings to the body. It makes the camera easy to spot with the red rubber armor.
If their newsletter is still working, and their 800 number is still working, then I can only assume they are still in business.
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It's 9:15 PM here and at Life Pixel. At 1-866-610-1710 I got a recording that said, Life Pixel the world leader in IR camera conversions, If you know your parties extension, enter it now, or press 1 for, or 2 for...
All of their informational videos are still up and running, and as far as I ca tell, everything else on their website is still functional.
Life Pixel's Home, Start Here, Our Products, Photo Galleries, Tutorials, FAQ, and Blog are all functional as of five minutes ago. I went through one of their tutorials this afternoon. You would think that if they were out of business, their website would be shut down?
Good luck with your conversion return.
Life Pixels website is still up and running. Yesterday I watched how to alter the white balance in the photo editing software and which photo editing software was appropriate to use and which was not.
My Nikon D 80 was altered and returned in short order, and works just fine.
mullumby:
Sorry, I took it that you were on vacation from England or the U.S.A. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay in your country. We lived in Melbourne and traveled to Sydney as well as in Cairns. We'd like to return and take the train across Australia, south to north. Very interesting country!
The photography experience on the Great Ocean Road was exhilarating. The twelve apostles are beautiful.
For my year in Vietnam the Australian 2nd Bomb Squadron was co-located with us at Phan Rang Air Base. They flew Canberra Bombers. They got to work in comfort in shorts on the flight line. Not us! They also had much sturdier boots than us.