Digital cameras forum: Recommendation for a camera

Thank you so much. I never even realized that the F3 did not have a viewfinder. I appreciate the feedback about the Nikon and Canon. I was just wondering what type of additional lense I should buy. What is the 18 to 135 mm lense equivalent in terms of number of x in optical zoom (I hope that makes sense)?

Thank you in advance.

Your HX100V has an equivalent 27-810mm lens. 810 / 27 = 30x. I say equivalent because the lens is in actuality 4.8-122mm..that's the true physical size.

A DSLR is normally sold with an 18-55mm kit lens. 55 / 18 = 3x. In equivalent terms (so you can compare it directly to the HX100V), the lens offers 28.8-88mm.

An 18-135mm lens would offer an equivalent 28.8-216mm, or 7.5x.

There are no DSLR lenses that offer the same amount of reach as your HX100V. The most currently available is made by Nikon (for Nikon DSLR of course); an 18-300mm lens, or in equivalent terms, 25x, 27-450mm.

One other issue you should be aware of is lens aperture. If you want to take indoor photos without using the flash, a wider aperture lens is more desirable. Long zoom lenses do not have wide apertures. A common choice for such use is a "prime" lens, or no zoom. 35mm or 50mm lenses with an f/1.8 aperture are the two most popular. Zoom lenses with wider aperture are available, but are usually very expensive...as costly as the camera itself, if not more.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this to me. You were able to make an amateur like me understand something about lenses that the salesperson at the Sony store could not explain well to me. I greatly appreciate it. I know what to buy now and can't wait to use it at my boys' birthday party next month.

You're most welcome.

Just to clarify, some of the numbers I wrote were for Canon APS-C DSLR only. Sony and Nikon APS-C DSLR sensors are a little bit larger than Canon's, so the "crop factor" is different. On a Sony and Nikon, an 18-55mm lens has an equivalent size of 27-82.5mm, and an 18-135mm lens has an equivalent size of 27-202.5mm.