What Zoom Lense are good but not to expensive

Im looking to get a lens that will bring distant subjects up nice and close for a good photo. birds in the tree or in the bush or wildlife and so on.
Not necessarily a zoom lens but a tele to start with.
I do have my kit lense 55-200 and that is rather good but i would like to bring things even closer, maybe double this?
The budget solutions out there to "double" the 200 (=400 mm) have their shortcomings. The biggest is the temptation to just add another lens (a longer one) and nothing else (like a monopod or tripod - or just throwing some time at the new hobby to practice instead of buying more stuff and then be disappointed (again?).
im still pretty new at this and dont really have much of a clue what to look for,
If you throw significant money at what you you have just recently perceived as an additional desire for your photography (like a G lens) you might actually be interested in sharpening your skills along. Just trying w/o commitment will get you nowhere.
looking for something that is decent quality but fair priced.
Check out this link:
http://kurtmunger.com/lens_reviews_id21.html

A lot of the good ol' Minolta glass reviewed there along with the latest Sony offerings. You can easily determine what you get for what money. And a 300 mm shootout:
http://kurtmunger.com/300mm_zoom_and_prime_shoot_outid217.html
can anyone suggest something that might be suitable.
That will be you in the end. Wait until the new Tamron 70-300 comes out in A Mount. Use that time to practice with your 55-200, practice how to shoot sharp pics at 200 mm (hard enough already) then get the Tamron at least. or look for a second hand 400 mm tele (and find out about the cost of really good glass on the way). Prepare for the price and weight of the Sony 70-400 G. That was my final decision after doing it all wrong along the way over 20 years:
  • Sigma 70-210 UC (yuck), sold for
  • Tokina 80-400 so-so, sold for
  • Tokina 2.8/80-200, still have that, added
  • Beercan (sold because 70-300 g is better)
  • SAL 70-300 G (still have that and will keep for light travel)
  • SAL 70-400 G - BINGO for the budget I am willing to spend, but it is a conscious decision to take it along
  • SAL 2.8/300 - unjustifiably expensive for my limited tele use
  • SAL 500/8 reflex - borrowed to try, no love
  • SAL 500/4 - ha ha ha lets wait for that price tag....
  • Sigma 500/4.5 - price
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Ralf
http://RalfRalph.smugmug.com/
 
Im looking to get a lens that will bring distant subjects up nice and close for a good photo. birds in the tree or in the bush or wildlife and so on.

im still pretty new at this and dont really have much of a clue what to look for, I do have my kit lense 55-200 and that is rather good but i would like to bring things even closer, maybe double this?

looking for something that is decent quality but fair priced.

can anyone suggest something that might be suitable.
That is a pretty easy one to answer. All of the modern Tamron lenses, say within the last five years, represent great VFM. IQ is generally excellent, build is pretty good IMO and the price is a fraction of the Sony equivalents. Tamron also tend to be cheaper than Sigma.

I own four:

17-50mm f2.8
28-75mm f2.8
90mm Macro f2.8
70-200mm f2.8

All of the above are brilliant!
 

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