Lens recommendations for new A57

So, what did you get?

andycincy said:

andycincy wrote:
Even though I tried it out at Best Buy, I'm counting on the A57 being easier to hold than what I experienced at the store. Best Buy has these heavy anti-theft metal brackets attached to the bottoms of the camera with these cords going back into the display counters that give you very little play and apply a downward pressure on the camera you are holding. Awful try out experience.

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Those aren't just any heavy anti-theft metal brackets they got there. They are retailers' patented "make sure the user experience is so fouled up by these things that they discourage sales" brackets. It'll be light years better without it.

Well damn, you just added a few more items to my shopping list that Case Logic looks like a good replacement for my current bag, which is nearing a decade old this year, and the Pedco looks like an interesting (and cheap!) addition to my accessory bag.

As for your list of future purchases, it looks pretty good. If you're planning on doing a lot of portraits maybe the Sony 85/2.8 would interest you, but my 55-200 has worked quite well thus far on the matter, and I suspect the 55-300 may also decrease the prime's importance for you. Still, do keep it in mind if you ever feel like using a superior portrait lens but don't want to pay the $1k+ of Zeiss glass.

andycincy said:

andycincy wrote:

So, here is the list of planned purchases over the next 6 months as my "allowance" comes in:

• Sony 55-300 lens

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I suggest to take a closer look at Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 USD. Sharper, faster and quieter with SSM-like motor. Almost as good as the ~$1000 Sony's 70-300mm G-class lens.

123Mike said:

123Mike wrote:

So, what did you get?

Click to expand...

After much internal back and forth, and literally a mostly sleepless night, yesterday I ordered:

• A57 body only
• 18 - 135 mm lens (from 42 Street photo on ebay for $339 )
• Extra battery (genuine sony) plus a sony wall charger
• This cleaning kit
  
• Case Logic SLRC-201 SLR Zoom Holster

Benarm said:

Benarm wrote:

Benarm said:

andycincy wrote:

So, here is the list of planned purchases over the next 6 months as my "allowance" comes in:

• Sony 55-300 lens

Click to expand...

I suggest to take a closer look at Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 USD. Sharper, faster and quieter with SSM-like motor. Almost as good as the ~$1000 Sony's 70-300mm G-class lens.

Click to expand...

Well, interesting. I've added it to my Amazon wish list. This will certainly be another posting for me sometimes this summer...a poll asking for opinions on that lens for vs the sony. Thanks!

Draek said:

Draek wrote:
... and I suspect the 55-300 may also decrease the prime's importance for you.

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Sorry for adding to your shopping list :-D! Thanks for the suggestion too.

Congratulations. I think you made a really good choice, and I think you will have a lot of fun this summer taking lots of photos. The 18-135 is a much sharper lens than the super zooms, like the Sigma 18-250 that's being sold with a discount right now. I think you will be able stretch the zoom simply by cropped. You will have good flexibility and you won't have to swap lenses. IMO, it's the best bang for your buck for a walk around. I'm hugely critical on pixel peeping and sharpness.

You can always sell the 18-135 later again, probably not at much of a loss at all ! That means you kind of get to borrow it, and you get your money back later if you wish to change it, how about that !

For portrait and low light indoor photos, you could round up a very cheap Minolta 50mm/1.7 ! The local classifieds often have people selling used Maxxums that happen to have that lens on it. I've seen those ads listed often between $40 and $75. Often, you can nibble them down to under $50. Excellent and low cost lens to have around. A little long, and a 35mm would be better, but it's cheap! So, totally recommend that for now to complement your setup.

Camera wise, totally the right choice! You'll get full 60 fps and believe you me, that *is* a biggie. I couldn't care less about the "new sensor". Same quality I bet, and the extra, what, 4 mp, pppffffff. I've had an A65 for a while, and honestly, yes, sometimes it nice to super crop, but good grief, the picture must be so darn super spot on, often there is not point zooming that far. Really. It's all about the lenses!

Seriously, if my camera broke today, and the warranty didn't cover it, I swear, exact same A57 back without hesitation. I wouldn't get the A58 if it were $250 cheaper even.

Benarm said:

Benarm wrote:

Benarm said:

andycincy wrote:

So, here is the list of planned purchases over the next 6 months as my "allowance" comes in:

• Sony 55-300 lens

Click to expand...

I suggest to take a closer look at Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 USD. Sharper, faster and quieter with SSM-like motor. Almost as good as the ~$1000 Sony's 70-300mm G-class lens.

Click to expand...

Actually, tests have shown the 55-300 to be equal to the G lenses in the center at least, something the Tamron doesn't quite accomplish. Google around for some comparisons. The 55-300 I think produces better images than the Tamron!

123Mike said:

123Mike wrote:

123Mike said:

Benarm wrote:

123Mike said:

andycincy wrote:

So, here is the list of planned purchases over the next 6 months as my "allowance" comes in:

• Sony 55-300 lens

Click to expand...

I suggest to take a closer look at Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 USD. Sharper, faster and quieter with SSM-like motor. Almost as good as the ~$1000 Sony's 70-300mm G-class lens.

Click to expand...

Actually, tests have shown the 55-300 to be equal to the G lenses in the center at least, something the Tamron doesn't quite accomplish. Google around for some comparisons. The 55-300 I think produces better images than the Tamron!

Click to expand...

There's a good comparison on Kurt Munger's site of the Tamron USD and the Sony G.

http://kurtmunger.com/70_300mm_telephoto_compid291.html

Basically, the Tamron is at least as good, if not better, except out at 300mm. You'll see the Tamron get a lot of love on this forum, it's one heck of a deal at $350 for the kind of image quality you get.

Is it a better choice than the Sony 55-300 though? Depends. The Tamron is a little faster at most focal lengths, has their USD focus motor (fast and quiet like the Sony SSM) is very well built and covers full frame. But it's also more expensive, quite a bit heavier, doesn't go all the way down to 55 on the short end and won't get automatic lens corrections in camera.

Image quality wise, they're both good, so I think it depends on what you want.

andycincy said:

andycincy wrote:

andycincy said:

123Mike wrote:

So, what did you get?

Click to expand...

After much internal back and forth, and literally a mostly sleepless night, yesterday I ordered:

• A57 body only
• 18 - 135 mm lens (from 42 Street photo on ebay for $339 )
• Extra battery (genuine sony) plus a sony wall charger
• This cleaning kit
  
• Case Logic SLRC-201 SLR Zoom Holster

Click to expand...

So I know these pictures aren't up to par with much of what is posted on this forum, but I just wanted to finish off this thread with a few of my first pictures taken after a late season snow we just received in Cincinnati. I have a lot to learn about this camera and taking pictures in general, but I sure am going to enjoy the journey. Love this camera and lens so far! Wish I would have made the switch a while ago...

Other than the contrast coming out lower than what I would have liked, I'd say the pictures are coming out pretty darn good! Right away, you're making very memorable pictures. Take lots and lots of them. 30 years from now, you'll look back at them, and go, aaawww look at the cutie...

I find the first photo particularly good. The creative style ones are very nice too, and in fact, are inspiring, and tells me I ought to play with that a little more.

Funny how the most interesting ones are the ones zoomed out. I've been going through my collection, and I've in the past used too much zooming in. I wish that with a lot of photos I had more context, more of what's around the subject. For instance, the baby sitting in the grass. Ok, so I have a portrait like blow up of him sitting in the yard on the grass. Great. But what's around him? All I see in the picture is him. Focal length.... 105mm because my darn Minolta 28-105 xi lens allows me to zoom that far. So now I have this Tamron 17-50 f2.8 lens. It's really amazing. I can get tack sharp shots with this right from wide open. But... only zooms to 50mm. So now what this summer? Everything way zoomed out? However, going through my collection of photos, most of the more memorable ones in just about every setting, certainly inside but also very much outside, are all in the shorter range. Sometimes a *little* over 50, but so many of them between 28 and 35. 35 is "natural", it is what *you* see (on a crop camera such as ours). Take that shot you made with that pillar or whatever the heck it is. You could zoom in on that and take a shot. But would that be interesting? No, I think not. It needs context. It's sitting where. What's around it. For birding you'd need something much longer. I have a Big Beer Can for that. But honestly, I'm not all *that* impressed by the big beer can. I'm seeing that the new Sony 55-300 is better. Anyway, your 18-135 is a better choice than a super zoom I think. I've had a super zoom, the sharpest of them all, and I was not happy with it. The 17-50 destroys it, hands down. I think the 18-135 is much sharper and snazzier than the super zoom as well. Anyway, have lots of fun and snap away. What's next... camera bags, polarizing filter, external flash maybe, tripod, etc? Oh, book tip: "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman.

Don't forget you can shoot 60p video! Make sure you have it at that setting! It's the only way for video to come out silky smooth. Again putting anything else to shame. 24fps...pfffff.

... actually, I stand corrected on the contrast thing. The girl in both shots are very good. I know it can be darn hard to shoot in snow. I know, I'm a snowy region myself. That darn whiteness screws up so many shots.

Did you use DRO in those shots by any chance?