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cheap prime lens for A57?

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You can get a Minolta 50 f/1.7 for less than one hundred dollars. You can't go wrong there.
 
SAL50F18 which is a DT (APS-C lens) or a compromise with the Minolta AF 50mm F/3.5 1:2 Macro. The latter is in between the standard MIN50F17 and the SAL50F18DT and will also double-up with a 1:2 macro function, plus it's darned sharp and very affordable.

Sure there are other option which would include the Cosina AF 100mm F/3.5 MC Macro 'plastic fantastic' which is another optically brilliant lens and is cheap as chips, but as the OP didn't specify anything, it's hard to know exactly the what, why or wherefore's!

--

Mark (aka Pirate!)
 
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HS Wells said:
Looks like many of you are recommending minotla 50mm.
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You never gave any guidance as to what you wanted, so hard to recommend anything without knowing the basics!
 
I have the Sony 35 f1.8, the Sony 50 f1.8, the Minolta 50 f1.7, and the Minolta 50 f2.8 macro. Sharpness in order, sharpest - best to least - are Minolta 50 f2.8, Sony 50, Sony 35, and Minolta 50 f1.7. The Minolta 50 is sharpest by a good margin, the other three are pretty close. All of them are good. Check Ebay for the Minoltas soon as prices are going up. I also have the Minolta 135 f2.8 which is alsp very good. I use them all on my Sony A57. Best Wishes. John

To the others - I matters not WHY he wants a cheap prime, only that he does. He doesn't have to explain beyond that. Peace.
 
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stan_pustylnik said:
Very seldom lenses can match IQ of Minolta Maxxum 50mm f/2.8 1:1, it is a benchmark lens.
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Ahoy!

True, but OP is asking for cheap prime for food photography. The Min AF 50/3.5 1:2 Macro is equally sharp as it's 1:1 cousin and it costs much less and is slightly more expensive than the MIN50F17 standard lens if macro lenses are the topic of discussion which you could add the Cosina AF 100/3.5 MC 1:2 Macro, though depending on the OP's camera model, if it's APS-C, there's the dedicated SAL50F18 DT, but the OP didn't specify a budget, focal range, format (FF/APS-C) or type (standard/macro) though if it was my choice, it would be the Cosina or whatever other named variants there are as the optics are superb and the lens is dirt cheap.

Plus, if an external flash is being used, being further away would be better so you're not too close physically and you don't inadvertently create lens shadow or get nasty highlights and shadows (unless you use something like a Lambency dome or bounce the flash) and that depends on the OP's experience with such a flash and if it's a tilt/swivel type and not just forward facing.

There a likely several good choices, but as I've suggested in my other responses, the OP should go to the Dyxum website and input the search criteria and see what comes out and then research them and then he can make his own mind up rather than 100 different suggestions due to insufficient criteria to offer specific qualified advice.
 
f-stop for more than two stops of light, good bokeh, better image quality than the zoom wide open, concentration on one focal lenght

I agree on Sonys cheap kit lens, that is not bad lens and good for starters. But there is room for improvements.
--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.
 
AlphaTikal said:
f-stop for more than two stops of light, good bokeh, better image quality than the zoom wide open, concentration on one focal lenght

I agree on Sonys cheap kit lens, that is not bad lens and good for starters. But there is room for improvements.
--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.
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It's for taking shots of food.
 
kcdogger said:
I have the Sony 35 f1.8, the Sony 50 f1.8, the Minolta 50 f1.7, and the Minolta 50 f2.8 macro. Sharpness in order, sharpest - best to least - are Minolta 50 f2.8, Sony 50, Sony 35, and Minolta 50 f1.7. The Minolta 50 is sharpest by a good margin, the other three are pretty close. All of them are good. Check Ebay for the Minoltas soon as prices are going up. I also have the Minolta 135 f2.8 which is alsp very good. I use them all on my Sony A57. Best Wishes. John

To the others - I matters not WHY he wants a cheap prime, only that he does. He doesn't have to explain beyond that. Peace.
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Of course it matters "why". A prime can be any number of focal lengths and apertures, it can be a macro or non-macro, it can be dirt cheap to thousands. People like you are spending the OPs money without bothering to ask the most basic questions.

I believe that the OP doesn't really know why they want a prime, they just think they do, but hey, it's their money. If you can't get a good food shot with the 18-55mm then a prime isn't going to help you and you've flushed money down the toilet.
 
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Yes and I think, for food photography the 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens. And it is not expensive and he can use it for other tasks too.
--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.
 
while true you should be able to get good shots with the kit lens i know after i picked up my 30mm2.8 macro the kit lens was hardly ever on my body.
 
Not sure why people are recommending macro lenses for food photography - I would only use one for food for abstract type shots but that's not really what most people would think of as food photography. For food I like something long and fastish for example like the 85mm f2.8 if it must be a prime. (Usually with food there is enough space to move around and 'zoom' with your feet - unless by food photography you mean the craze for taking pictures of the food you have ordered in fancy restaurants, rather than food you have bought or made yourself at home).

Personally on a budget I would say the kit lens is just fine though and perhaps adding a beercan or the cheap Tamron or Sony 55-200 or a tripod would be even more useful than a prime (a fairly cheap tripod is fine for indoor use).

Not sure why the 'need' to buy a prime though and the aversion to zooms just because your bridge camera has one? A zoom (even the kit lens) and A57 camera on a tripod will still give vastly superior results to any bridge camera.

This is a commercial food shot and the guy does not use primes at all:

Loading…

www.photographycourses.biz
 
AlphaTikal said:
Yes and I think, for food photography the 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens. And it is not expensive and he can use it for other tasks too.
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Certainly can. Here's an example with the "nifty fifty":



f8ac0d2c081a4e019478ffe64f87e5a9.jpg





--
Ian
 

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HS Wells said:
Hello. I am very new to SLT line. I have a bridge cameras and doesn't need a zoom lens on my a57. I just need a prime lens and what are the best options for a57? I know this topic has been previously discussed, but I have missed it . ;-)

My main purpose for A57 is a food photography.
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I had A57 before.

Sony 30mm 2.8 macro (for close up to normal shot great sharpness), Sony 35mm 1.8 (it's APS-C so the 35 is the perfect focal for it.)

Minolta 50mm 1.7 (cheap and best)

Regards
Afzal Khan
Kathmandu, Nepal
 
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