Deciding on a new lens??
Discussion
Ready yourselves for some waffling and indecisiveness...
I've had the minolta D5 (got anti shake in camera so don't need it in a lens) for a couple of weeks now and have found that alot of the pictures I'm taking are at the end of the zoom range. I knew that I would want a decent telephoto lens but if buying the camera was tricky then choosing a lens seems like Astro physics in comparison.
The kit lens is 18-70. This seems pretty decent so I guess a telephoto in the 70-300 region would be the logical next step. I'd use it for general day to day stuff and also action/movement. I've seen lenses that cover 18-200 but although easier to carry around would they cover enough range?
There seem to be quite a few reasonably priced lenses on ebay but as to whether they are any good is a bit of a lottery. What would be the models to look for in the Sigma/Minolta/Tamron?? ranges?
Cheers all
I've had the minolta D5 (got anti shake in camera so don't need it in a lens) for a couple of weeks now and have found that alot of the pictures I'm taking are at the end of the zoom range. I knew that I would want a decent telephoto lens but if buying the camera was tricky then choosing a lens seems like Astro physics in comparison.
The kit lens is 18-70. This seems pretty decent so I guess a telephoto in the 70-300 region would be the logical next step. I'd use it for general day to day stuff and also action/movement. I've seen lenses that cover 18-200 but although easier to carry around would they cover enough range?
There seem to be quite a few reasonably priced lenses on ebay but as to whether they are any good is a bit of a lottery. What would be the models to look for in the Sigma/Minolta/Tamron?? ranges?
Cheers all
Minolta lenses are very good.
Some useful lens info and some reviews here;
www.dyxum.com/lenses/results.asp?IDLensType=1
Mark
Some useful lens info and some reviews here;
www.dyxum.com/lenses/results.asp?IDLensType=1
Mark
Unless you need a fast lens, I'd say that 70-300 is the logical choice, and their are plenty to choose from.
As a rough guide, you get what you pay for. If one lens is £99, don't expect it to be as good as one costing £250! You may however pay a premium for having 'Minolta' on it, in which case Sigma/Tamron would be a better value alternative that will still perform well.
One thing worth paying extra for is a silent wave/HSM motor, because focusing is much quicker.
As a rough guide, you get what you pay for. If one lens is £99, don't expect it to be as good as one costing £250! You may however pay a premium for having 'Minolta' on it, in which case Sigma/Tamron would be a better value alternative that will still perform well.
One thing worth paying extra for is a silent wave/HSM motor, because focusing is much quicker.
I use this one with my D5, and although I don't have much experience with other cameras I like it, and it's only £99!!
www.jessops.com/search/viewproduct.cfm?PRODUCT=MINAF75300NS&BRAND=MIN&CONTINUE=false&FEATS=&FIRSTPRICE=0&KEYWORD=&LEVEL=&MODELNUMBER=&NEWQUERY=True&NODE=143&ORD=ASC&ORDERBY=&QUANTITY=10&RECENT=0&REFINE=&SEARCH_FOR=&SEARCHNODE=0&SEARCHURL=dointellisearch.cfm&SECONDPRICE=999999&SHOWCASEID=&STARTROW=1&SUBS=256&WORD_SEARCH=N&
Here are some examples of pictures with that very lens and camera combo as they came out of the camera. Just click on the donington track day section.
www.photoboxgallery.com/cloud34
www.jessops.com/search/viewproduct.cfm?PRODUCT=MINAF75300NS&BRAND=MIN&CONTINUE=false&FEATS=&FIRSTPRICE=0&KEYWORD=&LEVEL=&MODELNUMBER=&NEWQUERY=True&NODE=143&ORD=ASC&ORDERBY=&QUANTITY=10&RECENT=0&REFINE=&SEARCH_FOR=&SEARCHNODE=0&SEARCHURL=dointellisearch.cfm&SECONDPRICE=999999&SHOWCASEID=&STARTROW=1&SUBS=256&WORD_SEARCH=N&
Here are some examples of pictures with that very lens and camera combo as they came out of the camera. Just click on the donington track day section.
www.photoboxgallery.com/cloud34
Sigma 100-300 F4 would seem to fit the bill quite nicely.
An excellent lens by all accounts and would only leave a small gap in the range covered by this lens and your kit lens.
The Sigma 70-200 F2.8 is also 1st class and well worth looking at.
If you want the ultimate all-in-one lens, the Sigma 50-500 is very well regarded too. As you have on-body AntiShake this could well be a winner.
clicky!!
HTH
>> Edited by monkeyhanger on Friday 21st October 19:31
An excellent lens by all accounts and would only leave a small gap in the range covered by this lens and your kit lens.
The Sigma 70-200 F2.8 is also 1st class and well worth looking at.
If you want the ultimate all-in-one lens, the Sigma 50-500 is very well regarded too. As you have on-body AntiShake this could well be a winner.
clicky!!
HTH
>> Edited by monkeyhanger on Friday 21st October 19:31
simpo two said:
The Sigma 70-200 F2.8 is also 1st class and well worth looking at.
Mmm, but if he's perfectly happy with a £99 average-speed lens, he's unlikely to be interested in a £550+ f2.8 monster...
Well i have little or no experience of the £99 end of the market...well not since i last had a film SLR anyway. I've had mid-priced stuff though and rarely been happy with it.
If it were a Canon i'd say go for the 75-300 USMIII which can put out some decent shots in spite of its price. No idea what the Minolta equivalent would be...
For what it's worth I've just picked up the Tamron 70-300 f4.5-5.6 Macro to go on my D50. My local camera shop has them new for £99. For a bargain lens it's not too bad. The Auto-focus is dire in terms of the amount of light it needs, the speed and the noise (I've had quieter cars!). Optically though it's not bad and definitley worth the money. As you have auto-anti-vibro-shake on the Minolta you may get away with slightly lower shutter speeds than I making the fact that it isn't the fastest lens in the world a bit more tolerable. All in all not too bad for the money as this is the bottom end for this sort of range.
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