Sony Alpha zoom lenses - beercan or sigma/tamron?
Discussion
Morning,
I'm considering which lens to get next, and was wondering if anybody had any experience with both a beercan and a tamron/sigma with a similar zoom (Something like a Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD)?
Is the beercan likely to produce better images, or will a newer but cheaper lens be better idea?
Cheers!
I'm considering which lens to get next, and was wondering if anybody had any experience with both a beercan and a tamron/sigma with a similar zoom (Something like a Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD)?
Is the beercan likely to produce better images, or will a newer but cheaper lens be better idea?
Cheers!
First thing first - not the Sigma 70-300mm. There are several versions of this - do not get any.
Sony Alpha has "high torque" autofocus motor, Sigma 70-300mm has plastic focus gears. Put them together and you strip the gears.
It happened to mine after 2 weeks, and Google reveals plenty of other cases.
Beercan - seems like a nice lens, but only goes to 210mm, and they're far too expensive. The going price seems to be around £130 now.
For the same money - I'd get a Tamron 70-300mm. The alternative is the Sony 70-300mm, but it's more expensive and neither of these are supposed to have great image quality. They're probably good enough though, and the Tamron does 1:2 "macro" which is quite handy.
Sony Alpha has "high torque" autofocus motor, Sigma 70-300mm has plastic focus gears. Put them together and you strip the gears.
It happened to mine after 2 weeks, and Google reveals plenty of other cases.
Beercan - seems like a nice lens, but only goes to 210mm, and they're far too expensive. The going price seems to be around £130 now.
For the same money - I'd get a Tamron 70-300mm. The alternative is the Sony 70-300mm, but it's more expensive and neither of these are supposed to have great image quality. They're probably good enough though, and the Tamron does 1:2 "macro" which is quite handy.
Get the beercan, in the cheapy telephoto zoom stakes it is the clear winner. It's also build like a tank and constant f/4 is a nice thing to have.
Jessops list the Tamron 70-300 at £149, you can get a good beercan for less than that (mine, to start with
)
If you want new then the Tamron 55-200 is a nicer lens than the 70-300 IMO and also cheaper, WHX have it at £105. No experience of Sigma in that range.
Have a look at the dyxum lens database, if you haven't already.
Jessops list the Tamron 70-300 at £149, you can get a good beercan for less than that (mine, to start with
)If you want new then the Tamron 55-200 is a nicer lens than the 70-300 IMO and also cheaper, WHX have it at £105. No experience of Sigma in that range.
Have a look at the dyxum lens database, if you haven't already.
£129.00 for the Tamron 70-300mm at Warehouse Express
Beercan may give slightly better quality images, but the Tamron is only 1 stop slower at 300mm than the beercan is at 210mm.
I'd rather have that, than pay the same amount for a very old second hand lens that may have wear/dust/fungus.
Plus 1:2 macro at 300mm is good fun. You can keep way back from insects so you don't scare them
I think the fascination with the beercan is only because it used to be cheap. It's not any more!
Beercan may give slightly better quality images, but the Tamron is only 1 stop slower at 300mm than the beercan is at 210mm.
I'd rather have that, than pay the same amount for a very old second hand lens that may have wear/dust/fungus.
Plus 1:2 macro at 300mm is good fun. You can keep way back from insects so you don't scare them
I think the fascination with the beercan is only because it used to be cheap. It's not any more!
tonyvid said:
I've seen references to this Beercan before - which lens is it exactly?
It is the Minolta AF 70-210 F4.Full details here : http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=48
Sometimes you may find reference to the Baby Beercan and the Big Beercan which are the Minolta AF 35-70 F4 and AF 75-300 F4.5-5.6 respectively.
Edited by sgrimshaw on Tuesday 8th December 16:05
I have put my money where my mouth is, and have a Tamron 70-300mm on its way to me . £80 used, less than a year old.
So that's at least £40 less than the going rate for a much older beercan, and it has an extra 90mm and 1:2 "macro".
Also, been reading up: It has a maximum of f/4 from 70mm to 135mm, and f/4.5 between 135mm and 210mm - so almost identical to the beercan.
It only becomes f/5.6 in the last 20mm of focal length, between 280mm and 300mm.
. £80 used, less than a year old.So that's at least £40 less than the going rate for a much older beercan, and it has an extra 90mm and 1:2 "macro".
Also, been reading up: It has a maximum of f/4 from 70mm to 135mm, and f/4.5 between 135mm and 210mm - so almost identical to the beercan.
It only becomes f/5.6 in the last 20mm of focal length, between 280mm and 300mm.
rasputin said:
I have put my money where my mouth is, and have a Tamron 70-300mm on its way to me . £80 used, less than a year old.
So that's at least £40 less than the going rate for a much older beercan, and it has an extra 90mm and 1:2 "macro".
Also, been reading up: It has a maximum of f/4 from 70mm to 135mm, and f/4.5 between 135mm and 210mm - so almost identical to the beercan.
It only becomes f/5.6 in the last 20mm of focal length, between 280mm and 300mm.
That sounds good, you'll have to let us know what you think when it arrives!. £80 used, less than a year old.So that's at least £40 less than the going rate for a much older beercan, and it has an extra 90mm and 1:2 "macro".
Also, been reading up: It has a maximum of f/4 from 70mm to 135mm, and f/4.5 between 135mm and 210mm - so almost identical to the beercan.
It only becomes f/5.6 in the last 20mm of focal length, between 280mm and 300mm.
I borrowed the big beercan on an evening just after getting my A200. Stopped off in the countryside to try and take some moonshots, and some other bloke stopped off doing the same thing - he lent me his beercan for a few shots, good lens.
I picked up the Sigma 70-300, and haven't had any problems with it in the two months I've been using it. The 1:2 macro is quite handy, took some lovely shots of boring flowers and bugs whilst out in the country, and took some rather nice ones of SWMBOs charm bracelet a few nights back.
I picked up the Sigma 70-300, and haven't had any problems with it in the two months I've been using it. The 1:2 macro is quite handy, took some lovely shots of boring flowers and bugs whilst out in the country, and took some rather nice ones of SWMBOs charm bracelet a few nights back.
sgrimshaw said:
Lucky chap.
Lucky indeed:-70-210mm f4 macro Beercan
28-85mm f3.5-4.5
35-105mm f3.5-4.5 macro
28-135mm f4-4.5 macro (my favourite, weighty chunk of glass though!)
24mm f2.8
16mm fisheye f2.8 (a bit odd for a dx sensor really)
They were part of kits to be used with 9000 bodies that all got damaged by water. Someone decided to junk the lot and I made a grab! You can see why I have stayed with Minolta/Sony in the face of all those Canons and Nikons, combined with my A700 they produce some fantastically sharp images. I do have some modern Sigmas that I have bought but these are very good if you don't mind the extra bit of weight.
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