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Newbie need help picking up goodbest lens

bapski

Member
as the title reads, i am a newbie with next to NOTHING in KNOW-HOW with DSLR.

just got a sony a100k and i am interested in upgrading the lens that came with it, a SAL 1870. i want something that'll allow me to still get pictures from afar like say, a good scenery or just able to zoom-in on objects that are far.

was looking around ebay and saw a couple of lens but am not sure if im looking at the right lens for the purpose i have in mind.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230015740275&fromMakeTrack=true

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260016618601&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016

think the second link looks good. dont know if i can trust the brand though.

i will really appreciate any help guys. better yet if anyone can convince me that the STOCK lens i have is good enough for somebody like me who is not a photography junky (not yet) and may not take pics frequently.

thanks again.
 
hi bapski...
I have the minolta dynax 5d, and I use the lens on your first link, along with another short lense.
I'm not familiar with the SAL1870 .. but I'm guessing it's an 18mm to 70mm lens. that stock lens is a reasonable range for a 1st timer.. 18mm reasonable width at the short end, and 70mm on the zoom end is sufficient unless you want to do sports work.
if you want a 2nd lens keep an eye out for 2nd hand minolta AF lenses. the 75-300mm is a decent 2nd lens if you start to find the 70mm isn't sufficient for your needs.
 
> Most probably the most versatile medium zoom is the minolta 70-210 F4 (constant) macro. Gives you about 105-315mm digitally. you can find one pretty easy and the older ones are pretty cheap. you can shoot flowers, portraits, sport, wildlife.... like i said very versatile and gives a quite attractive picture wide open.

wayne
 
Bapski, I second Wayne's auggestion for the 70-210/4. I've owned one for the better part of 20 years, and have to say it's one of the sharpest Minolta ever made. You'll want one of the original (heavy, metal) Maxxum versions rather than the newer, smaller plastic ones if you're looking for the best image quality, but a newer one will fit the bill if you're just looking for a useful "reach out and touch something" lens. Lens w/hood should be doable on eBay for US $75 to $125 - there's not usually a case, just the lens caps, and hood.
 
Welcome to Minolta world!

I suggest you to get Minolta 28-75 2.8 (or Tamron because they are almost identical) first. You've short end covered with kit lens and you will have really good lens from 28 and suitable for portraits at long end. It's not too expensive and will be with you beside you grow fast as photographer or not.

To become familiar with tele you can get 70-210 f4 as suggested or 100-200 f4.5 the second one is much ligher, smaler and can be twice cheaper then 70-210, but the same quality on digital. 70-210 f4 was legend on film, but not beat 100-200 on digital.

For longer tele you'd better check 100-300 Minolta.
75-300 are not good.
100-300 APO version is very rare and expensive, but really good.
Non-APO is value for money, not more.

Longer... you should get to know what are you doing first ;)
Hell of money or dark lenses, tele converters - a lot of ways...

Nice shots!
 
wow.. finally got answers to my inquiries.

well, finally decided on a MINOLTA MAXXUM AF 100-300mm F4.5-5.6 APO D ZOOM LENS. everything is a ok but then i realize i dont get out that often and able to take shots afar!

just thinking i would have been better off getting a WIDE ANGLE LENS for my day to day dealings with my sons! am i right with this premise guys?

so do i need a WIDE ANGLE LENS? if so can you guys suggest something that i can use? be gentle with the price range ok? as i shelled out $438 for the 100-300mm lens i earlier bought.

thanks for the advise guys.
 
> Since it is always darker indoors, even if you use a flash you will want a > fast (f/2.8 or better) lens. This is because when you use flash, you tend to > wind up with unnaturally bright subjects in a very dark room; faster lenses > and faster film will minimize this effect. Unfortunately, fast wide angle > zooms define the word "expensive." > I find that I most often use the range of 28mm-35mm indoors, with a 25mm being ideal for tables of 8 people at weddings. To take a photo of a room itself, you will need 21mm or wider. I usually use prime lenses, in spite of the inconvenience of changing, because of their speed (I have 28/1.9 and 35/1.8, but had to settle for 26/2.8)

You might explore this possibility: Ignore my advice and buy the cheapest superwide zoom you can find. (Ex&le: Adorama sells the Tokina 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5 for $145.) Experiment with it to see the focal lengths you really like, then go out and buy a good fast prime in that length.

valabapo (Bapski) asked: >so do i need a WIDE ANGLE LENS? >if so can you guys suggest something >that i can use? be gentle with the price range ok?
 
> > I would definitely not dispose of a decent general-purpose zoom lens in > favor of a single prime. > Also, the Sony lens is not available yet. While I expect it will be of excellent quality, I would wait to see a review of it in a reputable magazine first.

For roughly the same amount of money, you can get more in a third party lens. For ex&le, compare http://tinyurl.com/ogv62 Consider also the purchase of a used lens; a reputable store such as KEH (www.keh.com) will sell a Minolta lens you could not tell from new for two thirds of that price.
 
As soon as you already have SAL 18-70 in your pocket, you can forget about wide lens buying for some times...

Use it! And sometimes when you can say: "I don't like it because 1..., 2... and 3...!" you'll get the right answers what else you need (better zoom or certain prime or even nothing wide) at once!

SAL 1870 is quite acceptable lens if you use it a bit stopped down. Let it work to teach you for free ;)
 
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