UPDATE: Sony Alpha-philes! Help me pick a lens

[Princess Yellow]

I first got into photography in high school in the late 70s when I got a Minolta SRT-201 camera (manual focus/manual exposure) for junior high graduation. I took a few classes, added a 27mm and 100-200mm zoom to the 50 mm that came with the camera, and got to the point where I was taking pretty good amateur photos, esp. on vacation.

I shlepped that camera and its lenses over half of creation for 22 years when I decided to try this newfangled AF/AE thing a try and bought a Minolta Maxxum 450si. I bought it with a Promaster 28-200mm 3.8-5.6 AF Aspherical lens because three broken vertebrae in my neck made lugging a bunch of lenses around too painful. Unfortunately, the lens was r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w and I lost a bunch of great photos on a National Park tour that I know the SRT would have gotten. That disappointment and a career that started taking over my life made me pack away the Maxxum and I eventually resorted to a Sony P&S.

Now, with the Big 5-0 impending, I took the plunge and bought an alpha A65 (I came close to buying the A77, but couldn't justify the cost). I did some research online and I thought the Promaster would work on the A65 and I could upgrade to a "better" lens in a year or two. When the A65 arrived, I was so disappointed because the Promaster does not work on the camera. The lens does not AF and randomly makes a horrible whirring/grinding noise. In MF, the MF ring is frozen and doesn't budge.

I need to find a lens/lenses quick because having my new camera and not being able to play with it is killing me. We are also going on a Disney cruise at the end of April for my birthday, and I want to get used to the camera before the trip.

I was hoping to get a (I think they call them) super-zoom like the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens, but the tests/reviews all talk about such lenses being soft and some have front-focusing problems. Who needs that? After spending all evening online research, I'm sensing that I may need to get something like an 18-50mm or 18-70mm and a 100-200mm or 100-250mm zoom and my neck will just have to suffer. With all my searching, I still haven't found a lens/lenses that people are raving about, so any reccomendations are appreciated. My current most photographed subjects are my adorable three-year old twin daughters, which I mostly photograph indoors, but I will also use it a lot on trips and when the girls start soccer in the fall (my DH is SO excited that the A65 came with the Champions League logo on the box).


Any reccomendeations for lenses are appreciated. Also, if any of you think of something that would make the Promaster work on the A65, that would be awesome.

Thank you for your help!

 

[zackiedawg]

If your Promaster was a Maxxum-mount, it technically should work, though there could be problems with the lens itself - especially if the gearing froze up or stripped. It might just be an unfortunately dead lens. In general, you are fine to use any Minolta AF or Sony lens, and some of the old Minolta gems still work beautifully...my most used lens on my Alphas is a 20+ year old Minolta APO lens, and it's stunning!

As for what to get...do not go just by the reviews on those superzoom lenses, and don't take some people's personal experiences to be the final word. There are some folks who hate these types of lenses, or had bad experiences with them who encourage everyone to avoid them because they're so soft or slow, and there are some folks who have only ever shot with one of these and think they are the best thing since sliced bread but noone can trust their opinion because they have little lens experience!

For basis of trusting my experience, I've been shooting SLRs since 1977, and DSLRs for 5 years, and have over 20 lenses between two camera systems...so I do often use a wide variety of different lenses for specialized purpose. One of my lenses happens to be the Sony 18-250mm F3.5-6.3, which is also the same essential optics as the Tamron 18-250mm F3.5-6.3, which is the forerunner to the 18-270mm you referred to. And I find the lens an excellent companion for almost any type of use - sharp and clean throughout the range. Obviously it won't be quite as good as a high-end dedicated prime lens at any particular focal length, nor really should it, but it definitely exceeds the bang-for-the-buck rules and is usable at every focal length, even wide open. I would encourage anyone to strongly consider adding such a lens to their collection, as an all-purpose or travel lens. If there is ever a situation where I need to travel light or bring only one lens with me, 99% of the time it will be the 18-250mm lens. Here's my lens gallery of all shots I've taken with this lens, across 3 camera bodies - there are 29 pages of thumbnails here!!:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/sony_sal18250mm_f3563

As for other lenses to consider, certainly if you want a shorter range, the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 gets solid reviews and acclaim, you can consider the slightly pricey Zeiss 16-80mm. If you need reach on the cheap, there's always the good old Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan, which can be found cheap and is half-decent - or I've heard decent things about the Tamron 28-300mm as well.

If you haven't already seen it, you might check out Dyxum.com which keeps a very useful running list of all Sony Alpha compatible lenses from old to new, with reviews, ratings, etc:
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/resultsAdv.asp

(On the right in the search box, leave everything blank and click 'search' to bring up a list of ALL lenses).

 

[Princess Yellow]

Thank you Zackiedawg! That is EXACTLY the kind of feedback I was looking for! My Maxxum was on the shelf so long that the battery is dead, so I think I will grab a battery for it first and see how the Promaster works on it (not to mention that there seems to be a film canister still sitting in it). If it still doesn't work, I will probably get the Sony 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 based on your post. I'll probably add something on the wide side like the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 after awhile for using inside, esp. with the girls.

Thanks again!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If lens weight is a concern more than having a zoom there are some very decent prime lenses that you could go with. The Minolta AF 50mm 1.7 can be found for approx $100 or less. Or the Sony 35mm 1.8 is fine too. Another one I use quite a bit is the Sony 85mm 2.8. Both of the Sony's are made of a high grade plastic so they are lighter. Some people will ding them for that but they are sturdy IMO and I love the light weight. I find the 85mm to be especially sharp. Minolta also made a 100-200mm f/4.5 that you can find for $100 or less. I like to bring that along if I'm not positive I'll need a longer lens but want to have something because it's small and light weight and a decent lens.

Now if you really want a wow lens or two I could give a couple of suggestions but they will make you dig deeper into the pocket book and be heavy!

And like Justin I have an 18-250 (Sony) and anything that it might lose out in sharpness compared to a prime is outweighed by the convenience of having that range in one lens. My husband uses his 18-250 (Tamron) almost exclusively. That and a Minolta 50mm 1.7 are the two lenses that spend 99% of the time on his camera with the 50mm only getting time when he needs a faster lens.

 

[1Grumpy9]

I was looking at the link that zackiedawg posted and I am going to run into the situation of my new lens that I bought in October is not going to work when I buy my new camera. I have the Sigma 50-200mm f/4-5.6 and after reading the website, there is an error that is happening with older lenses with the new SLT's from Sony (I am looking at the A65). I am thinking that Sigma will do the firmware upgrade, but I have to contact them when I buy my new camera.

 

[polkadotminnie]

Another one I use quite a bit is the Sony 85mm 2.8. Both of the Sony's are made of a high grade plastic so they are lighter. Some people will ding them for that but they are sturdy IMO and I love the light weight. I find the 85mm to be especially sharp.

I have this lens and use it a great deal. It is reasonably priced as well.

 

[Princess Yellow]

I can't believe this actually worked! The replacement battery for the Maxxum arrived yesterday. When I put the Promaster back on it, it was sticking there too. I put it in MF and was able to wiggle it a little, and then a little more. After awhile, it just opened up. I put it back on the A65 and it works like a dream. The photos look better than I ever imagined. So, a $5 battery saved me $549 for a lens. Woohoo!! Can't wait to play with it this weekend. And for our friend's wedding and our DCL cruise in April.

Thank you to all who posted for your support, esp. zackiedawg!