Camera Labs

Hello fellow-alphafanatics

This is my first post on camera labs, i've been reading thru the forum for quite a while now and finally decided to join!!

I am currently looking to buy the 70-300 G lens, I have an old minolta 75-300 (a silver one...) with which i'm shooting sport but the focus speed, abberations and lack-of-sharpness are driving me crazy. Anyone that owns the G? I will appreciate any info to help my finalize my decision.

Thanks!

-Charl-

I guess nobody’s bought one yet?. Try this....
http://www.photozone.de/sony-alpha-aps- ... 70300_4556

Hello charl_alpha, and welcome on the cameralabs forum

I have the 70-300G, and it's a real good lens. Sharpness is excellent, and it is very well build. The only thing that took some getting used to, were the zoom and focus rings. On the 70-300G they are switched (zoom in the front, focus in the back).
The AF is not the fastest (on a A200), but mounted on a A700 or A900 it might be better.
But it's a good quality lens, and if you'll decide to buy it, you won't regret it.

cheers, Hans

thanks!

I tried this lens today on the A900 in a sony shop. Big mistake... After I looked through the vf of the A900 my A700's looks so small...time to start saving I guess... As for the lens it really went beyond my expectations! Very strong built and that soundless focussing is amazing! The fact that the zoom and focus rings are swapped doesn't bother me at all! can't wait to get this beast!!

-Charl-

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SONY α700 DSLR


FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charl_alpha/

I think the A900 would be a great camera for this lens. with the A200 it's a bit front heavy.
On the Luminous-Landscape site there are some very nice pictures taken with this lens on a A900.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/antarctica-2009-portfolio.shtml

It did feel very good and balanced on the A900. My A700 weighs almost the same as the A900 so it'll probably feel good on that to.

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SONY α700 DSLR


FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charl_alpha/

First of all: Welcome Charl to the Camera Labs forum! Great to have you on board.

As for the info you requested to finalize your decision: you might want to check the Photo Club Alpha review and the Photozone review.

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Thanks Bjorn!

That really helped! I'm going to get the lens this week. Will post pics when i get the chance!!

-Charl-

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SONY α700 DSLR


FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charl_alpha/

Which lens on the A700 would be best for shooting sports: the Sony 70-200 f/2.8 (G) or 70-300 f/4.5-5.6? Would the 70-300 f/4.5 be fast enough to capture sports???? I shoot equestrian events.

Update: Now I'm leaning toward the 70-400 G series. Any reviews on that one yet?

It seems the first few 70-400G lenses are getting into end user hands now so reviews wont be far off. There are some initial user reports on other forums you can look up.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Hi Krista,

May I offer you a warm welcome to the CameraLabs forum.

I've deleted your duplicate post on this subject (please see the forum rules) so that members don't waste time answering a question already asked elsewhere.

Good luck with your search.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Welcome Krista to the Camera Labs forum! Great to have you on board!

As a 70-200mm, I'd recommend that one. Highest quality of the three, fast, both in aperture and focussing speed and it's a pleasure to use. However, the 200mm (or 300mm equivalent) can be a little short at times, so a longer range, be it with another lens or a teleconverter, could prove useful.

Unless you'll really need the long focal length, the 70-200mm is the preferred option. The 70-400mm is still very new, and the only review I've been able to find is in French. Wait a while longer and the good review sites like Photozone will come with their own review. Or even better: perhaps Sony sends the 70-400mm to Gordon for testing!

- Bjorn -

_________________
Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Hello all. Newbie to the forum here, and a newbie to DSLR photography too, but I am a quick learner!

I've had my a300 over a month now, and have found little time for my other hobbies ever since. After lots of research of various sites, I bought myself a couple of lenses (from ebay) as a step up from the kit-lens. These were the Minolta 50mm f1.7, and the Minolta Beercan 70-210 f4. I've been delighted with the results from these two, especially the 50mm.

The Beercan produced some lovely pictures, but I have been quite disappointed with a bunch of pictures taken with it...most notably pictures of ducks with sun reflecting off water etc = not very nice purple fringing / CA. Looking into this, it seems that this is a factor of the age of the Beercan, not having modern lens coatings etc...leading me to looking at other potential options. The lens that has got my interest the most, in the 70-300 G SSM.

- £500-£600 isn't too bad, but i wouldn't want to spend more than that
- The weight appears to be very similar to the Beercan. Is it similarly balanced though?
- The extra 90mm at the long end is very desirable!
- Is the smaller aperture really a problem? I gather the G is super-sharp at f5.6, whereas the Beercan needs to be stepped down to something life f5.6 to get desired levels of sharpness. No problem then?
- It does look pretty big though, compared to the Beercan, and I'm not a huge fan of how far it extends, but i'll happily make this sacrifice for even better results!
- Is it worth hanging on the the Beercan? Reselling it on ebay should recoup the money I paid for it anyway.

Any recommendations instead of the 70-300 G SSM? The 70-200 G SSM looks amazing, but I just couldn't justify dropping that kind of money on a such a new hobby!

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Sony DSLR a300 | Sony 18-70mm | Minolta 50mm f1.7 | Minolta 70-210mm f4 | Sony 70-300mm G SSM

Next: Selling Beercan, and perhaps get a Tripod / Flash

Welcome Mikey to the Camera Labs forum, and another welcome to the Sony community here at CL! Great to have you on board!


- I must admit I've never had a 70-300mm G SSM on my camera, nor a beercan, so I couldn't tell you anything about balance.
- The difference in aperture is only a stop, and given you say you have to stop down the beercan to f/5.6 anyway, I'd say the 70-300mm, with it's extra focal length, is a good option!
- The beercan is an extremely popular lens, so you'd have to weigh up having it yourself, or selling it for some extra cash. I'd sell it. The 70-300mm would be the lens I'd use constantly, not the beercan.

You might want to consider thrid party options, like a Sigma/Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8. Having owned the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM for quite a while now, I'd say everyone should get one, but I get it's too expensive for everyone to buy. Third party models are most often cheaper and have good quality, especially a 70-200mm f/2.8!

Enjoy DSLR photography and let us know what you decide to buy!

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

I spent only 5 mins with a 70-300G borrowed on my A350, so I didn't have much time to get to know it. I think it felt fine, but then again I'm used to heavier stuff so pretty much everything is ok to me. Extension is normal for this range of lens.

The aperture isn't a problem. And it's not one you can improve on the cheap anyway. On the long end you'll probably find you will be shooting wide open often, which is no problem thanks to its sharpness.

As Bjorn said, a 3rd party 70-200 f/2.8 with teleconverter might be an alternative, but those will push the budget and I'm not sure about their performance.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.