Camera Labs

Hi everyone, we've published a guide to help Sony DSLR owners choose their next lens.

This guide is aimed at first-time or relatively new DSLR owners who know what kind of photo they want to take, but are not sure what kind of lens they need to do it.

We've split the guide into five sections covering portrait, sports, close-up, wide-angle and general-purpose photography. Within each section we've picked out a number of highlights from the Sony lens catalogue which are ideal for that purpose.

We plan to produce guides for other mounts in the near future, along with including third party options. In the meantime, I hope you'll find this guide useful, and as always if you have any questions, please ask right here in the forum. Please keep this thread for comments about the guide though and ask specific lens questions in new or existing threads - thanks!

See our Sony lens buyers guide.

Gordon

PS - Thanks to Bjorn for his input on this guide.

As a minor comment, the data next to the lenses says "Anti-shake: No". While technically correct with respect to the lens, the function is provided by the body. I don't think it is adding value to include that line, and in the worst case it is potentially confusing to people not already familiar with the system.

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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.

And i can't find the 28-75mm either?

Thanks for letting me be part of it Gordon! Always happy to contribute to CL!

@popo: with the possible future addition of Sigma lenses, there will be OS glass for Sony as well. If Gordon opts to integrate Sigma lenses in the same quide as these Sonys, the line saying the lens is not stabilized makes some sense.

@cartong: I myself didn't see a reason to include the 28-75mm in the Buyers Guide. It's a lens aimed at full frame photographers (the kitlens for the A850) and with the Zeiss 24-70mm in the line-up... Of course, it comes at an attractive price. Maybe it could be added to the general-purpose category? Gordon?

- 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 did wonder about the possibility of stabilised lenses in future. In that case something like adding a statement of not needing stabilisation in lens may be useful.

_________________
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 folks,

Has anyone found an idiot's guide, preferably a table, detailing what functionality is available from various lenses when coupled with an A-mount adaptor to the NEX line of E-mount cameras? I haven't so I thought I'd try to pull together the available information to try and find out what's possible and what's not when it comes to mounting non-native lenses on a NEX body. Please feel free to correct me where I've got it wrong and point out any omissions.

The native E-mount lens system is still limited but, to their credit, Sony do offer two adaptors. The basic one is the LA-EA1:

This offers "Auto Exposure support with aperture mechanism" and, with firmware 02 and compatible firmware in the camera offers that the "SAM and SSM lenses support auto focus when used with the NEX camera" with the following lenses:

SAM Lenses


• DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM (SAL1855)
• DT 28-75mm F2.8 SAM (SAL2875)
• DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM (SAL55200-2)
• DT 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM (SAL30M28)
• DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18)
• DT 50mm F1.8 SAM (SAL50F18)
• 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28)
  
  SSM Lenses
  
• Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM (SAL1635Z)
• Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM (SAL2470Z)
• Distagon T* 24mm F2 ZA SSM (SAL24F20G)
• 70-200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G)
• 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM (SAL70300G)
• 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM (SAL70400G)
• 300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G)
  
  Note: With an A-mount lens attached, the auto focus speed will be slower than when an E-mount lens is attached. It takes approximately 2 to 7 seconds (based on Sony’s measurement standard) and may vary depending on the subjects or brightness of the shooting environments.

The LA-EA2 is geared to lenses other than the SAM and SSM ones above.

According to the specifications it offers:

• Full-time continuous Phase Detect AF for A-mount lenses on E-mount camera bodies
  
  AF not available with STF lenses and teleconverters
• AE with all A-mount lenses except teleconverters
  
  Aperture setting for video capture is fixed at the maximum aperture of the lens or F3.5, whichever is lower (AF-C)
  Note: "Minolta Xi lenses are not compatible" with the LA-EA2.

With the information plucked from various sources I hope the above is a fair summary. It still isn't very user friendly as it still took me a while to realise that the the lack of an ultra-wide lens for the NEX cameras can (I think) be circumvented by using the DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 plus the LA-EA2. Not something I'd particularly want but until and if Sony produce an ultra-wide E-mount lens I guess it is the only way to go.

One would only expect Sony to detail compatibility with existing Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses so what functionality is available is available when using either adaptor and a NEX body with third party A-mount lenses? I'll leave answering that one to those who actually own the hardware.

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.