Camera Labs

I want to run a thought by the more knowledgeable....as I am buying my first DSLR and have only used P & S's.

When I purchase my Sony A550 shortly, I was thinking of getting the body only and getting the 50mm f/1.4 lens along with the 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 Zoom SSM lens.

I want to take pictures of horses at the Kentucky Derby this year and of every day happenings, my dogs, horses, various wildlife, and landscapes- so pretty much a little of everything.

With the 50mm and the 70-300mm mentioned above - will I be missing out on anything with not getting the kit lens? The 50mm seems to produce nice clean photos and I really want the speed of the 70-300 for the thoroughbreds.

I am hoping to pick a couple lenses that I can stay happy with for sometime while saving up to get another lens at some point a year or two down the road.

Thank you in advance for any input. ; )

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Sony DSC-WX1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pharlap91/

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Actually, someone did see the post and he thought it was quite inappropriate for it to be tacked on to the Recommended Sony lenses and how to choose your next one thread so he did something about it.

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.

Both lenses are excellent choices for their specific goals. You may find yourself falling short on the wide end if you'd like to shoot landscapes. The kit lens provides you with more flexibility on that department.

If want capture the speed of horses, the 70-200 F2.8 G may perhaps be a better choice, albeit much more expensive and less portable.

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Fujifilm X-E1 - XF 18-55mm - XF 14mm - Lowepro Rover AW II - Think Tank Retrospective 5

I'd say those two lenses would cover most of your needs, though I suggest get that very inexpensive 18-55mm just in case. You might one day need some wide angle coverage and at it's price, it's never a waste of money.

- 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

Oh, sorry Bob I didn't intentionally cause any extra headache for anyone.

Thanks Martino and Bjorn.

Greatly appreciated!

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Sony DSC-WX1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pharlap91/

You mentioned that you would like to take landscape shots, so I would recommend getting the kit lens. 50mm on a crop frame is a short telephoto, which doesn't really work for landscapes. People tend to complain about the poor quality of the kit lens, but imo it doesn't matter that much. Pixel peeping can make any lens look bad. If you want some samples, all my landscapes on flickr were taken with the 18-70 kit lens.

Also, don't forget that you can use second hand minolta lenses which are very cheap and have high optical quality! I also shoot with a minolta 50mm 1.7 and the 70-210 f4. Highly recommended.

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Canon 40D | Tokina 11-16 f2.8 | Canon 50mm f1.4

www.flickr.com/claycarey

Ahhh, yes ClayC your landscapes are beautiful!!! I really like the first 3 photos on your link - absolutely gorgeous!

Yeah, I will either keep the kit lens or opt up for maybe a larger range with the 16-105mm.

Thanks for your input!!!!

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Sony DSC-WX1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pharlap91/

I agree on ClayC..
its all about the player not our gear'''


16-105mm. or get the 18-250 if you just want extra zoom all around lens.
though that 16 mm would really a good set for really wide angle...

me i got 50mm and 250 but i never have a picture a stunning as those picture of ClayC

post samples if you get you gears and things!

welcome to the Sony DSLR World!

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Good Aperture Everyone! Good reply is always Making me very very happy thanks...
Sony A700; sony 18-70mm, 18-250.
My flickr!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/loymercs/
My Blog!! http://loymercsclick.blogspot.com/

Same here. Get the 18-55, it could come in handy someday. You can't take everything at 50mm .

Also, I'd stay away from the 75-300. It's a rebadged Minolta one and not worth the money.

If I were you, I'd rather spend it on the 55-200 and if you really need a decent 300mm zoom, you'll have get either a Sigma or the 70-300 G SSM. The latter is an outstanding one but relatively expensive though.

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Sony α77V/VG-C77AM/α350/18-70/70-400 G SSM/NEX-5/18-55 OSS/Lowepro Pro Trekker 600 AW/CompuTrekker AW/Nova 140 AW/Street & Field gear/Toploader Pro 75 AW. And a huge wishlist...

My photos on Flickr...

Throw in another recommendation for the idea of considering the 18-250 as a good all-round lens and starter lens. It's got tremendously useful range and can be surprisingly sharp and detailed across the range. The 50mm is also a good pickup, though it might truly be worth a quick look at some used lens places like keh.com to see if you might pick up a cheap Minolta 50mm F1.7 - it's also an excellent lens, and you can find them under $100...that will let you put the savings into another lens (like the 18-250).

Once you start saving up for future lenses, you can buy specific lenses that are faster and tuned to specific needs - a wider prime, a midrange portrait prime, a high-end fast zoom, etc.

I bought my A300 and the 18-250 at the same time, and never used the kit lens...the 18-250 was my main walkaround and all purpose default lens. When I went to the A550, same story - I bought it body-only, and use the 18-250 as the default lens. I also have the Minolta 50mm F1.7 bought used, and then built up other lenses for specific needs to fill in the gaps - low light, wide angle, portrait, telephoto for wildlife, etc. The 18-250 can do everything well for all my other shooting.

(In my gallery, I keep a subgallery of all my photos divided by body and lens, in case anyone wants to see a specific lens' performance...feel free to take a look at A550 shots, 18-250 shots, 50mm F1.7 shots, and any other lenses I use: http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/cameragear).

Best of luck!

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Thanks for all the good input!

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Sony DSC-WX1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pharlap91/

You have some beautiful shots ClayC, I've been pondering on an A200 for a while, I've passed up on a few used, but am back considering it once again. your shots have helped push me towards the purchase.

Sorry for the hijack OP, I did come in to read your post but then noticed clay's link to his work

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Flickr | Pix.ie


Nikon D90: Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Vivitar 70-210mm f/3.5, Next up: Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

fyi, the 550 falls into the category of cameras with a cropped sensor. that means the effective mm is actually longer by a factor of 1.5. for example, the 70 - 300 mm would have an effective range of 105 mm to 450 mm. it does this for all lenses including wide angle. so a 16 mm produces an image like one taken with a 24 mm lens. something to consider when you are looking at lenses.

regarding the 50 mm, i have to agree that it's worth checking out the Minolta 50 mm. as for the 70 - 300 mm, it a big lens to carry around with you for a day. you'll definatley will need to turn on the stablization for the longer lens to minimize any camera shake/burriness during the exposure.

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Sony A37, Minolta 70-210 F4, Minolta 50 F1.7, Sigma 28-105 F2.8-4, Zenitar 16mm Fisheye 2.8, Sony 35mm 1.8, Tamron 18-200 and Sony 18-55 kit lens