How to shoot with 10 great Sony Alpha lenses and not to be beaten by salesmen

A few days ago I was lucky to visit an exhibition with many groovy photo devices from various manufacturers. It was great because Sony guys allowed me to make use of many interesting gadgets for my Sony A100. What can I say; their method to conquer DSLR market by Alpha guide is very impressing. In previos post I wrote that after Sony A-100 the next big news from this manufacturer is the announcement of two professional additions: A-1 and A-10.
First of all I took advantage of a special device for macro shooting with 50mm F2.8 and 100mm F2.8 Macro lenses. Of course these gadgets were excellent and I was so sorry about those cockroaches absent at the exhibition. I think that these facilities are useful for those who are very fond of flowers and insects. But they will have to pay about $479 for SAL-50M2.8
It is advertised as “a compact macro-focus lens that covers the full range from life-size to infinity”.
Specifications:
Focus Range Limiter for faster auto-focusing
Focus Hold button for full creative control
Auto Clutch to stop manual focus ring rotation
Circular Aperture for pleasing defocused effects
Min Focus Distance: 7.8” (20 cm)
Maximum Magnification: 1.0X
Lens Construction: 7 elements in 6 groups with 7 aperture blades
Filter Diameter: 55 mm
Dimensions: 2-13/16 x 2-3/8” (71 x 60 mm)
Weight: 10-3/8 oz (295 g)
Moreover they will have to pay for “the superb macro-focus lens for both close-up and distant subjects” SAL-100M2.8 about $679. The pleasure to love butterflies is really expensive!
Specifications:
High contrast, high-resolution image quality
Focus Range Limiter for faster auto-focusing
Focus Hold button for full creative control
Auto Clutch to stop manual focus ring rotation
Circular Aperture for pleasing defocused effects
Min Focus Distance: 1’ 2.4” (35 cm)
Maximum Magnification: 1.0X
Lens Construction: 8 elements in 8 groups with 9 aperture blades
Filter Diameter: 55 mm
Dimensions: 3 x 4” (75 x 98.5 mm)
Weight: 1 lb 2 oz (505 g)
I made the next stop at SAL-300F28G - 300mm f/2.8 G-Series Super Telephoto Lens. “The brilliant long-distance lens with wide aperture and fast auto-focus response” costs ‘only’ $5999 but what is the pleasure to take pictures with it! Focusing is very fast and fairly accurate. Wide opening is occasionally exhibits some softness, which I believe is primarily due to slight front focusing behavior. When focus hits just right, it is very sharp at any aperture. Image quality is really great. What good-looking girls I could see and shoot with this biggest gun in my arsenal! One can envy pro- photographers who can work with this perfection. But it's hard to see me on my favourite Koh Chang Island with this two-and-half kilogramms a six thousand "diamond"! Still I have another blog: The Thai Tramp about it.
Sony advertises it as “For definitive long-shot precision and spectacular portraits even in low light, this professional G-Series lens raises the standard of DLSR performance. Its 35mm-equivalent 450mm focal length and ultra-bright f2.8 aperture combine for superb results in virtually any light -- and its high-speed SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) auto-focus are fast, accurate and quiet”.
Specifications:
Versatile focus hold with 4 buttons on lens
Electronic slider focus range selector switch
Maximum Magnification: 0.18X
Lens Construction: 13 elements in 12 groups with 9 aperture blades
Filter Diameter: 42 mm (internal)
Dimensions: 5-16 x 9-3/8” (122 x 242.5 mm)
Weight: 5 lb 5 oz (2.31 kg)
There was another reason to fall into confusion or to have an empty pocket: SAL-70200G - 70-200mm f/2.8 G-Series Telephoto Zoom Lens. It’s advertised as a precise zoom lens with bright aperture and fast, quiet auto-focus response. It costs about $2400. It’s 35mm-equivalent range of 105-300mm zooming, fast f/2.8 aperture and quiet. It really has a very speedy auto focus drive. But besides the high price they have another disadvantage: they are hard to travel with.
Specifications:
Versatile focus hold with 3 buttons on lens
Electronic slider focus range selector switch
Min Focus Distance: 4 ft (1.2 m)
Maximum Magnification: 0.21X
Lens Construction: 19 elements in 16 groups with 9 aperture blades
Filter Diameter: 77 mm
Dimensions: 3-1/2 x 7-3/4” (87 x 196.5 mm)
Weight: 2 lb 15.3 oz (1.34 kg)
In return SAL-500F80 - 500mm f/8 Reflex Super Telephoto Lens with auto-focus capability costs almost $700 and does not have so huge size as 300mm F2.8. It has a short barrel and compact, lightweight design. It is more convenient for field work on the wild and nature assignments as 70-200mm F2.8G. Its auto-focus capability makes it unique among reflex lenses of this class. This lens provides a 750mm focal length 35mm equivalent and takes advantage of Sony’s in-camera image stabilization system to reduce blur by compensating for shaky hands.
Specifications:
Min Focus Distance: 13 ft (4.0 m)
Maximum Magnification: 0.13X
Lens Construction: 7 elements in 5 groups
Filter Diameter: Internal
Dimensions: 3-5/8 x 4-3/4” (89 x 118 mm)
Weight: 1 lb 7.4 oz (665 g)
To be continued as: Choosing DSLR camera lenses: take a shoot before buying