Advice and recommendations please

[DaveMartin]

Hi all,

Having owned my camera (Sony A200) for just under a year I have finally relised what it is I want to "specialise" in. I have spent the last year photographing just about anything I could just so I could learn the way the camera worked. After all this I now want to concentrate on Landscape and bird photography both subjects I really enjoy. So now I know what it is I want to do I can start building my equipment in that direction so was just wondering what peoples recommendations are as to equipment especially lenses etc. Many Thanks for any advice recieved.

All the best

Dave

 

[pete.rush]

Hi all,

Having owned my camera (Sony A200) for just under a year I have finally relised what it is I want to "specialise" in. I have spent the last year photographing just about anything I could just so I could learn the way the camera worked. After all this I now want to concentrate on Landscape and bird photography both subjects I really enjoy. So now I know what it is I want to do I can start building my equipment in that direction so was just wondering what peoples recommendations are as to equipment especially lenses etc. Many Thanks for any advice recieved.

All the best

Dave

First of all, you really need to tell us a budget, otherwise I would recommend a Sony 300mm f2.8 at £4300 + 1.4x and 2x TC add another £600 for wildlife.

Really you are asking for 2 Completely different lenses, one at either end of the spectrum.

For landscapes you're looking at say a wide angle lens, doesn't need to be ultra wide, what I mean is say 10-20mm is ultra wide, personally, the lens is abit limiting and you start to get the fisheye effect because of the focal length of the lens.

Perhaps something like a tamron 17-50mm lens f2.8 , price is affordable (£330) and you get a landscape/walkaround lens, plus fast optics. There are probably a large number of Minolta lenses you could have a look at as well on the 2nd hand market, as they will fit your camera as well.

As for a wildlife lens, you're really looking at 300mm plus, especially if its birds your after. I think you would have to look at the sigma brands. Something like the sigma 120-400mm (£600), sigma 100-300mm f4 (£1100) or 2nd hand market for a Minolta lens, sorry can't advise as at the moment, this is where there's a limiting selection of lenses for Sony and the Sony primes are as you see above very expensive.

Peter

 

[onomatopoeia]

First of all, you really need to tell us a budget, otherwise I would recommend a Sony 300mm f2.8 at £4300 + 1.4x and 2x TC add another £600 for wildlife.

One of them in excellent condition went for £2k on ebay a couple of months back. I desparately wanted to bid but discretion prevailed.

The Minolta 300mm f/4 G HS is a cheaper and lighter alternative, if you can find one second hand. I don't do wildlife (more interested in motorsport, which also needs a long lens with fast AF) but have just bought one and am very impressed with it so far, albeit only having made test shots around the garden. The AF is fast, it's sharp wide open and the colours are lovely. Also worth noting is that while it takes the impossible to obtain drop-in 42mm filters like the f/2.8, the front thread is 82mm so conventional 82mm filters will fit (allowing the use of a CPL, albeit without the lens hood fitted).

Was using a Sigma 135-400 that I've had for almost a decade but wanted something faster for the cloudy days. While not as sharp or fast focusing as the Minolta it certainly is capable of producing some nice pictures.

 

[HoppyUK]

As said, you really need lenses at both ends of the spectrum for landscapes (wide) and birding (super-telephoto).

Also consider learning to do panoramas - stitching several images together. It's very effective, very easy, you can do it with your normal lens and so costs nothing.

 

[DaveMartin]

Sorry forgot to mention budget, unfortunatley its just the average working mans budget so cant do the mega expensive route on the lens but would be happy to finance if I found the right one.

Dave