General purpose lenses for Minolta/Sony

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Padu - 22 Sep 2006 19:00 GMT

Hi,

I have a sony a100 with the kit lens. I also have two prosec lenses, a 28-70
(3.4-4.5) and a 80-200 (don't remember apertures, nothing special) from my
old minolta maxxum.

I'm starting to think that instead of having 2 lenses (the kit and the
28-70) that are very similar and both mediocre, it's better to have one
general purpose good zoom lens.

What should I look for when I go shop for such a zoom lens? Does minolta
lenses also have anti-shake? Can I use the lens antishake AND the camera
antishake?

Cheers

Padu

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bmoag - 23 Sep 2006 00:29 GMT

Actually the kit lens for the Alpha has been favorably reviewed. I do not
have experience with that lens but it has been compared to the Nikon 18-70
which is a wonderful lens for the price.
Minolta Maxxum lenses are available used. Sony has rebadged a few and
promises a new line although it is unclear if these will be at premium
prices. The latter would not be a wise marketing decision for Sony as it has
still to prove itself as a high end dSLR vendor.

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David Kilpatrick - 23 Sep 2006 10:50 GMT

> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> lenses also have anti-shake? Can I use the lens antishake AND the camera
> antishake?

There are no image stabilised lenses made for the Minolta mount (I don't
think you can even obtain the Sigma 80-400mm OS) but the in-body AS/SSS
handles all lenses pretty well, as long as they are not T-mount things
bolted on. If the camera gets information on the focal length, it will
optimise the SSS.

I would suggest you pick up a 75-300mm Minolta or Sony at the best
possible price, and leave your 28-70 and 80-200 in the cupboard. The kit
18-70 and the additional 75-300 will do everything most users need.

David

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Alan Browne - 23 Sep 2006 16:57 GMT

> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> lenses also have anti-shake? Can I use the lens antishake AND the camera
> antishake?

The A/S as others have said is in the body, not the lens, so don't worry
about it.

If your 80-200 is the f/2.8 then that's a great lens if a bit big & heavy.

Given the two lenses that you have, I'd look instead at a fixed-focal
length lens such as the 85 f/1.4 or 100 f/2.8 macro.

Cheers,
Alan

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