Starting New w/350 or 300: 4 Lens Purchase. 18-250 and...

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eieio
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Starting New w/350 or 300: 4 Lens Purchase. 18-250 and...

Unread post by eieio »

I am starting fresh with Sony and will get the 350 or 300 body as soon as a comparison report of those 2 models is out. Simply put: i need to pick one of those 2 bodies but want it to be a well thought out choice rather than rushing all of 2-4 weeks and possibly getting the "less good" of the two. I think I'd be pleased with either one but 2-4 weeks isn't that long a wait either.

I will buy the body only and proceed to buy 4 lenses. The very first purchase will definitely be the Sony 18-250, but will also likely buy #2 and #3 below right away as well. I'm tired of never really having a range of lenses to choose from and always wanting to - but not allowing myself to buy several. So this time, i will. Any advice/pointers/comments would be much appreciated.

I thought that I would articulate my "4 lens purchase" more clearly so you would understand my situation better. Thanks for reading!

I am purchasing 4 lenses with my 350 or 300. Lenses 1, 2 and 3are basically immediate along with the 350/300 body. Lens 4 is for "when the research is done" but it appears to be pretty clear, i think?!? Still somewhat confused...

Lens 1: 18-250 Sony or 18-250 Tamron. I seem to be reading that the Sony has certain, albeit small, benefits, i.e. the gear ratio is different for the focusing thereby allowing for faster focusing. This seems controversial and uncertain as some individuals say so and others dispute such claims. Other than Tamron's better warranty, I don't see much difference between the two. Any other options for a "walk around/all around" lens? FYI: I enjoy nyc street photography as well as many pictures of my dog - he's a whippet! I dislike heavy cameras/lenses so this is about as heavy as I'd want to have on my 350/300.

Lens 2: Ultra Wide Zoom - I love the images produced by these ultra wide zooms! I do want to emphasize that I DISLIKE the distortions produced, and most seem to say that the Sigma produces far greater distortions than the Tamron - if that were true, then the Tamron is the option for me. The current options appear to be the 11-18 Tamron and the 10-20 Sigma. Ideally, the 10-24 Tamron coming out in Nov/Dec 2008 is best as it betters the current options in both aperture as well as range - but, that would mean missing the use of an ultra wide zoom from March through November (Spring/Summer/Fall). Wouldn't that be a major bummer? Then again, when I buy the 10-24 Tamron in Nov/Dec and try to sell my 11-18 Tamron, the 11-18 would plummet in price, right? Sigh. Any other options?

Lens 3: Constant f/ stop zoom, i.e. the Tamron 17-50 or the Sigma 18-50. NOTE: the Sigma is not yet available in HSM in the Sony mount (only Nikon currently). Of course, if you all say the Tamron is superior, then when the Sigma's Sony HSM version will come out is irrelevant! Which one do you good folks think is better? Other options?

Lens 4: Macro, i.e. the 90mm Tamron or the 100mm Sony. I enjoy taking macro, especially that of watches (wristwatches). The reason why this is priority #4 is that I thought that I could try out the macro capabilities of the first 3 lenses first, and then should that prove less than satisfactory, THEN get a dedicated macro. Any other options here? Thoughts?

Sorry for such a lengthy post. I thought that by more clearly articulating my needs and thinking, the highly experienced folks here can better opine and provide advice! Thank you very much in advance!
David Kilpatrick
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Re: Starting New w/350 or 300: 4 Lens Purchase. 18-250 and...

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

I suggest you get a set of Kenko 8-contact extension tubes and try those with the 18-250mm. At fixed settings like 100mm, it can be very sharp and the tubes work well turning it into an AF macro. Cost - about $100 from Chinese eBay suppliers. I just got a set and have been trying them with the 16-80mm, with excellent results. For wide angle, I doubt the 10-24mm will be around until early 2009. Get a Sony 11-18mm or Tamron 11-18mm. For constant aperture, if you have an 18-250mm, the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 is worth considering. Why? Because one day you might want a full frame DSLR :-) All the lenses you quote except the macro are limited to APS-C.

David
eieio
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Re: Starting New w/350 or 300: 4 Lens Purchase. 18-250 and...

Unread post by eieio »

Thank you, David, for your considered and wise response.

May I ask what the differences are between the Sony versus Tamron 11-18? I ask because it was rather controversial vis-a-vis the Sony versus Tamron 18-250. So much misinformation was written about how the Sony has different "gear ratios" and that due to that, it focussed faster on the 350. Furthermore, certain individual said that the Sony has circular blades leading to more attractive bokeh while others claim that the Tamron has circular blades as well!! It is still not definitive!!

I wonder what the differences, besides purely cosmetic (i.e. rubber ring, etc), between the two 11-18?

btw, Tamron vs Sigma: any particular broad generalizations that can be drawn? over all, I have found more people who are pro Tamron, touting Tamron's consistency. I have no idea. I am only able to get this "feel" due to the pure number of posts that I've been reading that are pro Tamron.

Thx in advance!
David Kilpatrick
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Re: Starting New w/350 or 300: 4 Lens Purchase. 18-250 and...

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

The Sony 18-250mm may be faster than the Tamron version, but the 11-18mm designs appear to be identical in gearing, aperture blades and every other aspect apart from cosmetics. We have both and if anything, I believe our Tamron is just a touch sharper than the Sony - but we have also had a KM version in the past, and the Tamron was sharper than this, so I would reckon we just have a good sample of the Tamron. Lenses like this are always subject to small variations. Both flavours produce perfectly usable images for professional purposes.

David
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Glyn R
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Re: Starting New w/350 or 300: 4 Lens Purchase. 18-250 and...

Unread post by Glyn R »

I am doing a new start with A350. I have just ordered Sigma 10-20 and 70 -300 APO. I had an Olympus 70-300 which was optically like the Sigma and it was a great lens hence the Sigma choice. I eventually decided on the Sigma 10-20 after reading reviews none of which seem to be conclusive so we will see. I am still unsure how to replace the Sony 18-70, the choice seems to be Sony 16-80 or 16-105 or Sigma 17-70 or Tamron 17-50. I am still trying to decide. I am not happy about superzooms but that may be my old fashioned prejudices. :D
The older I get the better I used to be.
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