All rounder lens advice

[mark111]

Need a bit of advise please, going to New York next year and im getting my a65 at xmas, what lens would be recommended as a good all rounder for NY, I have just the kit lenses 18-55 and 75-300 for my a230 but find the 300mm a bit to much of a zoom and the 55mm not sharp enough, budget up to £500 if need be.

Thanks

[pakodominguez]

Apparently, Barry Fitzgerald is happy with the SAM 18-135

[Birma]

Perhaps something like the 18-135 would be a good choice. 18 mm would provide a relatively wide angle for big city-scapes and 135 mm would provide enough tele to isolate details. You would also be saved from lots of lens changing. If you had he 75-300 with you could change to that if you needed further tele ability.

Another option would be one of the super zooms. I think DK has used one of the 18-250s when traveling.

For me, I'd want a smaller set up, such as a Nex or RX100, for a city visit. More discrete and easier in crowded places. Mind you, from the pictures of the Big Apple I've seen there are plenty of open spaces so perhaps I'm exaggerating how crowded it is.

[bfitzgerald]

Apparently, Barry Fitzgerald is happy with the SAM 18-135

Well if it sucked I'd have sold it pretty quickly. So it was a surprise in some ways.
I don't pull my punches if I think something is crud I say so, or if it's good I'll also say it.

A58 sucks, not recommended cheap and nasty not worth buying IMO unless it's stupid cheap £199 (not even as a back up body), 18-55mm is ho hum but I've seen worse (a few times)
I'd have no problems pulling the 18-135mm apart if I felt it was a bit dodgy. As it happens it is very much worth looking at "if" you want more zoom but don't want the usual 18-250mm lenses. There are compromises but not too many and the sharpness is def there in a way it's not on the 18-200+ lenses, but some might be ok with that drop off.

I personally am not overly impressed with the longer focal length super zooms at that stage I don't think you can really beat getting a tele zoom (plenty of choices out there at all price points)

For the OP it is a good all rounder and has enough pull tele wise for what I've used it for, if you want to travel light just use the 18-135mm, but bag a fast 35/50mm prime in case you need it. 2 lenses should cover a lot of what most folks would do, bar wildlife stuff

[classiccameras]

Thats how it was in the old 35-mm SLR days, your kit consisted of several primes of various focul lengths from wide to short tele, may be a long tele as well. A zoom would have been an added luxury but it would not have performed as well as the fixed tele in those days.
I aggree with Barry, a couple of primes and the 18-135 would be my ideal kit for the type of photography I do. Obviously other people will have different needs.

As people have gathered, I was losing faith in Sony Alpha as others were for most of the reasons spoken about on this forum, However, I have to admit that the 18-135 has rekindled some my faith in the system and I'm now looking for a couple of primes, either Minolta or Sony. I think Sony should get a 'small' round of applause for the 18-135 as in some respects its sent a message out to the faithful, come and try before you desert us.

[Atgets_Apprentice]

I use a Tamron 18-250 as my "Travel" lens, and find it does the job. Being a Tamron, there shouldn't be any compatibility issues with the a65.

[classiccameras]

That sounds like a very useful zoom for your travels, I believe it also got some rave reviews.

[bakubo]

I used the Sony 18-250mm (believed to be made by Tamron) with my A700 for travel a lot. I liked the lens. I also took the Sony 11-18mm, Minolta 50mm f1.7, and Sigma 24mm f2.8, but mostly used the 18-250mm. My Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, Vietnam, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel galleries along with many in the Japan, British Columbia, and Hawaii galleries have many photos made with the lens.

[classiccameras]

Wow bakabu
You are one heck of a globe trotter, make the most of it while you can.
I had a look at some of your work and I am very impressed, I doubt many of us would ever be able to travel as much as you, good luck mate.

[bakubo]

Wow bakabu
You are one heck of a globe trotter, make the most of it while you can.
I had a look at some of your work and I am very impressed, I doubt many of us would ever be able to travel as much as you, good luck mate.

Yeah, I try to get off for a walkabout from time to time. I have been doing it for a few decades and I wrote a bit about it here:

http://www.bakubo.com/ramblings.html