Zoom lenses

[Hedges]

Seen these on Ebay, they say they fit the A230, has heard of them or any reports on them. Would they be good or would you recomend anything better?
(more info from ad available if needed)

SAMYANG 500mm MC f/8,0 Mirror Tele Lens with 3 filters included: Skylight 1A, ND2, ND4 £84.99
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Falcon 500mm ST Preset Telephoto Lens f/8.0 £94.99
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Many thanks Ian

[Rooz]

firstly they are not zooms, they are primes, (fixed focal length). they are both paperweights. there is a reason they are so cheap.

[DonSchap]

Reflex lenses are very lightweight for their length, because they literally fold the light path, but by doing so, they darken the overall image, hence the f/8 aperture.

f/8 take your light source and divides it by 128 times. Yeah ... unless it is sunlight ... it may be too dark to even see. To understand this:

1. Put the DSLR in Manual Mode (M).
2. Set the ISO to 800
3. Set the shutter speed to 1/15th sec ...
4. Set your lens' aperture to f/5.6
5. shoot an image.
6. Then set the aperture to f/22
7. Shoot another image.

Take a look at what you have and you will have a rough idea of how much f/8 hacks down the light.

Also, the minimum focus distance (M.F.D.) for one of these Reflex lenses is about 10-feet. You cannot get a focus on anything closer than that.

One other thing, you MUST use a tripod or some other means to stabilize the camera, as the Super SteadyShot will not be enough correction handheld.

This kind of lens lens will be a lot of work.

My suggestion is to take the $80 you were going to spend and put it toward a TAMRON AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD MACRO Zoom Telephoto lens, for ~$150.

ZOOMED IN = 300mm


.
.

ZOOMED OUT = 70mm

What you will get back with be a far cry more controllable, useful and easier to capture than any f/8 lens will deliver. A 300mm shot is also simpler to stabilize. Start easy. 500mm is awful long to do much with.

[Peekayoh]

As you guys know, I'm not an argumentative type but the other view needs to be put.

You get what you pay for but if you need 500mm and you've not much money then what's the option. Don's solution is of interest but at the the 300mm end, the Tamron is unusably soft at f5.6; stopping down to f8 improves things but still leaves it far from sharp. If you then crop to the equivalent FOV for 500mm I'm not sure how you'd be better off. I would agree though that you would have a usable 70-200mm. Frank might chime in on this!

Some folks have bought the Samyang, page of photos here.

I presume that the Minolta or Sony will offer better quality at a higher price, although I don't have any data.

One thing to say is that any Newbie might struggle with the 500mm.
Manual focus and shallow DOF.
Tricky metering.
Difficult to handhold (you should use monopod or tripod).

Another thing, Hedges, you have an A230. I don't think the Pentamirror VF is that bright although I've not looked through one. That will bring add another degree of difficulty to focusing. A big help would be Live View but your camera doesn't have the luxury.

All in all, unless you like a challenge, you might want to pass on this one. There again, I don't know how far you have progressed in this, sometimes frustrating, passtime.

[Hedges]

Cheers guys, thanks for the info, will have a bit more of a read up.
And thanks for the links donSchap, will defo have a look into the Tamron, sounds good.
Thanks
Ian

[Hedges]

Ha Ha, all confused again. Yep, i'm a bit of a beginer and am looking for a better lens for zooming, etc. Took the camera away on holiday and wasnt too impressed. Then was at the zoo the other week and tried some close ups, but these were non starters. People next to me with pocket digitals could do better close ups from distance!
Thanks again guys
Ian

[Peekayoh]

What lens are you using? What's your budget like?

[Hedges]

Sony 3.5-5.6/18-55mm SAM standard zoom lens

Budget around £100

[DonSchap]

The bottom line in all of this is that you lack any kind of telephoto capability, with that 18-55mm lens. It is designed with the idea that you can "get closer" to your subject, when you shoot, and have a modicum of cooperation.

When you have a "difficult" subject, at a distance, the 70-300mm lens is your best bet ... unless it is really dangerous or distant ... then, you may want to consider the 200-500mm lens. LOL

Honestly, with a "two lens" solution, I think you will be a lot happier once you mount the 70-300, in the case you describe. It will get you very close to where you want to be.

Get one and try it. It really is a safe bet with a minimal cost. After this, though, all bets are off, as the REAL choices begin ... with prices to match.

Ian, please take the time to read through this link (<- click on this), which is a "sticky" thread in this forum for just this kind of decision. It is the very first one, for just that reason.

[sparkie1263]

The Tamron 70-300 is a great lens for the price.

Frank