Calling all Sony Alpha users!

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stan the man said:
i wonder what my missus is gonna say when i get the sigma 100-300 F4 EX DG...it's only £760!!! :bat:
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"Cheerio" I would imagine....:nono::nono::nono:;)

And no, I'm still not getting that battery grip
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
People I am about to invest in a lens with a bigger reach namely Sigma 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6 APO DG Macro to complement my A200.
I already own Minolta "Beercan" 70-210mm and I am very pleased with the resoults but I tend to go to airshow and I need more reach.
I would just like you to confirm that this 300mm lens is going to give me bigger picture in comparising with Minolta 210mm. I have dificulty understanding how much is 210mm on digital crop size CCD in relation to 300mm DG lens... Also do you think I will be happy with this lens?
Thank you falks.
 
Apolon said:
Also do you think I will be happy with this lens?
Thank you falks.
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Can't answer your "crop" question but somebody will be along soon with a definitive answer.
As far as the new lens is concerned, it is a very popular choice and I think it is highly rated by it's users whichever camera it's used on.

By the way, let me know if you ever want to sell the Beercan
;););)
 
Apolon said:
People I am about to invest in a lens with a bigger reach namely Sigma 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6 APO DG Macro to complement my A200.
I already own Minolta "Beercan" 70-210mm and I am very pleased with the resoults but I tend to go to airshow and I need more reach.
I would just like you to confirm that this 300mm lens is going to give me bigger picture in comparising with Minolta 210mm. I have dificulty understanding how much is 210mm on digital crop size CCD in relation to 300mm DG lens... Also do you think I will be happy with this lens?
Thank you falks.
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Mornin!
I'm sure you'd be well happy with this lens, as it is a corker.
It can produce some stunning shots, and has a well earned reputation.
It's also a great macro lens......

But strangely, you wouldn't really see that much difference in that and your beercan. The difference between 200 and 300mm is very slight.
Something I never understand!!!

If more reach is important to you, you'd really need to start thinking of 400-500mm lens.

The Alpha's have a crop factor of 1.5, so multiply the focal length by 1.5 to get it in 35mm terms. IE, a 210 would be 315, and 300 would be 450.
(Or so my calculator says!!!!)
Personally I don't take any notice of this, as it really doesn't matter.

Another option is to crop your piccies on your PC.
You have a 10mp DSLR that will allow a fair bit of cropping without losing detail.
Shooting RAW would also help......

Here's a few examples of cropping, and what this lens is capable of:

Uncropped:

good6.jpg


Cropped:

good7-1.jpg
 
Another quick example of what this baby can do.
The full size version of this shot is amazing :)

Typhoon1.jpg
 
I have a feeling we went to the same air show ;-) I was happy with Beercan but because of the awful weather on Sunday lots of photos had a grain and were not sharp thanks to low viz and high ISO I had to use 800+ usually. Shame. If this is photo of Sigma then I am going for it. This is my album from Farnborough on a Webshots.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2802934290061271690yeYkbh

Am I to understand that I will NOT gain anything by buying this lens? Is there no visual difference? So I have effectively 300+mm with Beercan on A200 and with Sigma I would have 450mm!? I think that would serve me nicely. I had to crop lots of photo because subject was distant on many occasion.
So, is that yes for Sigma or maybe in your opinion? I do need some more reach and if it gives me 450mm that sounds good but I have not seen it myself to measure the difference so I can only take your opinion guys.
Thank you.
 
Apolon said:
I have a feeling we went to the same air show ;-) I was happy with Beercan but because of the awful weather on Sunday lots of photos had a grain and were not sharp thanks to low viz and high ISO I had to use 800+ usually. Shame. If this is photo of Sigma then I am going for it. This is my album from Farnborough on a Webshots.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2802934290061271690yeYkbh

Am I to understand that I will NOT gain anything by buying this lens? Is there no visual difference? So I have effectively 300+mm with Beercan on A200 and with Sigma I would have 450mm!? I think that would serve me nicely. I had to crop lots of photo because subject was distant on many occasion.
So, is that yes for Sigma or maybe in your opinion? I do need some more reach and if it gives me 450mm that sounds good but I have not seen it myself to measure the difference so I can only take your opinion guys.
Thank you.
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Hiya mate.
Sorry for the late reply.....

The Typhoon shot was taken at Biggin. Couldn't get to Farnborough, had to take the Mrs on holiday :lol:
That shot was taken with the Sigma indeed.
I have a few more on my flickr account (see sig) if you wanna check them out.

You are correct about the focal lengths, in 35mm terms of course.
Like I said, I tend to ignore the 35mm stuff.
Just need to remember that on a Canon EOS, due to the crop factor you will get slightly longer zoom. But at the wide end (IE 18mm) lens won't be quite as wide as a 1.5 crop camera. Not really a problem, of course ;)

It's difficult for me to give a definite answer, as I've never used a Beercan.
There's pro's and con's.
A few to mention:

Beercan is an F4 lens, so slightly 'faster'. (You can use faster shutter speeds). The Sigma is an F5.6 at the 300mm end.

The Sigma is slightly longer in focal length, and will double up as a macro lens too. It'll give you a decent 1:2 shot, which is almost a 'true' macro shot.

Don't expect to see a massive difference between 210mm and 300mm.
Oddly, there is not much difference at all.
Another post somewhere on a forum somewhere :lol:
there was a conversation about this.
The difference between the two is very minimal.
During the day at some point, I'll post 2 shots. One @ 200mm and one @ 300mm so you can see for yourself.

Bit of a long shot, but where do you live?
 
Thanks for the answer. I am in London btw. I actually got an offer for Sigma from the member on this forum so I went for it and bought it. Should arrive tomorrow. Will take some shots in next few days to compare. Will keep you posted with photos to compare from Beercan Vs Sigma. I hope it will have bigger reach for my sake.
Thank you for all the help!
 
Apolon said:
Thanks for the answer. I am in London btw. I actually got an offer for Sigma from the member on this forum so I went for it and bought it. Should arrive tomorrow. Will take some shots in next few days to compare. Will keep you posted with photos to compare from Beercan Vs Sigma. I hope it will have bigger reach for my sake.
Thank you for all the help!
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Waheeey :woot:
Nice one mate. You done well. It's a great lens.
I asked where you were 'cos we could have swapped for a few days/weeks whatever, but guess it doesn't matter now!!!
You should see a difference in reach.

Another point worth considering is, when you get a bit more experience, then try shooting in RAW.
You'll be able to crop on your PC a little more then.

Keep us posted ;)
 
Hi!
I have no problem with Photoshop. Used it for 12 years now and that is definitely one program I use in 80% of cases.
I also use Adobe lightroom v1.4. I think is way better to adjust and convert them in TIFF from there and then do fine tunning in Photoshop afterwards.
I can't wait to take Sigma for a test drive. Beercan is picture perfect when it comes to color and bokeh so it will have to be really good!
I am more after extra zoom. If the photos are anywhere near as good as with Beercan I'll be more then happy with it.
 
Well my new Siggy 17-70mm has just been delivered.
Just got 6 hours to go before I can give it a bash on the camera.
Will have to be a bit crafty fitting it on though, 'cos the Missus doesn't know anything about it
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
Smiffy said:
Well my new Siggy 17-70mm has just been delivered.
Just got 6 hours to go before I can give it a bash on the camera.
Will have to be a bit crafty fitting it on though, 'cos the Missus doesn't know anything about it
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
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nice one mate...don't get to attached to your balls though...just in case your missus notices..:lol:
 
Smiffy said:
Well my new Siggy 17-70mm has just been delivered.
Just got 6 hours to go before I can give it a bash on the camera.
Will have to be a bit crafty fitting it on though, 'cos the Missus doesn't know anything about it
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
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:D:D:D:D:D
 
Well I managed to get away with it!!

Just as I was fitting the lens on the camera, I saw Sam heading towards the dining room. I quickly lobbed a snack sized Mars bar in her general direction (I haven't mentioned she likes her choccy) and that distracted her enough for me to hear the reassuring "click" of the lens slotting home.
By the time she had scoffed the choc and entered the room I had already fired off about 10 pics (had already put the camera into continuous shooting mode) and wiped the silly grin off my face. I told her that the kit lens was performing perfectly for the holiday.
She smiled that knowing smile and gave me a peck on the cheek safe in the knowledge that we would have some wonderul memories of our trip to treasure over the coming years...;););)

What is it with women and new kit of any description???
If I offered her a new washing machine or freezer she would jump at the chance :shrug::shrug::shrug:

Initial impressions are very favourable. Results appear pin sharp and the colours are superb. A little playing about with it over the next 11 days or so should see some decent results.

Note. Tried it out again first thing this morning, couldn't figure out why I couldn't get a decent focus and it appeared to be struggling in low light.
Then I remembered that I had double checked last night to see if the polarising filter fitted...and left it on!!
Knob!!
 
Hi folks,new to the board,and new to digital slr's,ive just had the a 300 and i love it,not very good with it at the moment though, i did have the a 200 the weekend from argos but found out it was a return,i tried to register it on the internet and someone already had, so i took it back and got the a 300 from jessops
 
Was looking around locally for a battery grip for a Sony A300 even before I bought the camera but started to discovered it seemed to be in short supply and in fact almost only obtainable from a well known Photo chain store with a so call deal with Sony.

I could of paid my £170 and waited for them to get it in stock and ring me or I could of bought of Ebay for £90 +pp from Hong Kong (Hmmmmm ?) but just so happens I had to go to London and I took a quick look though various shop sites.

Guess what? an independent shop just off Oxford St selling genuine Sony Grips with guarentee in a Sony Box all brand new. They checked out camera and fitted unit to make sure it worked ok for me before taking my cash......... Opps forgot to mention £139. Dearer than Ebay but feel a lot more reassured :clap:
 
depal56 said:
Was looking around locally for a battery grip for a Sony A300 even before I bought the camera but started to discovered it seemed to be in short supply and in fact almost only obtainable from a well known Photo chain store with a so call deal with Sony.

I could of paid my £170 and waited for them to get it in stock and ring me or I could of bought of Ebay for £90 +pp from Hong Kong (Hmmmmm ?) but just so happens I had to go to London and I took a quick look though various shop sites.

Guess what? an independent shop just off Oxford St selling genuine Sony Grips with guarentee in a Sony Box all brand new. They checked out camera and fitted unit to make sure it worked ok for me before taking my cash......... Opps forgot to mention £139. Dearer than Ebay but feel a lot more reassured :clap:
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that'll be cameraworld then :thumbs:

i've had quite a few bits and pieces in there on my visits to the city...good shop with great service...
 
That there be them Stan........... will check them out when I need next bit of kit although they tried hard to sell me a tamron 250 lens. I was interested in a remote cable which they had none in stock but they did have an infra red remote, it was for a Sony Alpha 100/200 ? would that be compatible with a 300 ?? sorry to be a pain
 
steve o said:
Hi folks,new to the board,and new to digital slr's,ive just had the a 300 and i love it,not very good with it at the moment though, i did have the a 200 the weekend from argos but found out it was a return,i tried to register it on the internet and someone already had, so i took it back and got the a 300 from jessops
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Hi Steve, welcome mate :thumbs:

A fine camera indeed.

Hope you enjoy the forum.
 
depal56 said:
That there be them Stan........... will check them out when I need next bit of kit although they tried hard to sell me a tamron 250 lens. I was interested in a remote cable which they had none in stock but they did have an infra red remote, it was for a Sony Alpha 100/200 ? would that be compatible with a 300 ?? sorry to be a pain
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well i would think it would be compatable with the 300,but don't quote me on that :lol:i got my remote cable from warehouse express last year,so it may be worth trying them..it was about £30-£40 if my memory serves me right...they did try to sell me an alternative lens when they didn't have the sigma 17-70 in stock,but so long as you stick to your guns as i did...got it elsewhere anyway
 
Hi Guys,

recently decided on and bought the Sigma 180mm 3.5 Macro APO DG EX to go with the A350.

1. Just wondering if anyone with the same lens could post a few pics to show me what this lens is capable of (with a bit of practice) as I'm completely new to this DSLR system and if you could include the settings used it would be helpful :-)

2. Looking for a decent variable zoom lens with a good reach to compliment this if anyone has any suggestions, again, pictures would be greatly appreciated and an idea of the distance the picture was taken from...can't understand this m.m/focul length thing yet :-(
Have the Sigma 400mm APO f 5.6 AF lens which I bought by mistake, thinking it was an variable zoom but turned out to be fixed...too eager to get out to play :-)


any help greatly appreciated,


thanks in advance,


Ken.
 
MarkydeSad said:
I've just been having a look on a wildlife forum and there was a thread about the Sigma 50-500

Some of the shots looked really, really impressive! :thumbs:

I wonder how it would perform on my humble a200


By the way, money is not an issue as my wife and I have different bank accounts for 'spends' :D;)


Edit: Here's the link http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/general-equipment/7665-sigma-50-500-lens-any-good.html
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There's allot of good things said about this lens.
Isn't that the 'bigma'??
I'm pretty certain it would compliment your camera very nicely.
I've just got a Sigma 170-500mm APO. A 500mm stabilized lens....
Who could resist :D

It's a good lens, that's for sure.
So if money is not an issue, then go for it!
(Maybe you might consider buying me one too!!!)
 
andy_fozzy said:
There's allot of good things said about this lens.
Isn't that the 'bigma'??
I'm pretty certain it would compliment your camera very nicely.
I've just got a Sigma 170-500mm APO. A 500mm stabilized lens....
Who could resist :D

It's a good lens, that's for sure.
So if money is not an issue, then go for it!
(Maybe you might consider buying me one too!!!)
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Yes it is the "Bigma". I use it for polo and it copes. It's probably a lot better for slower objects though. Seriously considering a Sony 70-200 f2.8 + 2x teleconverter for next season though.
 
another alpha user here, currently with an A100, Beercan, sigma 24-70 2.8, SAL1118, min 50mm 1.7 and a sigma 20mm 1.7.

Currently dreaming of an A700.
 
andy_fozzy said:
There's allot of good things said about this lens.
Isn't that the 'bigma'??
I'm pretty certain it would compliment your camera very nicely.
I've just got a Sigma 170-500mm APO. A 500mm stabilized lens....
Who could resist :D

It's a good lens, that's for sure.
So if money is not an issue, then go for it!
(Maybe you might consider buying me one too!!!)
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Buy you one? Yeh, right!!! :D

Andy, I have the Sigma 70-300 and have been looking at your photos (taken with same) above. Nice :thumbs:
 
MarkydeSad said:
Buy you one? Yeh, right!!! :D

Andy, I have the 70-300 and have been looking at your photos (taken with same) above. Nice :thumbs:
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:lol:

Cheers mate. For the money, I think the 70-300 is stunning.
It always produces a clean, sharp shot.
 
nine0nine said:
another alpha user here, currently with an A100, Beercan, sigma 24-70 2.8, SAL1118, min 50mm 1.7 and a sigma 20mm 1.7.

Currently dreaming of an A700.
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Aint we all :love: :lol:

Welcome to the gang. You have a good setup there :thumbs:
 
fabs said:
Yes it is the "Bigma". I use it for polo and it copes. It's probably a lot better for slower objects though. Seriously considering a Sony 70-200 f2.8 + 2x teleconverter for next season though.
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That would be a fantastic combination.
My 170-500mm is VERY slow to focus. I couldn't imagine it would be that slow before I got it :razz:
I still love it though!!
 
andy_fozzy said:
I'd like to hear from other Sony Alpha users, having just got an a300.
The majority of photogs use Canon or Nikon, so if it's ok with da management, I'd like to start a Sony Alpha thread.

So if you are a Sony a user, would like to be, were once but not anymore, then lets chat!!

Bodies, lenses, accessories etc..........
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A good mate of mine used the A100 and loved it
 
MarkydeSad said:
Andy, old chap, what's the EXIF (is that the right term and should it be capitalised?) data on that thar shot of the moon?

I'm tempted to have a bash myself.........if you'll pardon the expression
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:lol:

EXIF is:

F/8
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/100
Manual mode
Spot metering
Focal length 300mm

Hope this helps mate :thumbs:
 
andy_fozzy said:
:lol:

EXIF is:

F/8
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/100
Manual mode
Spot metering
Focal length 300mm

Hope this helps mate :thumbs:
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It does, matey. Thanks very much :thumbs:

I've written it down on a bit of paper and inserted it into my a200 instruction manual - a tome which receives regular thumbing.....:baby:
 
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