Here's a shot from a lens that is reported to have Minolta colors - the 20mm f2.8

FYI, I shot in JPG and using Vivid settings.



No CPL and minor levels and curves PP editing done only.



I can comfortably use up to ISO 1600 with no worries. ISO 3200 has more visible noise but still usable. Dunno about how high your noise tolerance is.

Put both of the lenses on your camera. Which one looks more 'ngam' to you? That's the one that's more suited to your way of shooting. There's no such thing as one lens is better than another unless you're talking about a really cheap quality glass.

When I first got the 50mm on an APS-C camera, I liked it. Then I saw the 50mm on the FF. I loved it! That's the difference. I loved the fact that a 50mm lens can afford you to shoot almost everything without you having to change lenses.

It can shoot people across the table from you, do street shooting with no problems, do portraiture and even small groups with no hassle. It can also do low light without flash.

lwliam : Your wish is my command. Here's a few snaps from a 50mm lens on a full frame camera:

Naruto : No poison lar.... it's just to show you how a 50mm looks like on a FF cam and how much you can do with it. All poison are self poison! Hehehehehe... No one can poison you if you refused to be poisoned.

See my gear list - you can count the no.of lenses I have with one hand and still have plenty to spare!

No that's not true. Third party lenses are manufactured by the 3rd party and is paired with the mount for the different brands -e.g. for Sony, they will put in the A mount for the lens, for Canon they will put in the EF mount plus a motor as Canon does not have screw drive etc.

Unless Sony changes the A-mount to a different mount, the lenses will not become obsolete. Future camera bodies may have new features that will not be supported by older lenses but they will still fit and you can still use them. Heck, older Minolta AF lenses can still be used and they are around 20 years old! If you look at the mount on your lenses, you will notice that newer Sony lenses will have 8 metal contacts while older Minolta lenses have only 5 metal contacts but they can still be used.


Not worth repairing bro. Just get a second hand kitlens for around RM300 at most. To repair, the labour charge is already RM150. Add in the spare parts and the cost can easily go over RM300

zstan : I don't think it's reverse engineered lar... I would think that the mount information is easily available from the manufacturers like Sony or Canon or Nikon. It does not stand to logic that they will stop third party lens maker from making lenses for their mounts.

zstan : I'm sure there's a fee or license or whatever and I'm sure that it's not too prohibitive.

3rd party manufacturers play an important role in the DSLR field. They provide users with cheaper alternatives to premium lenses offered by the original manufacturers. This in turn will help the original manufacturers to sell more bodies. It's a win-win situation. Common examples are the cheaper alternatives for the 70-200mm f2.8 lenses.

3rd parties also fill in gaps in the line ups where the original manufacturers have little interest in pursuing. Like the 30mm lenses for APS-C sensors or the 50-150mm range for APS-C sensors. Take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens. It fills a niche for budget users who cannot afford to or won't buy the more expensive 16-35mm FF range from the original manufacturers. Without 3rd party lens maufacturers, the original manufacturers will not have such a big market share for bodies.

albnok : Hmm... so they ARE reverse engineered. I stand corrected.

wonka : Just pack your camera with you wherever you go and you can take pics lor... Anyway, can you really go back to a compact cam? I find that I can no longer tolerate the shortcomings of compact cams, especially the dismal low light performance...

Clean it using a blue ink eraser

vemp : Welcome to the orange legion!

The price for F58 is approx RM11xx
The price for F42 is approx RM8xx

Both are Sony flashes but F58 has more features and bigger GN number.

If you still don't know which lens to get then shoot more with your kit lens until you know... best way to save money and ensure that your next lens purchase is the right lens for you.


If you do not want to get the 18-55mm kitlens then I would suggest you get the a 30mm prime lens to go with your A550. It should cover most needs although it's a prime lens. A 50mm may be a little too tight on APS-C bodies for most purposes.

Tamron are third party lens manufacturer and they do have the 17-50 f2.8 lens for A mount. If your budget is max RM1k then this one is out of reach for you unless you wanna try getting second hand.

Don't do it! Your wifey will kill you!! She will get annoyed with you running back and forth between her and the camera and then she will ask you if you love her or the camera more!!!

Seriously, it's not practical at all lar... you're all dressed up and then you run around and get hot and bothered and ruin your make-up and hair and end up with great shots but lousy model (i.e. yourself). Sure your future wife don't approve. Not worth it lar...

One pic to spam this morning.

Please C&C. Thanks!

Gouki : Thanks!

lwliam : Why so slow? So busy meh?

Thanks! She did wear makeup but not the thick ICI kind lar. I don't like to smoothen the face too much. I know that making it smooth like baby's bottom is the norm but some imperfections reflects reality much more closely, I feel.

As per zstan's request. 2 more pics for you..

C&C please.

1.


2.

That's because this model has a smoother skin in real life. Hahaha.

As for the second pic, the lighting is intentional. Side lighted from model's left and high. I agree about the hands.

albnok : Yup! I would have preferred a non-tilted one too but that the only one I have I'm afraid. I'm not the only photog there.

That's why we must learn from them. The camera is not that important. The lighting is!

First we must know the limitation of the camera we use. The iPhone 4 - miniscule sensor so high ISO is out of the question. Use lowest ISO and bombard the subject with enough light to make the most of it. Also make sure to light it the correct way - main lights, fill lights, separation lights and what else have you?

This is the reason why photography is also known as painting with lights.

Sony Style KLCC have demo units placed in the open. Just carry your own memory card and slot in and shoot away. As long as the battery does not run out you can test.

KLCC shops all prices sky high one - better go to places like Sg. Wang or Pudu Plaza to buy.

8tvt : You do not really need stabilization for a fish-eye lens. Remember the rule for stable shots? 1/focal length shutter speed or higher. A fisheye is rarely (or can I say never) more than 16mm in focal length, so achieving a 1/16 shutter speed or higher is very, very doable in almost all conditions.

Bored so decided to write some rubbish from my brain with regards to replacing the kitlens with a 'better' lens.

So you're not pleased with the 18-55mm f3.5-f5.6 kitlens and want to 'upgrade'. What lens to get next? Here are some suggestions:

If you are sticking to APS-C bodies for the foreseeable future:

Premium choice:

1. Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f2.8 zoom. You get full Zeiss goodness! 'nuff said.
Bonus : This can be used on a FF cam too!

2. Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f3.5-f4.5 zoom. Baby Zeiss.

Budget choice:

1. SAL 16-105mm f3.5-f5.6 zoom. Almost Zeiss.
2. SAL 18-250mm f3.5-f6.3 zoom. Range, range, range.
3. Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 zoom. Best liked budget f2.8 lens for APS-C.


If you are planning to upgrade to full frame:

Premium choice:

1. Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 zoom. Best in its class! 'nuff said.

2. Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 HSM zoom. Close contender to the Zeiss.

Budget choice:

1. SAL 28-75mm f2.8 zoom.
2. SAL 24-105mm f3.5-f4.5 zoom. Discontinued - only while stocks lasts.


Most practical and cost effective solution:

Keep your kitlens and keep shooting until your skills forces you to change lenses!



Feel free to add to the list!

Why would you need an extender for existing sony flash? If you are referring to existing Alpha flashes, they're high enough already and built in flash cannot be removed so cannot be extended.