hi mastering89, thanks for the info . hmm so i think i will just buy the F1.8 since it is much more cheaper than the F1.4, and F1.8 is ady better than my kit lense

If you really have the budget or if you could save up a bit, go all the way to Sony's 50mm f/1.4. Search around and you might find someone selling their unit. It is highly recommended.

ISO 1600 boleh tahan wor.

i suggest if u have enuff budget for the SAL50 f1.4, better get a flash (HVL F42) and pair with the 50mm f/1.8. can do more stuff with them . but if don have limitation in budget then get the Sigma 50mm f/1.4

get something which u NEED and if have extra $€¥ get the things u WANT. the 50mm f1.8 is more than enuff for me. but last time i didnt consider and just buy, i end up selling it bcoz dont like the range/wideness. play2 wiyh ur kitlens first and only figure out ur desired focal range (24mm/28mm/35mm/50mm/85mm/etc)

This post has been edited by mastering89: Dec 7 2010, 11:26 AM

The A5xx series battery life is pretty strong even you keep shooting in live view, I have doing event shooting for a whole day from morning until night with my A550 and the battery drains from 100% until 25~40%, well it depends on how many shots u do ...

Ngek ngek.. Not bad la.. Later going Pavi to shoot shoot lol.

Malas nak balik Uni dulu XD

hi alucard_my,thanks for the info. thats what annoying me
whether save 1st or just go for F1.8

SAL50 f1.4 = 50mm f/1.8 + HVL F42 (the price)
yea have to think twice or even more
btw, i wonder what is the 2nd lense normally people will go after kit lense? is it 50mm?

besides, you mentioned the flash. i wonder what can HVL-F20AM do? is it better than the internal flash?
bcoz im going to help my fren on shooting his wedding dinner, and i've consult a seller about it and the boss told me that at least HVL-F42AM can do
so can i just use internal flash?
PS: i've bought my A550 for about 3 months ++ and i rarely use the flash, just play ard the ISO or exposure...

thanks for consutation and sorry if too much questions

Aikks... now my hands start to feel itchy to do some shooting again... lol

You buy 6MDH liao?

50mm F1.8 is the best for APS-C users in budget and it has the better minimum focus distance as well :]

For flash it depends your needs, if you shoot a lots of indoor and needed fast shutter speed then it makes sense for you to having it otherwise a high ISO (ISO800~1600) with a bright aperture prime can already works on in many conditions IMO. + Flash is quite challenge and u need a lots of knowledge and understanding to master it

Hi, everyone!

Just plunged into the world of DSLR with A33y and hoping to learns lots from this forum here! Such a vast difference from pns!

While I'm happy with the 55-200mm, but the 18-55 seems a tad too grainy in darker places.

I'm considering the prime SAL 50mmF1.8 and the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8. Will the tamron perform as well as the SAL for portrait w/o flash? I kinda dislike flash. If so, i should forget about getting the SAL?

don't dislike flash.. bounce will do good..
maybe u can try high iso with that kit lens..

I have a friend who uses Tamron 1750 2.8. He highly recommended it as it shoot wide and potrait. Unlike the limitation of 50mm where you have a fixed length, 1750 lets you adjust a little. Plus the 2.8 aperture really helps in low light condition. I doubt anyone would use higher aperture than 2.8 in sony 50mm f/1.8. I had this 50mm f/1.8 before and it's always been on aperture 2.8 as it produces better sharpness. Later on, I sold that and bought 50mm 1/4 and the center sharpness is excellent, even at aperture 2.

Whenever I need to use flash, my f58 comes into picture and I'll ditch the 50mm in favour of my 18250.

hazril: My nose almost bleed too hehe

Mikeshashimi: I'm Mr. Wang. What do you think?lol

kysham: Not for sale...lol

albnok: Thanks. Your gears are freaking awesome! So many! Photos are nice too!

mastering89: Hehe...not as big as albnok's family

This post has been edited by Mr.Wang: Dec 7 2010, 12:31 PM

i don't specifically hate flash, just dun like lugging another bulky item . bought the a33 partially due to the smaller size. hehe.

just using the built-in flash now, so the light is quite harsh. and i dunno where to find a diffuser for that. would you happen to know where to get this accessory?


seems there alot of praises for the tamron. in one of the reviews for the 50mmf1.8, it did say that at f1.8, the sharpness dwindles and f2.8 is the max aperture for good sharpness. i have been wondering if the tamron can completely replace the kit lens plus the 50mmf1.8. thanks for the confidence vote. i think i'll just skip the 50mm and target the tamron.

btw, the kit lens that i have seems to jerks a little (i think at 45mm) when turning the zoom dial. is this a problem? checked with the demo sets at the shops and it seems to have same issue.

I have both the tamron 17-50 & 50f1.8,I can say they are on different league,don't think each can be replaced by another. But 50f1.8 is abit too tight in aps-c,if you wanna get a prime,I think it would be better to get the newly announced 35f1.8,which gives you view of around 50mm,I am going to get that too. For tamron 17-50,it is quite a decent lens for aps-c,but I don't think the sharpness at f2.8 is comparable with 50f1.8,the better sharpness for tamron should be above f4 Personally I prefer Sony/Minolta colour than Tamron's.

goodness gracious me..... albert, that review really pushed me over the edge with the sharpness and the surprisingly pleasant bokeh (more pleasant than I expected). Love how lenses in this class (short focal length, big aperture) creates wide angle shots with shallow depth of field.... poison, poison, poison.... X.X"

thought A33 high iso is good edy.. or maybe using F20 for lighter flash?

what is the street price for the 35mm going for atm? cant seem to find price reference for this. actually if the tamron is only good when above f4, then the kits lens should be good enough? are sony colors warmer compared to tamron?

do you use 3rd party batteries e.g. octopus? or not recommended at all?

thanks for patiently answering all this. i'm a complete newbie.

Actually I like the bokeh on the 50mm f1.8 better. Those of you not planning to go FF and does not need to go low light without flash ALL THE TIME can opt for the 50mm f1.8


albnok : Thanks!
Wah! Zeiss poisoning!!! I am already so smitten with the 24mm f2 Zeiss already!!! When my wife saw the picture of the lens the first thing she asked is : How much is it? When she found out the price, she said : Don't you dare buy it!


For you guys wanting to know what kit lens replacement is really good apart from the Tamron 17-50mm there is one premium choice that is second to none! That's the Zeiss 16-35mm!! Covers the 24m to 50m range on APS-C and you get a UWA when you upgrade to FF!!

I am not sure about the street price,but it's retail at RM899,hopefully street price gets below 800. Yes,for better sharpness for the tamron,should stopped down to f4,but the sharpness is much better compared to kitlens@f4,I had kitlens before,the sweetspot I would say around 7.1~8,you figure it out but for beginner,I would recommend you to get flash(f42) instead of changing lens since you still do not understand what kind of photography you prefer. By comparing SAL50f1.8 with tamron 17-50f2.8,the Sony gives me more contrast and vivid colours. If you are going to shoot for your friend's wedding,definitely a flash would be much appropriate,because most of the time the wedding hall do not give you sufficient lighting even you are shooting at f2.8 all the time,you gonna pump up the iso and get some grainy photos sometimes

I think master albnok mentioned that he prefers the 50f1.8 bokeh too
(The 16-35f2.8 would be muuccccccccccch more expensive than my camera body )