amadeo: Thanks for starting v20! Could you put the street prices list too?

Zeegon: Your sensor size is 23.6mm wide and 15.9mm tall, if I remember correctly. A true 1:1 macro lens will be able to fill up the entire frame with something that size.

MechaHerc: 50mm and 90mm is not distance from lens; it's the focal length which is the distance from the sensor to the point where all light converges into one point.

SpOOkY: Alphas can be used at F8 - the Minolta/Sony 500mm F8 AF Reflex is one such example. I've used the beercan with 2x teleconverter and it can focus (with great difficulty lah.)

dinraxxx: The Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM is not RM10k la. Nearly half of that, now - same goes for the new Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM.

jsc_tidus: The FA-SHC1AM fits on all Sony Alphas.

weigie: Yes, the A900 is like a digital Minolta 9, and the A700 is like a digital Minolta 7.

The reason why I call it a Minolta 7 instead of a Minolta Maxxum 7 is because the naming is different in different countries - in Japan, it's called the Minolta Alpha 7. In America it's the Minolta Maxxum 7. Everywhere else, it's the Minolta Dynax 7.

I have a Minolta Dynax 7 by the way.

Actually, the Konica Minolta 7 Digital is the digital version of the Minolta 7 - the button layout and knobs are almost identical!

And yes, all legendary Minolta AF lenses can mount on any Sony Alpha camera. Oh and the only Minolta A-mount lens which is not AF, the legendary bokeh machine Minolta 135mm F2.8/T4.5 Smooth Transition Focus also fits on Alphas.

The Wonder: #3 is interesting. It does not feel like the typical old-age portrait which tries to depict the person as old - instead she is just there in front of you.

vcvx: Interesting leak! But not totally plausible. I would love the 50-150mm F2.8G SSM DT in beercan weight. Though it is doubted that DT lenses will ever be blessed with SSM. The 10-18mm is not as likely as the Tamron 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 rebadge, though. But the 16-55mm is quite a good range!

hokc77: Nice flag!

soulfly: We don't know what the SAL70300's aperture is going to be like. It could be F4.5-5.6 to keep it under the G in specification.

ryzan76: Congratulations!

ryzan76, great catch with the small spider!

raist86: Try International Camera, Pertama Complex. They have the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 and Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 in A-mount.

hkhk: The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 has the occasional gear stripping problem. The geartrain is made of plastic and might wear off especially on the infinity focus end. So when you turn on the camera it will reset the lens to infinity and get stuck there (with a LOUD vibrating sound) because the gear track has broken off. You can still manually focus and bring the focus ring back to close focus and it will work to some extent but if you misfocus and cause it to go towards infinity, it will get stuck again.

This is something the warranty will fix, if it's of any consolation.

ryzan76, love the dragonfly shot!

WindY2K: If you HAVE to HAVE something beyond 50mm, and have it F2.8, then get:

Tamron 17-50mm F2.8
Tamron 90mm F2.8

You have a flash, you know whether F2.8 is important or not.

Another way, is:
Sony 16-105mm F3.5-5.6 DT
Sigma 30mm F1.4

The 16-105mm is for a wide range. Honestly in walkabouts I never needed more than 100mm.

The 30mm F1.4 is the true champion of low-light. 30mm means its wide enough for getting 2-3 people in a shot sitting opposite you. The 50mm is a bit too tight and will get only 1 person.

The 30mm F1.4 is a great 'party' lens. Just bring body and 30mm, no flash needed.

raist86: There is also the risk of gear stripping on the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro.

When my Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX gear stripped, I was forced to get a replacement standard lens. I ended up with a Sony 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 DT kit lens once again, and I'd say that when I tried it again I realized it wasn't all that bad and can be pretty sharp once you know how to use it.

raist86: Should be around RM15xx-17xx.

WindY2K: The other thing which anybody who has tried the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC will notice, is the insane minimum focusing distance! At 20cm from the sensor plane to the subject, minus the length of the lens, and you have a lens that practically touches the subject! Try it!

Eh, got difference wan!

Michaelangelo = orange
Donatello = purple
Raphael = red
Leonardo = blue

At least the weapons are correct.

Eh SHOfrE3zE sorry that day I didn't recognize you. Welcome back to Malaysia!

vandechrome: I like the WB, very pinky skin tones. Some parts of the picture are not as bright as others, though like on the right half of #2.

#4 could crop out just the left and right a bit, and some minor distortion correction.

chiggy: MMM duck!

syafix: Use flash and your high ISO shots will be less noisy. If you can't flash, overexpose slightly.

SHOfrE3zE, man those are classics!

ryzan76, nice road shot! A minor bit of clone stamp might make it even more picturesque. The caterpillar is way cool.

dinraxxx: You might find the 28-135mm range more useful. Both are kinda dark anyway.

c4no1: You can use any brand lens as long as it says Minolta AF or Sony A-mount. That means a Tamron/Sigma/Tokina lens which says "Minolta AF" or "Sony" will fit.

Also, all Minolta AF lenses will fit as well.

signither: The Minolta AF 50mm F1.4 has an internal flare problem when you shoot a black cap on a bright white background. The flare will show as a spot in the middle.

But then again, I don't shoot black caps at all so most times this will not be a problem.

bysquashy: Bracket if you're not sure - shoot once at F8, F11, F14, F16.

david890701, great comeback! Especially like the sunset.

mechaboy, email cic@sony.com.my and tell them to fix it.

SHOfrE3zE: Great Optimus shot!

fas29: I see 2 M42 mount lenses! Get an M42 to A-mount adapter, and you can use these lenses on your Alpha (in M mode)!

achew: Add some health bars!

fas29, you have to bring these M42 lenses to our next TT session. We will educate you!

The adapter can be gotten from http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51986.

Take a picture of these lenses from the front so we can identify if it's a useful lens.

State your location, we might hold one near your side of town!

Freezefrost:

The Sony 16-105mm is F3.5-5.6 and focuses to 40cm from the sensor plane.

The Sigma 17-70mm is F2.8-4.5 and focuses to 20cm from the sensor plane.

I say sensor plane, not working distance from lens to subject - it's probably about 1-2cm!

Having a lens that can focus on any surface it touches, is a lot of fun. You get creative shots that nobody else has.

Remember the Sigma 24mm F1.8? That was another lens that went very close!

raist86, the range and aperture of the 17-70mm are good but not stellar - however, to me, its MFD is its biggest selling point.

mowkey: Independent reviews rate the Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM to be very high in optical quality, and it performs great on APS-C and full-frame. The Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 VR is weak in corners on full-frame. Some people prefer the Canon 70-200mm F4L IS over the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L (both non-IS and IS variants). This might simply be because the Canon F4 is a newer design.

You could get the Sony for RM5xxx street price. Bokeh-wise, it promises the same great bokeh from the classic Minoltas. I'm not thrilled with the Canon or Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 bokeh, but the Nikon 80-200mm F2.8 AF-D seems to give something pretty close.

Speaking of close, who gets real close in tele?

2.3 meters - Nikkor 80-400mm F4.5-5.6D
1.8 meters - Nikkor 80-200mm F2.8, Minolta 80-200mm F2.8G HS APO, Canon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS
1.5 meters - Canon 70-200mm F2.8L, Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 VR, Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM, Sony 75-300mm F4.5-5.6
1.2 meters - Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM, Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G SSM, Canon 70-200mm F4L
1.1 meters - Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan, Nikkor 135mm F2D
1 meter - Sigma 70-200mm F2.8
95 cm - Tamron 70-200mm F2.8, Sony 55-200mm F4-5.6 DT
90 cm - Canon 135mm F2L
72 cm - Sony Carl Zeiss 135mm F1.8

You might notice that newer lenses can focus closer. Who gets the closest at 400mm, and 135mm?

dinraxxx: Canon FD lenses are not compatible with Sony Alpha bodies. The adapters will have glass and will cause a slight teleconverter effect and lose some light.

fas29, take a picture of the M42 lenses with the front part (so we can see what it says!) You probably do not need any more 'bokeh' lenses; I suspect that your dad's lenses are, from the short to tall one, 28mm F2.8, 55mm F1.4 and 135mm F2.8. Those were the standard ranges lah.

Also try to get the film body serviced; the lenses will seem more 'ngam' in focal lengths on a full-frame film body.

dinodino also sells the ISO to iISO hotshoe converter so you can use the HVL-F32X flash on the A200. But you'll have to shoot with manual flash power settings only.

ryzan76: Fuyoh original kamen rider!

nickilala: I originally started not liking flash at all, but the easier path is:

Body+kit -> flash -> get money shooting stuff -> get better lenses -> battery grip

A flash really brings back some cash. It also makes your kit lens seem sharper, because you can introduce directional light (which create texture and the appearance of sharpness) and use faster shutter speeds.

AlphaBeta: A flash is useful for strongly backlit subjects... in the sun.

iwan328i: Send for warranty. I doubt they sell the original battery charger unfortunately. And no, water damage is not covered; neither are leaking batteries (don't leave cheap batteries in your flash!)

vandechrome: LOL! I have had THREE 18-70mm kit lenses. First one had to sell, if not cannot sell the A100. Then I got the Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX. Then a second one passed through me for a day. And when the Sigma gear stripped, I was forced to get a quick backup.

I then had to sell my 3rd kit lens because the guy I was selling my A700 to, needed a kit lens to sell his A100 with!

marauderz: You'll need to press the * button on the 1000D to autofocus. It uses Contrast-Detect AF (using the image from the main sensor) instead of our fast Phase-Detect AF, which is using AF sensors below the mirror box. The other one you mention where the mirror goes down so it can direct light into the AF sensors is relatively quicker but still lags due to mirror movement.

No, Pentax doesn't AF in Live View. Only the Panasonic G1 can claim to such speeds in Contrast-Detect AF.

bysquashy: On the contrary, you probably cannot use a CPL on an ultra-wide angle lens because the angle of polarization is 90 degrees maximum and on lenses wider than that, an obvious irregular band of darkness and lightness will occur.

jimlim007: Ooo #2, #6 and #7!

cjlai, love #4!

raist86: In KL most shopkeepers are alright with testing lenses. Just look like you know what you are doing and they will trust you with their stuff.

SHOfrE3zE: The CZ 16-80mm doesn't have a focusing problem. And if you want to be full-frame ready while having a decently wide angle lens, get a Sigma/Tamron/Minolta 17-35mm F2.8-4 which will work on full-frame. It will become an ultra-wide angle lens.

However, it IS bulky because it's meant to be an ultra-wide...

That said, the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 is an easy lens to sell.

hanafinoor: The Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG HSM Macro and 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM are the only Sigma lenses that come with HSM in the A-mount. That said, the 17-70mm has no record of getting gear stripping. Some lenses just seem to get it consistently and a lot.

gabriellai: ALL Tamron lenses must have an internal motor if they come in Canon EF/EF-S mount as the Canon EF/EF-S bodies do not have a focusing screw. It certainly is NOT a supersonic motor version - it is a micro motor that sounds like a little Transformer bzzt-ing away. So it's not quite like Sigma's HSM.

The Nikon, Sony and Pentax versions are all screw-driven, exception being the Tamrons marked with NEW, for Nikon - this allows them to be used on the Nikon D40/D40x/D60.

chiggy: The split-prism part of the focusing screen will become hard to look at at F5.6 onwards. If one half blacks out, that means you're not looking at it with your eye exactly on the center of the screen, so you'll have to move the camera slightly left or right until both halves are equally illuminated.

Also, sounds like your 135mm has oily aperture blades. Self-repair might be simple as it's a common lens with a common problem.

ryzan76: Hmmm, I wonder what Pfizer makes in white octagons...

dinraxxx: Planar T*? That's a different choice. I prefer a Sonnar T*, or Vario-Sonnar T*, myself.

mushpop, I like #2, the mamak lane in black-and-white. Looks like the row near Beach Club.

sidewinderz: The Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG HSM Macro and 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM are the only Sigma lenses that come with HSM in the A-mount. The Sigma 10-20mm does not have HSM in A-mount but it does for Canon and Nikon mounts.

AlphaBeta: The off-camera flash needs to detect the signal from the pop-up flash. It can be bounced off any surface that is able to reflect infrared. Hence, you can shoot with the flash facing the subject, but BEHIND the camera. You do not need to face the off-camera flash sensor to the pop-up flash; as long as the signal can bounce off something, into the flash sensor, it will trigger.

dark lenanza: You can test my FF also what.

mushpop: FUUUH bestnya nasi lemak there! With the rempah and all... gotta go there again sometime.

FF = full-frame. All film cameras are full-frame with the exception of APS film bodies and half-frame bodies like the Olympus Pen F. That's why a lot of older photographers like FF dSLRs, because the angle of view of a lens is what it is on a film SLR.

Personally I love 50mm on FF. It's a lot wider and very useful.

SpOOkY: Off the top of my head, the Planar implies distortion-free rendition. However the only ZA lens I can think of with the Planar term is the CZ 85mm F1.4. The others are all Vario-Sonnar zooms, or the 135mm F1.8 Sonnar prime. If I was to buy them all, I think I'd buy the 85mm last as personal preference.

T* is the Carl Zeiss coating which gives the lenses its amazing contrast and color balance.

Freezefrost: A quick Google will say yes, the Helios and Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar are such examples.

chiggy: I'd say you should bring it in. On my Vivitar 24mm F2.0, initially, one of the spring hooks became 'straight' so it no longer has enough tension to pull the aperture lever shut. I superglued the spring's lining so it became tight! Of course, mine had TWO springs instead of one so I'm not sure how yours is designed.

The camera repair shops have LOADS of replacement springs.

If the lever on the left is what I think it is, moving it should directly control the aperture. I am not sure where the M42 aperture pin interfaces with this.

raist86: Don't say we didn't warn you. Anyway the moment you encounter any doubtful focusing, you should pack your kit lens the next day. Try to take note if it happens in colder temperatures.

Also, the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Sony mount is also available at Leos Trading, Ampang Park.

SpOOkY: I've had TWO lenses have gear stripping problems, and these are not common lenses - the Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX and Tamron 200-400mm F5.6.

I would not suggest the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro or 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO Macro because both have had common cases of gear stripping. The 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG "Bigma" also, unfortunately, faces this problem also. So it's not a case of cheap lenses having plastic gears, expensive Sigmas get it too.

Heck, when I sent my Tamron, International Camera said that Nikons will strip gears too!

To get an idea what stripped gears look like, there are pictures here:

http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=312752

dark lenanza: Yeah... it doesn't need powerful lenses also. 24-105mm F3.5-4.5 and 70-210mm F4 also can!

dinraxxx: Ask Jeff about me.

signither: Cost me RM3xx for my Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX (bought second-hand from YL Camera, sent to YL Camera to fix.) Before this also it was unable to focus closer than 1 meter so I also had to pay that much to fix it.

dinraxxx: Just say Albert lah he knows wan. I didn't sell him the Minolta 50mm F1.7, that was my friend.

signither: The safe Sigmas should be okay. Anyway, I got the 17-35mm for a lot less than it is new so I guess my repairs has made it about the same price lah.

raist86: Vistana Hotel is near Titiwangsa LRT/monorail.

The cheaper version of the Sony Carl Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 is the Sony 24-105mm F3.5-4.5. It's one-third the price, one-third the weight, and probably one-third the size, too! It's also full-frame, which is the point of having a 24-70mm range.

I have the Minolta version of this lens - I'll take a shot to compare size.