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sony a200

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lordiebee
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sony a200

Post by lordiebee » Thu Jan 13, 2011 12:33 pm

just got one wonder if some one can tell me the best lence to get for airshows. and the cheapest as like every one now money is tight
thanks john

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2e1var
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Re: sony a200

Post by 2e1var » Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:45 pm

Best and cheapest, that's a bit hard to do !
I bought an a230 last year and have has some good results with Sony's 75-300. Works well for anything on the ground and you can get some nice shots of stuff in the air if the light is good, struggle to get anything crisp if its dull though. That's my experience but you can probably go Tamron/Sigma for less and get good results or even second hand.
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POL
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Re: sony a200

Post by POL » Thu Jan 13, 2011 7:01 pm

I would agree with the above, I have an A200 and the Sony 75-300, shots are available on my website and on Flickr...

Tamron will probably be your best bet, if you go for a Sigma, make sure it's a DG HSM version.

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Heidfirst
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Re: sony a200

Post by Heidfirst » Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:38 am

hard to beat this atm for vfm http://www.jessops.com/online.store/pro ... /show.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
of course if you do have more money then improvements can be made in AF speed & IQ but realistically the next level for a new lens is £400+.
see http://fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 04&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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2e1var
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Re: sony a200

Post by 2e1var » Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:30 am

I'm considering an upgrade myself to a 75300G but can't quite convince myself to splash the cash ! I read on another forum that the best to go for are as follows (in order of price)

Minolta 70-210 f/4 "Beercan" (can only be found used)
Minolta 75-300 f/4-5.6 "Big Beercan" (only found used, both of these are old style metal bodied lenses and look quite similar to each other)
Minolta 100-300 APO (APO version is important)
Tamron 70-300 USD (the new one)
Sony 70-300 G
Sigma 50-500
Sony 70-400 G

It would appear the Minoltas can be picked up for quite reasonable money on ebay. Does anyone have any experience, would the quality be significantly better than my boggo 75300 or anything approaching the G ?
UBC-15X, 800XLT, 3500XLT, VT-225, Airspy R2/Mini/SDR#, RSP1A/SDR Uno

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Heidfirst
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Re: sony a200

Post by Heidfirst » Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:45 pm

Minolta 70-210 f/4 "Beercan" (can only be found used) - good for what it will cost you but not the fastest focusing & of course 210mm may not be enough depending where you shoot
Minolta 75-300 f/4-5.6 "Big Beercan" (only found used, both of these are old style metal bodied lenses and look quite similar to each other) - no personal experience but check the Dyxum lens database.
Minolta 100-300 APO (APO version is important) - decent quality in a small & light package, excellent travel lens. Again not the fastest focus & IQ not as good as the 70-300/400 Gs. Not sure that you would really see a big enough jump from your kit 75-300 for the money.
Tamron 70-300 USD (the new one) - should be good & cheaper than the 70-300 G but not available yet in Alpha mount
Sony 70-300 G - atm imo the best mid-range 70-300 for Alpha
Sigma 50-500 - big, heavy but very flexible range. Poor max aperture at long end, slowish focus & 1 of the lens that has proved problematic on Alphas with AF gear failures (shouldn't be as much a problem now that Sigma have extended warranty but can be inconvenient)
Sony 70-400 G - imo not only the best long zoom for Alpha mount but also better than the Canon & Nikon equivalents. Generally reckoned to have slightly better IQ than the 70-300 G & it's got a slightly wider aperture at the shorter end. Bigger, heavier & more expensive though.

There's also the Sigma 100-300/4 which can be found relatively cheap (compared to rsp) now in a few places as it's discontinued but my personal experience is that despite a stellar reputation it's nowhere as good as the 70-400 G SSM. Possibly due to variable Sigma QC & I got a poor one.

MerlinJon
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Re: sony a200

Post by MerlinJon » Sun Jan 16, 2011 1:21 pm

Hi

I use the Minolta 70-210mm F4 beeracan and the Sony 70-300G, both are excellent lenses, infact the Sony is probably the best in it's class and the Minolta is very sharp at all apertures including F4.

If you can stretch to the 70-300G, then you will not be disappointed. The first time I used it compared to a Sigma I could not stop saying wow!!!!!!!

A pic from each

Sony
Image
GR9 by JonCoombes, on Flickr

Minolta @F4
Image
13 by JonCoombes, on Flickr

Hope that helps
Jonathan

http://www.jcoombesavaition.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.jcoombesaviation.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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2e1var
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Location: Ottery St Mary, Exeter

Re: sony a200

Post by 2e1var » Mon Aug 31, 2020 7:09 am

Was just searching for some info on the 70 - 300G and this thread popped up in my search from 9 years ago ! I eventually went for the Tamron 70 - 300 SP and haven't had much luck with it. I came to the conclusion that I was either a really crap photographer or the lens/camera was duff. Most flying stuff I shoot is blurred, very rarely do I get a crisp image. Anyway, last ditch attept, the 70 - 300 G now goes for about £300 second hand, it arrives Wednesday, finger crossed.
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