Begginer looking for lenses

courtneewalpole · Oct 4, 2013

Hi, I am starting to seriously get into photography. I own a Sony Alpha 550. I was wondering if anyone could give me some suggestions on some really good basic lenses and some "need to have" lenses. I am currently still a student so I want something that's not going to kill my wallet, but also something decent that will last. Any imput will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

tirediron · Oct 4, 2013

What's your budget in terms of dollars? "wallet killing" probably means something different to you than to me! What sort of things do you like to shoot (portrait? landscape?)?

courtneewalpole · Oct 4, 2013

My budget would have to be $300 max. I love shooting both landscape and portrait. I recently shot a wedding and really enjoyed that. I would say my focus would be portrait.

tirediron · Oct 4, 2013

And, of course, I forgot the most important question... what lens(es) do you currently own?

courtneewalpole · Oct 4, 2013

i currently have a minolta af70-210 and a minolta af zoom 0.5m/1.6ft.

minicoop1985 · Oct 4, 2013

This thing's pretty great, actually. Very sharp for an under $200 lens. My wife just bought one off ebay for her a230. 50mm f1.8.

SAL50F18 | DT 50mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens Review | Sony Store

dxqcanada · Oct 5, 2013

courtneewalpole said:
... and a minolta af zoom 0.5m/1.6ft.

Hmm, you should tell us the focal length (mm) not the minimum focus distance.

courtneewalpole · Oct 5, 2013

dxqcanada said:
courtneewalpole said:

... and a minolta af zoom 0.5m/1.6ft.

Click to expand...

Hmm, you should tell us the focal length (mm) not the minimum focus distance.

sorry my fault. its af 35-70

dxqcanada · Oct 7, 2013

The Sony 18-55mm is not a bad wide angle zoom for cheap
Sony AF DT 18-55 F3.5-5.6 SAM lens detail page

Stevepwns · Oct 7, 2013

What is it you are trying to do. If you have both the loved "beer can" and the "mini beer can". Your gear covers a good range and its great gear. What type of photos do you take? There are a few prime lenses made of the same era that produce great pictures. I dont know if you want anything longer. For your budget the only lens I would recommend is the older "Big Beer Can" 75-300mm F4. Great lens but HEAVY. The 28mm F2.8 and 50mm 1.8 is a great lens.

DiskoJoe · Oct 9, 2013

courtneewalpole said:
Hi, I am starting to seriously get into photography. I own a Sony Alpha 550. I was wondering if anyone could give me some suggestions on some really good basic lenses and some "need to have" lenses. I am currently still a student so I want something that's not going to kill my wallet, but also something decent that will last. Any imput will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

If you want solid but cheap then Minolta.

My recommendations:

50mm f1.7 - MUST HAVE
28mm f2.8 - okay but not great
70-210mm f4 beercan - SOLID!

I also have a 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 - I really dont recommend this lens. its not bad but its not really that good either. It could have just been my copy.

Now if you want something a bit better and have some more capital to spend go Tamron. The 17-50mm f2.8 is a great replacement for the kit lens. Super sharp and solid build. Color rendering could be better but if you shoot in raw its not really a problem.

Personally I have went to all Sigma except my Minolta 50mm. Mostly just to get consistency for post processing when switching between lenses.