Lens for Sony Alpha A-100

[AUZambo]

I'm getting this camera in the mail today and would like to purchase a wide angle lens to go with it. It's coming with the 18-200 mm lens, which will be used for most of my shots - especially when travelling and I don't want to take a multitude of lenses on the plane.

However, as I learn more about photography I'm gonna want more specialized lenses rather trying to make the 18-200 work for everything. I think the first thing I want to get is a wider-angled lens...maybe in the vicinity of 10 mm?? I'd also like a fisheye lens. I go to alot of baseball venues (goal is to visit all 30 cities before I die), and I want to get a picture of every field from behind home plate that gets the majority of the stands and definitely all of the field. To my knowledge, fisheye is the best way to do this.

If you have any good web based companies I can look at to get some of these lenses please post a link. From what I've heard, there are something like 10,000,000 lenses out there that fit this camera...but I seem to be having a hard time finding them!

....or if these lenses are a waste of money you can let me know that as well!

 

[space]

Correct me if I'm wrong but this takes the konica minolta lenses, no?

 

[AUZambo]

Correct me if I'm wrong but this takes the konica minolta lenses, no?

Yes...that's one of the reasons I went with the Sony (that + price + IS/VR built into the camera body instead of lens).

I just happened to find a web site that offers some since I posted this thread, but they're didn't have very many. I'd actually like to find some "experienced" lenses that won't run me $500+.

 

[Big Mike]

E-bay is a good place to find used lenses.

www.KEH.com has plenty of used gear...here is their Minolta AF page

 

[Frequent Traveler]

Hey AUZambo

Welcome to the world of Minolta/Sony!!!

Yep, there approx. 16,000,000 lenses "out there" that will fit your camera - not including the 3rd party manufacturers (many of which are excellent in their own right..).

Big Mike gave some excellent advice to which i would add B&H photo. I have had great service from them over the years and highly recommend them. I will attempt a link to their used Minolta Maxxum/Sony lenses

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...lsgr=&shs=&ci=3018&ac=&Submit.x=18&Submit.y=7

Keep in mind when you are asking for a "wide" lens, it may be helpful to determine what wide means to you. As you remember, on the Minolta/Sony dSLR's, the stated lens length, say for simplicity, a 12mm-24mm WIDE ANGLE lens actually renders a lens that has an effective 24mm-36mm field of view. The smaller (than 35mm film) digital sensor acts like it gives a 1.5X magnification, but that is not exactly what happens. IN fact, the more scientific folks here can explain that much better than i ever can.

So anyway, a common zoom, say a 28mm-70mm becomes a 42mm-105mm. I rather nice range, though not particularly wide. I am also looking into truly wide angle zooms and have been looking long at hard at some of the Sigma offerings - though new they are professional grade and appropritely spendy.

For your implied budgetary limitations, maybe a Konica Minolta (KM) 17-35mm would do nicely. I think they are in the USD $349 range and i think can be had for less on e-Bay. For the 10mm area, KM has an 11-18mm that is well regarded. Otherwise, i believe Sigma has a rather nice 10-20mm, but i don't know it's cost.

For lens reviews, you may look to a site that is dedicated to the Minolta A mount - otherwise known as Maxxum and now Sony "Alpha"... I'll try the link thing again....

http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/index.asp

I hope this is helpful....

fm