Lens imput please

[FireKitten]

I'm going to be purchasing the Sony A55, and I want to know if I should start with the kit lense or don't bother and get something more appropriate for my intended usage. I'd say that in the next few months I'm going to be practicing during the Holiday Family gatherings (indoors), and we are taking a trip to Frankenmuth right before Christmas so I definately want to practice as much as I can there.

Will the kit lens suit these purposes for a beginner such as myself? If not, please list any suggestions. (Since they are 2 totally different situations, do I need 2 different lenses? I really want to get some good pictures at Frankenmuth)

Please, I don't need to hear any snide Sony remarks. I'm really happy with my decision, I've played around with Canon and Nikon and the Sony feels right for me, unlike the others. I've just always been drawn to Sony, I like the way they feel in my small hands, and I've researched the A55 to find that it suits me best at this time. So, that's what I'm going with....

 

[FireKitten]

Is this in the right place, or should it be in the Sony subforum?

 

[KmH]

Yes, kit lenses are good for a beginner.

However, being kit lenses they are designed to be inexpensive. One way the camera makers accomplish that is by designing kit lenses so the lens maximum aperture doesn't open real wide, known as slow lens because it limits the shutter to slow speeds, and the maximum aperture varies as the lens is zoomed (variable aperture zoom lens).

The issue with shooting indoors is usually that while there is enough light for people to see well, DSLR cameras don't work the same way as our eyes, and need quite a bit more light. Understanding Camera Lenses

The a55 kit comes with an 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens - Sony a55 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm zoom lens

You can buy just an a55, without the kit lens, for about $100 less - Sony Alpha SLTA55V DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Camera Body only) (Black)

You could then get a lens that can open to a wider maximum aperture like the Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras

But, the 50 mm f/1.8 lens is not a zoom lens, and is considered as a fast lens because it allows faster shutte speeds to be used. It has just the one fixed 50 mm focal length. Lenses that have a single focal length, and don't zoom, are known as 'prime' lenses. With a prime lens you have to zoom with your feet by moving closer or farther away. Indoors you may have trouble getting far enough away because of furniture, walls, etc.

So for taking people shots, it's best to have a range of prime lens focal lengths, like 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 105 mm, and 200 mm.

For many beginners the fast lenses cause focus issues, because when used wide open (like at f/1.8) the depth of the plane of focus (Depth-Of-Field, DoF) can be quite shallow. Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

Here are some highly recommended tutorials - Digital Photography Tutorials

 

[FireKitten]

Yes, kit lenses are good for a beginner.

However, being kit lenses they are designed to be inexpensive. One way the camera makers accomplish that is by designing kit lenses so the lens maximum aperture doesn't open real wide, known as slow lens because it limits the shutter to slow speeds, and the maximum aperture varies as the lens is zoomed (variable aperture zoom lens).

The issue with shooting indoors is usually that while there is enough light for people to see well, DSLR cameras don't work the same way as our eyes, and need quite a bit more light. Understanding Camera Lenses

The a55 kit comes with an 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens - Sony a55 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm zoom lens

You can buy just an a55, without the kit lens, for about $100 less - Sony Alpha SLTA55V DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Camera Body only) (Black)

You could then get a lens that can open to a wider maximum aperture like the Sony 50mm f/1.8 SAM DT Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras

But, the 50 mm f/1.8 lens is not a zoom lens, and is considered as a fast lens because it allows faster shutte speeds to be used. It has just the one fixed 50 mm focal length. Lenses that have a single focal length, and don't zoom, are known as 'prime' lenses. With a prime lens you have to zoom with your feet by moving closer or farther away. Indoors you may have trouble getting far enough away because of furniture, walls, etc.

So for taking people shots, it's best to have a range of prime lens focal lengths, like 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 105 mm, and 200 mm.

For many beginners the fast lenses cause focus issues, because when used wide open (like at f/1.8) the depth of the plane of focus (Depth-Of-Field, DoF) can be quite shallow. Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

Here are some highly recommended tutorials - Digital Photography Tutorials

Those are some great links there are the end, thank you. I'm going to buy the camera and lens from amazon too, so those are the ones I've been looking at. While I do not fully comprehend everything you are saying, I get the impression that the prime lens you posted would be good for the indoor shooting I described (as long as I can work around physically getting into position)... but what about the trip we are going to take? Frankenmuth is a really beautiful place and will be decorated like crazy, this will include some indoor shooting of the large Inn, but a lot of outdoor shooting- which a good portion of will be at night to see everything lit up w/christmas lights. Is there a lens you could recommend for that purpose? I think a zoom lens would be best, since I don't know if I will physically be able to get close to everything. What do you think?

For my immediate goals here... should I:
A) Get the kit lens and just roll with that,
B) Get the kit lens + another lens of your recommendation,
C) Get the camera body and the prime lens , or
D) Get the camera body, prime lense for indoor/family gatherings and another lens for the night time shooting of decorations/lights?

 

[Kerbouchard]

Sounds like, if I were you, I would go with the kit lens and make sure I had enough money left over for a flash and a tripod. Those two things will help a lot more than any one lens purchase. Just my .02

 

[FireKitten]

Sounds like, if I were you, I would go with the kit lens and make sure I had enough money left over for a flash and a tripod. Those two things will help a lot more than any one lens purchase. Just my .02

I wasn't aware that I needed an additional flash to boot?, and I'm not sure how to choose a tripod... so any direction on that would be good.

 

[Kerbouchard]

Sounds like, if I were you, I would go with the kit lens and make sure I had enough money left over for a flash and a tripod. Those two things will help a lot more than any one lens purchase. Just my .02

I wasn't aware that I needed an additional flash to boot?, and I'm not sure how to choose a tripod... so any direction on that would be good.

A good hot shoe mounted flash allows you to swivel and tilt the flash so that you can control the angle of lighting. Basically, instead of direct on-camera flash, you can bounce it off a ceiling or wall to get a much more flattering directional light and avoid the 'flashed' look.

As far as tripods, if you're on a budget, I would tend to go towards 'heavier' tripods. Basically, cheap, light, and sturdy don't go well together when talking about tripods. They make tripods that are both light and sturdy, but they are far from cheap. An older Manfrotto is a good tripod that you can grow with, is pretty sturdy, and won't break the bank.

I mention the flash for your indoor shots. I mention the tripod for your outdoor nighttime photography. For a nighttime cityscape, you really need to use a longer shutter speed. A kit lens can take both kinds of shots, it just needs a bit of help with the proper equipment.

 

[FireKitten]

Sounds like, if I were you, I would go with the kit lens and make sure I had enough money left over for a flash and a tripod. Those two things will help a lot more than any one lens purchase. Just my .02

I wasn't aware that I needed an additional flash to boot?, and I'm not sure how to choose a tripod... so any direction on that would be good.

A good hot shoe mounted flash allows you to swivel and tilt the flash so that you can control the angle of lighting. Basically, instead of direct on-camera flash, you can bounce it off a ceiling or wall to get a much more flattering directional light and avoid the 'flashed' look.

As far as tripods, if you're on a budget, I would tend to go towards 'heavier' tripods. Basically, cheap, light, and sturdy don't go well together when talking about tripods. They make tripods that are both light and sturdy, but they are far from cheap. An older Manfrotto is a good tripod that you can grow with, is pretty sturdy, and won't break the bank.

I mention the flash for your indoor shots. I mention the tripod for your outdoor nighttime photography. For a nighttime cityscape, you really need to use a longer shutter speed. A kit lens can take both kinds of shots, it just needs a bit of help with the proper equipment.

I see... well thank you for your imput. I will look into everything you mentioned. I had looked at tripods and there's only a million different options in a very wide price range, so that helps a little bit to understand it.


I'm still open to other opinions on the lens topic too.

 

[MTVision]

Those are some great links there are the end, thank you. I'm going to buy the camera and lens from amazon too, so those are the ones I've been looking at. While I do not fully comprehend everything you are saying, I get the impression that the prime lens you posted would be good for the indoor shooting I described (as long as I can work around physically getting into position)... but what about the trip we are going to take? Frankenmuth is a really beautiful place and will be decorated like crazy, this will include some indoor shooting of the large Inn, but a lot of outdoor shooting- which a good portion of will be at night to see everything lit up w/christmas lights. Is there a lens you could recommend for that purpose? I think a zoom lens would be best, since I don't know if I will physically be able to get close to everything. What do you think?

For my immediate goals here... should I:
A) Get the kit lens and just roll with that,
B) Get the kit lens + another lens of your recommendation,
C) Get the camera body and the prime lens , or
D) Get the camera body, prime lense for indoor/family gatherings and another lens for the night time shooting of decorations/lights?

I don't have a Sony but I bought my camera with a kit lens and a cheap zoom. I then bought a 50mm prime lens like KmH mentioned. I Usually only use the 50mm. I did use my zoom lens recently at the zoo though.

An external flash is nice to have. The pop up flash that comes on the camera isn't the most flattering. I'm sure someone has some examples of portraits taken with the pop up and with an external flash. If nobody posts any I will when I get home. It's better to see them side by side so you can see the difference.

If I were you I would buy a prime and skip the kit lens if you can afford it. I wish I had done that.

 

[Overread]

I would say start with the Kit lens and, since you're doing to do some indoor lowlight stuff, also the 50mm f1.8.

That gives you a not too expensive starting point to get into things and gives you the versatility of the zoom combined with the lowlight capabilities of the faster prime lens. I think trying to go further can be a difficult thing as whilst there are lot of options its hard for yourself to narrow down specifically what suits you best since a lack of experience and a lack of shooting with the gear means that you won't know you own style nor shooting habits to really know how best to select the gear.

 

[KmH]

To give you some perspective:

A very good, high quality lens that would suit your wants is the Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras

But as you can see it's an $1800, professional grade lens.

For what it is worth, Sony only offers 30 lenses for you to choose from. Nikon offers Nikon owners 74 lenses to choose from - Camera Lenses | All NIKKOR Lenses for Digital SLR Cameras| Nikon

However, when Sony entered the DSLR market by buying Konica Minolta's camera and film business in 2006, they kept the Minolta lens mount (and odd-ball flash hot shoe), so there are legacy Minolta lenses also available to at least some Sony owners.

I believe the mount used by Sony's SLT cameras is different. I am better informed about Canon and Nikon gear.

 

[FireKitten]

I would say start with the Kit lens and, since you're doing to do some indoor lowlight stuff, also the 50mm f1.8.

That gives you a not too expensive starting point to get into things and gives you the versatility of the zoom combined with the lowlight capabilities of the faster prime lens. I think trying to go further can be a difficult thing as whilst there are lot of options its hard for yourself to narrow down specifically what suits you best since a lack of experience and a lack of shooting with the gear means that you won't know you own style nor shooting habits to really know how best to select the gear.

I think I'm most comfortable with that option, I'm sure I will have enough on my plate to learn, and while I'm aware of how much everything costs and that this is an investment, I also can't start out with the best of the best of everything. I will probably get a budget priced tripod too, with good ratings on Amazon. Do I need a monopod? I will keep the flash in mind, and probably get one within a few months, but just not right up front. Thanks!

 

[FireKitten]

To give you some perspective:

A very good, high quality lens that would suit your wants is the Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras

But as you can see it's an $1800, professional grade lens.

For what it is worth, Sony only offers 30 lenses for you to choose from. Nikon offers Nikon owners 74 lenses to choose from - Camera Lenses | All NIKKOR Lenses for Digital SLR Cameras| Nikon

However, when Sony entered the DSLR market by buying Konica Minolta's camera and film business in 2006, they kept the Minolta lens mount (and odd-ball flash hot shoe), so there are legacy Minolta lenses also available to at least some Sony owners.

I believe the mount used by Sony's SLT cameras is different. I am better informed about Canon and Nikon gear.

Oh yes we saw that lens! Haha, yeah way out of my league at this time It really shocked me to read that people use that lens on the body I'm getting. I know lenses can get very expensive, I just thought it was in more relation to the body you have but I guess not. I realize Sony doesn't have a ton of lenses, and that's okay because I really think they are getting their game together, and by the time I need more then they currently offer I hope they will have made some new ones.

 

[skieur]

I would say start with the Kit lens and, since you're doing to do some indoor lowlight stuff, also the 50mm f1.8.

That gives you a not too expensive starting point to get into things and gives you the versatility of the zoom combined with the lowlight capabilities of the faster prime lens. I think trying to go further can be a difficult thing as whilst there are lot of options its hard for yourself to narrow down specifically what suits you best since a lack of experience and a lack of shooting with the gear means that you won't know you own style nor shooting habits to really know how best to select the gear.

I think I'm most comfortable with that option, I'm sure I will have enough on my plate to learn, and while I'm aware of how much everything costs and that this is an investment, I also can't start out with the best of the best of everything. I will probably get a budget priced tripod too, with good ratings on Amazon. Do I need a monopod? I will keep the flash in mind, and probably get one within a few months, but just not right up front. Thanks!

You might consider a monopod rather than a tripod. They are much easier to set up and work with. Some photographers use a monopod as a walking stick in rough terrain and then simply click the camera onto it, to take photos. Others have the camera on the compacted monopod over their shoulder and simply lower the leg to take a photo which is much faster than adjusting 3 legs and sometimes using a level.

skieur

 

[FireKitten]

I would say start with the Kit lens and, since you're doing to do some indoor lowlight stuff, also the 50mm f1.8.

That gives you a not too expensive starting point to get into things and gives you the versatility of the zoom combined with the lowlight capabilities of the faster prime lens. I think trying to go further can be a difficult thing as whilst there are lot of options its hard for yourself to narrow down specifically what suits you best since a lack of experience and a lack of shooting with the gear means that you won't know you own style nor shooting habits to really know how best to select the gear.

I think I'm most comfortable with that option, I'm sure I will have enough on my plate to learn, and while I'm aware of how much everything costs and that this is an investment, I also can't start out with the best of the best of everything. I will probably get a budget priced tripod too, with good ratings on Amazon. Do I need a monopod? I will keep the flash in mind, and probably get one within a few months, but just not right up front. Thanks!

You might consider a monopod rather than a tripod. They are much easier to set up and work with. Some photographers use a monopod as a walking stick in rough terrain and then simply click the camera onto it, to take photos. Others have the camera on the compacted monopod over their shoulder and simply lower the leg to take a photo which is much faster than adjusting 3 legs and sometimes using a level.

skieur

Interesting... thank you.