Which lens for backpacking with a Sony A65?

lloydsj

lloydsj

lloydsj

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Hi,

I am going backpacking for a few weeks and want to take my Sony A65 and only 1 lens! Any advice on which lens to take/go for? budget is few hundred tops (say £400ish, although naturally I'd prefer to spend £200ish lol)

I've currently got the kit lens 18 - 55 (SAL1855) and a DT 1.8/35 SAM (SAL35F18) prime lens. I really like the prime lens and will be keeping that (although doubt I'll take it with me on this trip), but obviously as it's no zoom i find myself using the kit lens a fair bit too. However, I often find the kits lens a bit lacking on the zoom (as I came from using a bridge camera)... so would like something with a bit more reach.

My plan is to sell the kit lens and buy something new/or maybe even 2nd hand. I've looked at the Sony 18-250, Tamron 18-270 and the Tamron 16-300, but don't know which is best/what i need/best value for money (as they vary a fair bit in price)... or even if those have too much zoom, and I'd be better looking for something say 18 - 150/200ish range?

Advice appreciated.
 
Personally I would keep th kit lens and add 55-250mm type lens but I see the appeal of an all in one.

If you do want a super zoom I would probably go with the tamron 16-300mm, mostly because of the 16mm end.
I'm not really that interested in these types of lenses so I can't give much advice.
With the gain in flexibility you tend to compromise on image quality although they aren't too bad (the biggest issue tend to be highly variable performance where sharpness and distortion goes from good to bad to good at different focal lengths).
I have heard good things about the latest tamron super zooms.
 
The main question is where are you going. I.e. are you just visiting cities or are you going out into the wilderness.
If just cities I'd take a pair of primes (50mm and either a 21 or 70) as they're pretty small.

If wilderness probably going to want two lens either a zoom at the lower end of the scale or prime and a telescopic lens for animals.

I don't think there is a lens that can do everything.
 
Whats you budget for a new lens?

The Sony 18-250mm is ok but it's not great at the long end and the AF is not brilliant, pretty much all the superzooms will perform about the same.

Have a look at a used Sony 16-105mm which optically is a cracker of a lens or for something a little longer check out the Sony 18-135mm.
 
I only want to take 1 lens, so taking 2 primes, or 1 prime and a zoom, isn't really what i'm after. The latest tamron 16-300 does get a good write up, but is also at the top of my budget (max £400ish)... hence wanting to check other options.

I'll check out the Sony 16-105 and Sony 18-135, as they may be just what I'm looking for. Any pos/neg's for each? and where to look for 2nd hand? I assume they are not available new, or are out of my budget when new.

I'll be visiting cities and getting out in the countryside, as well as using it close quarters from time to time for evening meals/party's etc.

Thanks for the replies so far.
 
The 16-105mm is hard to come by these days as people generally don't sell them on but the 18-135mm is a 2012 lens and still on sale.
There is also the Sony CZ 16-80mm which is optically fantastic but can be pricey. Harrison's Cameras have got both in stock used currently if you want a decent place to buy from.

For some pretty good reviews of Sony lenses check out www.kurtmunger.com he's covered loads of Alpha mount lenses. You could also have a look at www.dyxum.com which has a wide user base of Alpha mount and Minolta lenses.
 
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Thanks for the advice, and links to reviews. I'm going to bob into my local camera shop for a chat and to see what they have, but at the moment I'm leaning towards the Sony 16-105 you mentioned.

I like the 16mm wide angle aspect of it, plus it also gives me a fair bit more reach than my current 18-55. My thinking is that the tamron 16-300 is possibly trying to do a bit too much, and is also quite expensive for my budget. After a quick google it looks like I can get the 16-105 for 350ish new, and 250ish 2nd hand. Also, going for this lens gives me an excuse to buy a big zoom in the future, if I was going on a wildlife holiday for example :-)

Any more thoughts on this lens? or other options I've not thought of? Is there anything I need to be aware of with this lens, when using with an A65 too? Is the motor noisy for videos? is it fast or slow to focus etc? etc.

Thanks for the help so far.
 
The motor will be noisy on video due the fact that it's not got an in lens AF motor so is driven by the screw drive in the camera body, although to fair any lens will audible when using AF.

My 16-50mm SSM has a very quiet AF motor and still can be heard clicking in video, the only way to get rid of it is to use an external mic mounted on the hotshoe, even a cheap one will probably be better than the internal mics.
 
lloydsj said:
I only want to take 1 lens, so taking 2 primes, or 1 prime and a zoom, isn't really what i'm after. The latest tamron 16-300 does get a good write up, but is also at the top of my budget (max £400ish)... hence wanting to check other options.

I'll check out the Sony 16-105 and Sony 18-135, as they may be just what I'm looking for. Any pos/neg's for each? and where to look for 2nd hand? I assume they are not available new, or are out of my budget when new.

I'll be visiting cities and getting out in the countryside, as well as using it close quarters from time to time for evening meals/party's etc.

Thanks for the replies so far.
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any particular reason why you just want to take one lens?
 
One thing I forgot to ask is how many batteries have you got? If you have only got one then at least get a spare because the battery on my A77 is shocking (around 350 - 400 shots) and as your A65 is a cut down A77 I'd presume that the battery life would be similar.
 
Columbo said:
One thing I forgot to ask is how many batteries have you got? If you have only got one then at least get a spare because the battery on my A77 is shocking (around 350 - 400 shots) and as your A65 is a cut down A77 I'd presume that the battery life would be similar.
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1 at the moment, so that's a good point, thanks. Are OEM off the rainforest ok? or go for Sony only?
 
On a recent road trip round Europe my 2 main lenses used was an 18-35mm Sigma and a Nikon 18-140mm. Used the 18-35mm as much as I could great lens for around cities but the 18-140mm came in handy at times.
 
lloydsj said:
1 at the moment, so that's a good point, thanks. Are OEM off the rainforest ok? or go for Sony only?
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OEM are ok but they generally the Sony's perform better when they get below a certain charge level. If you are going to OEM go for a Duracell or Ex-Pro NP-FM500H and you should be ok, Ebay has both listed at less than £20.
 
lloydsj said:
Space, weight, and hassle. I'm only taking hand luggage.
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1 super zoom vs 2 moderate zoom lenses does change the size and weight that much.my post above suggest to keep the 18-55mm kit and add a 50-250mm for budget reasons.

I did not post me try feelings of the super zooms because there are some members of this forum who to stake negative opinions for being argumentative.
Anyway, with the benefits of the long focal range you trade off other aspects. Not always outhit sharpness although these lenses will never impress here, it's things like distortion, chromatic aberrations, slow focus, soft corners, and being highly variable that gets annoying. More moderate zooms make less compromises.
 
In the end I managed to pick up a 2nd hand Sony 16-105 complete with a hoya UV filter for £249 (with 6 months guarantee). I got it a couple of weeks ago. It's in perfect condition, and is a great lens! I also got a spare expro battery as suggested.

Thanks for the advice everyone (especially Columbo for suggesting the lens).
 
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No problem dude, glad you like it and that's a decent price you paid. Remember to share some examples when you've got some!
 
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