A Mount Lens Recommendations

[Jeremy Tan]

Hello DPS Forums!

I'm new to the forums and photography in general, but I consider myself a quick learner and pretty hardworking when it comes down to it. So I recently purchased the SLT A77 body and got a SAL1870 from B&H for cheap and I was wondering what lenses you'd recommend a beginner getting. I'm looking a possibly getting more lenses for portrait photography, since I enjoy shooting people the most, and if I ever decide to start shooting friends/relatives for cash, I think those have the best returns.

Any advice? So lost, haha. Thanks guys!

[OsmosisStudios]

Portraits?
Sony 85mm f/2.8 SAM Mid-range Telephoto Lens SAL85F28 B&H Photo

[Jeremy Tan]

Kind of a novice when it comes to the whole idea, but since it's a full-frame lens, when I mount it on an APS-C sensor, does its purpose and utility change?

[OsmosisStudios]

Mounts just fine: the mount itself doesnt actually change. The only thing about non-full-frame lenses is that they project a smaller image circle so they dont cover the full-frame. No problem if youre using a APS-C body.

THe only thing to take into account is that all focal lengths are shown for 35mm (full-frame); if youre mounting a lens (ANY lens) to an APS-C body, you have to deal with the crop factor, which means an apparent focal length of 1.5x whatever is listed on the lens. So an 85 becomes a 127.5 field-of-view.

[inkista]

Just me, but my first recommendation for a purchase would be something like Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure or Learning to See Creatively, or good post-processing software like Adobe Lightroom, and not more lenses. You need to get a little experience and technique under your belt before you go spending the bucks on additional gear. A lot of folks use a P&S and then blame the camera, and figure a dSLR will solve all their problems. Then, they still aren't getting automagically beautiful photos, they blame the lens, and start buying high-end lenses.

And, maybe, all they really needed was to learn how to take photos. A good photographer should be able to get good photos, even with a P&S camera. Better gear gives you more control and better possibilities for good photos, but it doesn't make the photos. That's still up to you. There's no hurry, here.

I'd say play with the 18-70 you got, and learn its ways thoroughly. When it starts to irritate you, that's when you should start researching another lens, because what irritates you is going to be your guide to what you want. This is a good guide to lens basics. It should help you figure out what lens features mean in practical shooting terms.

Also, remember that you are not limited solely to Sony's Alpha lenses. The Sony Alpha line uses the old Minolta AF mount, so there are a bunch of old Minolta lenses you can use as well (just avoid the MD/MC ones--those are NOT compatible). The dyxum website is a great resource for Sony Alpha shooters.

[Jeremy Tan]

I got that part, but I was more concerned about the focal length being too long for portraiture/fashion photography. From your experience, is 127.5 (my crop factor is 1.5) mm OK? Since it's a prime, I won't get much versatility, am I right?

And thank you inkista! I will definitely be reading up on some of the material. I grew up pretty poor and TBH, the A77 is my first digital camera ever. I play with my 35mm SLR a little but because I'm having so much trouble getting my film processed, I have been out of the photography scene for a good many years.

I will definitely take your advice and stick to my 18-70 for a good bit. I am now in SCAD hoping to major in photography, so hopefully I will get better at this.

Thanks guys!

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Tan

I got that part, but I was more concerned about the focal length being too long for portraiture/fashion photography. From your experience, is 127.5 (my crop factor is 1.5) mm OK? Since it's a prime, I won't get much versatility, am I right?

I use an 85 and a 135 on a 1.6x crop body happily, but I tend to shoot long because I hang back, and I tend not to frame full length with portraits. What focal length is going to work for you is a matter of person working habits: what working distances you use, and how you tend to frame habitually. Everybody's a little different. Some folks will swear by a 35, others a 50, still others an 85/90/100 or 135.

This is why I say stick with the 18-70. The EXIF information from that lens that you get will tell you which focal lengths you tend to use the most in the 18-70 range, so you should be able to tell if you need something wider/longer/faster, etc.

Also, a fast prime might be less versatile on framing, but it's more versatile than a slow walkaround zoom when it comes to lighting conditions. Different tools for different tasks.

... I play with my 35mm SLR a little but because I'm having so much trouble getting my film processed, I have been out of the photography scene for a good many years.

Most film shooters these days are investing in scanners, tanks, reels, a changing bag, and developer/blix/fix. Developing and scanning your own negatives is actually getting cheaper to do than sending out to a lab, and it's not rocket science. It is, however, a huge time suck.

[Jeremy Tan]

Been living in my army camp till Feb so I finally have a chance to play with my negatives again. Once I get my own place in Savannah, I'm going to turn my bathroom into a darkroom, haha.

But I really appreciate the help, and I will definitely look into developing my film on my own. I bought a Yashoca D off a guy for $20 so I'm excited about the prospects.