Faster lens for A55

[dan_kwc1986]

Hi all,

I bought the A55 with the SAL1855 kit lens last Dec.  I took my camera with me to Australia for my cousin's wedding in Canberra back in March.  At the wedding I met the official wedding photographer and started chatting away with him about my recent purchase.  One advice he has given me was to get a faster lens.  Does anyone here have any recommendations?

Thanks,

Dan

[Blencogo]

Hi Dan,

Unfortunately, professional photographers tend to have bigger budgets!  The faster the lens, the more glass required = bigger price.

I assume you are looking for a faster replacement for your SAL 1855 - a short, general purpose zoom.  Your SAL 1855 only gives you a maximum aperture between f3.5 and f5.6 depending on the zoom.

For a faster lens you should be looking for a f2.8 lens and there is no direct 1855 upgrade in the Sony lens collection.  Have a look at the full range here: -

http://www.sony.co.uk/compare/dss-digital-slr-lenses/

The closest match faster lens for you to look at is the SAL 2875 f2.8 which is a slightly longer lens (less wide angle and bigger zoom) but costs £715.

If money is no object then look at the SAL 2470Z or the 1635Z (Carl Zeiss) f2.8 which are the best you can buy for £1,700 each.

The only other 'fast' zoom lens is the SAL 70200G f2.8 telephoto zoom.

If you tell us what you intend to use the lens for, there may be a fixed focal length lens that will do the job more economically.  Have a look at the SAL 50F18 at £165 - this would be an excellent and fast lens for portraits or groups like you would find at a wedding.  However, it is a short telephoto and will not do wide angle landscape shots.  Please let us know what your main interests are in photography and perhaps someone here can then make recommendations more closely matched to your needs.

There are, of course, non-Sony lenses available from companies like Tamron or Sigma and, once you decide what range of zoom you want, try Google for reviews of the possible purchases.

Hope this helps and you find what you are looking for.  A faster lens is great but is quite expensive to get those 2 stops more speed!  Have a close look at the SAL 2875.

[dan_kwc1986]

Thanks for your reply.

I have a Minolta AF28-135  lens for my telephoto needs.  So yes ideally a faster lens to replace  the SAL1855 would be great.  I am still fairly new to photography and  finding my footing.  I tend to use the SAL1855 as a walk around lens.   Right now I use my camera to take photos of landscape and architecture.

I have spotted the SAL-1680Z, is this any faster than the SAL1855?

[Blencogo · Accepted solution]

The SAL-1680Z is a fantastic lens - but it is no faster than the one you already have.

With your main interests being Landscape and Architecture, you are right to look for a wide angle of at least 18mm.  The ideal lens for you would probably be the SAL-1635Z but you would have to use your Minalta zoom more often and it unfortunately costs a packet!

Try looking for a third party lens with specifications as close to 17mm to 70mm zoom F2.8 to F2.8.  One must exist with a Sony fit.

I'm not sure how good this one is.  It is not perfect because is it only faster at wide angles (it slows to F4 at 70mm: -

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77918/show.html?

Looking at the cost and the difficulty of finding the perfect lens, you may be better off sticking with your existing SAL-1855 and seeing if you really find you need a faster lens - it will be a lot cheaper to buy a tripod????