Dean Nelson , Dec 09, 2008; 11:03 a.m.
I'm very, very new to the brave new world of D/SLRs, so please bear with me. :)
We have a Sony a200. My wife has said that she wants more zooming capabilities than the 18-70mm lens that came with the kit. I've been looking at getting either a Sigma 18-200mm lens, or a Tamron 70-300mm lens.
Sigma 18-200mm: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0007U0GZC/&tag=nmphotonet-20
Tamron 70-300mm: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EXT5AY/nmphotonet-20
I'm leaning towards the Sigma because it's widest base is the same as what we're using now (18mm); if we go with the Tamron then we'd have to switch out the lens depending on the shot, which my wife would hate. What I'd really like is an 18-300mm lens, but those are way out of our price range (the cheapest I've found were over $400).
I wanted to post here to see if any of you have opinions about either Sigma or Tamron as a manufacturer; if you've used either of these lenses yourself, and what you thought about them; and if you know whether or not the Sigma lens would even work with the a200. (I know the Tamron lens would work, but I'm not sure about the Sigma.)
Thanks!
SL ATTANAPOLA , Dec 09, 2008; 12:13 p.m.
The Sigma you have inked too is a Nikon fit lens. The equivalent Sony fit lens is 295 USD!
(link)
I would personally get the 70-300mm as it has a greater telephoto range than the Sigma(50% more) and has a faster aperture,ie, f5.6 for the Tamron and f6.3 or the Sigma. A faster aperture means that the lens will be better in low light as you can use a faster shutter speed. Hence the pictures will be less blurry at the longest setting of the lens.
According to Dyxum.com both lenses are similiar in optical performance:
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=226
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=226
I would personally get the Tamron and save 150USD.
I would also get a rocket blower to remove any dust from the lens or the inside of the camera when changing lenses:
(link)
SL ATTANAPOLA , Dec 09, 2008; 12:22 p.m.
Sony digital SLRs will only accept two types of lenses! The first type are Sony branded lenses and Sony fit/mount lenses. The second type are Minolta autofocus lenses and Minolta fit/mount autofocus lenses. The Minolta and Minolta fit/mount lenses are also called A-mount lenses. Hence Minolta autofocus lenses for their film cameras acan fit on a Sony digital SLR.
A list of lenses which fit the Sony A200 is given here:
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/index.asp
Nikon,Canon and Olympus fit lenses are incompatible with a Sony digital SLR.
Peter Blaise Monahon 
, Dec 09, 2008; 04:15 p.m.
Paul De Ley 
, Dec 09, 2008; 04:54 p.m.
Hi Dean,
Welcome to DSLR photography!
If I were you I would go for a lens in the 70-200 or 70-300 range. It may be tempting to look for one lens that covers as wide a range of focal lengths as possible, but generally speaking you're sacrificing image quality and aperture for zooming convenience. This is also true with point & shoot superzoom cameras, so think of your DSLR as a camera that allows you to rise above those limitations.
Switching lenses doesn't take more than a few seconds, and you'll save money by getting a lens that's complementary to what you have already, rather than completely overlapping the range of your kit lens and making the latter redundant.
Jonas Eriksson , Dec 13, 2008; 11:20 a.m.
The Sony 18-250 or the cheaper (but also very good) Tamron 18-250 would make an excellent choice as a walk-around utility lens. They are pricier than what you have indicated you wanted to pay, but in my opinion one of them would be the best choice...
