A100 and better than kit lens (18-70mm)

[senca]

Hi I'm looking for an alternative to the 18-70mm kit lens? What would be a better option here? I'm veering towards a Sigma? Any recommendations thanks?:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[payn817]

With all the good KM glass that is available, and the lenses being released by Sony, I would start there. One of KM's most legendary lenses is the 70-210 f/4. You can get it used (no new because it's about 20 years old) for about $100 if you are patient, a little less than $200 if you're in a hurry.

Is there a particular reason you are seeking a different lens? Although it is rumored to be soft, it is essentially a rebadged KM 18-70 that was released with the KM 5D. I have that lens, and have not found sharpness to be a problem.

Are you looking for primes, wides, mid tele, or extreme tele? If you let us know what you intend to use it for, and the range you would like, we can help you much more.

However, here's a list of my favs so far:

KM 70-210 f/4
KM 50 f/1.7
KM 28 f/2.8
Tamron 100-300 f/4.5-5.6

There are better, but these lenses give excellent results, and at great prices.

BTW, the photo below was taken with that kit lens wide open, handheld.

[senca]

Thats a darn good pic mate! Well I want the camera for reasonably close up photos of things to sell on auctions in those tents. Then I want the lens to be flexible enough to take on holiday for holiday shots too. Cheers

[Photo-John]

I'm very impressed with the kit lens. I'm sure that Konica Minolta lenses are available and I have no doubt that Sony will put out some better ones. But I've been more than happy with the 18-70. I wouldn't worry about it one bit for auction photos or casual travel photography. The only thing that I don't like is the f/3.5-5.6 variable aperture. But that's standard for a kit lens and it's not that big of a deal. If there is some softness, it's more likely that it's a lack of in-camera sharpening. And since I prefer to do my own sharpening, after the fact, with Photoshop, that's better for me. Here's a link to a Sony Alpha sample photo that I think you might find useful: http://gallery.photographyreview.com...0&ppuser=75191