New to Lenses

[eifion69]

Hello Everyone.
This is my first post in The Forum and I hope I have posted in the correct place.
I have owned various digital cameras in the past being Cannon Powershot A85 AND a Fugi S5700.
These took me awhile to get used to and most of my shots were done on The Auto Setting.
My wife has just bought me A Sony CX200.
I was over the moon and immediately set about taking shots with it.
The first thing I discovered was that it came with a lens that I had to attach myself whereas all my previous cameras were compact.
My first shots were done around the house and garden and came out fairly good although not as good as my previous cameras.I put this down to being a new camera and I had to get used to it.
We have just returned from a weekend break and imagine my horror when on downloading to my P.C most of the distant shots were not at all clear but the close ups were all very good.90% of the shots I took were on the Auto setting and the rest I put the dial onto The Macro Selection.This being for Close Up Shots of Flowers etc.
I was very confused. and could not work it out.Then my wife,who like me only knows how to point and shoot on auto,asked if I had the correct lens.It did not cross my mind to look at that aspect of things as I genuinely thought that the lens included with the camera was A Standard do anything Lens.On checking I found the lens I had was a 0.38m/1.3ft MACRO. As my old cameras had a Macro setting I knew what this was for and it then dawned on me why my close up shots were all OK and the distant ones were very unclear.I then looked in the box that the lens came in and there was a leaflet with loads of different lenses for different uses.
This is were I need some help please.I do not have a clue about lenses and what there different uses are.What I need is a lens that I can use for zooming in on subjects without loosing any clarity of the subject and then zoom back to get a normal range shot.
Sorry this is a long drawn out post as I am not to bright in the letter writing and describing things dept.:blush2:
I would be very appreciative of any help given.
Regards.Eifion.

[Anbesol]

Well it sounds like youre in a pickle. Unfortunately we need more description to go off of to help you out - for starters, there is no Sony CX200, are you perhaps speaking about the DSLR A200?

If it were the case - unless you had macro tubes or filters, the focus should still reach infinite focus distance. When a lens specifies that it is 0.38m/1.3ft, that only means that is as close as it will focus. It should still focus on things very far away.

DSLR images straight from the camera will be softer than point and shoots, they are designed to be processed, not to be printed straight from camera. If you want something more akin to what you've been getting with your point and shoot on that DSLR (if it is the DSLR), then you'll have to adjust the settings for saturation, contrast and sharpness in the menu, a bit of a boost of those will produce more point and shoot esque pics. Otherwise, it is ideal to process images through a program afterwards.

The best 'go anywhere do anything' lens for the sony mount, particularly for people who want to stick in Auto mode - is the Tamron 18-270. If you could give us more specific details we could be more helpful.

[eifion69]

Hi Anbesol.
First of all many thanks for your reply.
My Camera is The DSLR A200. I got confused as on the front of the camera it has a small logo which is,CX200.
Do you mean in your reply that the shots taken with A DSLR can be processed to look better after they have been downloaded to a P.C
My other two digital cameras had a disk supplied which had on them A Photo Suite,think thats what its called,and on them there was A One Click Photo Fix option.
Is this what I need only with more options than just a one click fix.
I have downloaded the disk that came with the camera and there were two items on it.
They are. Sony Image Data Suite and Sony Picture Utility.
The first one has 3 sections. Image Data Converter SR ver. 2. Image Data Lightbox SR and A Help Section.
The Sony Picture Utility has, Picture Motion Browser,Help,Import from,Support and Tools.
I had a look at these and could not see one that resembled a photo editor.What I did see completely bewildered me.No doubt I will be seeking guidance later on here as to what these items do.
Is there A Program you can recommend to edit my shots after downloading.
I will look up The Tamron 18-270 later after breakfast.
P.S One thing I did learn this morning is that The CX Logo means Centre of Excelence.

[Canuck935]

Hi Eifion,

Welcome to the forums. I believe the "cx" logo is actually the letter alpha from the Greek alphabet. It kinda looks like what you would get if the c and x were attached to each other.

As for lenses for macro shooting, the best thing to get would be a macro specific lens, such as the 30mm, 50mm, or 100mm macro offerings from Sony, as well as others from 3rd party manufacturers such as Tamron or Sigma. For a lens that will get you both wide and tele in one package, it's hard to beat the Tamron/Sony 18-250. I'm not sure if the 18-270 shares the same image quality as the 18-250. Avoid the 18-200 though as it isn't as good as it's bigger brother(s).

As for the software that came with your a200, Image Data Converter(IDC) is primarily for processing the RAW files (.ARW format) shot with your a200. Picture Motion Browser is a photo organizer program. It lets you view and organize your photos in different ways. Image Data Lightbox is kinda like a combination of the other two. it allows you to view and edit all in one place. These may be a good place for you to start until you get a little more serious about your image editing. There are also a few free programs out there, such as GIMP. Adobe is king of them all though, and there's several options. However, Adobe's offerings will cost you money, so you might want to wait until you have a better idea of what you want/need.

[eifion69]

Hi Canuck.
Thanks for that.
I went to CNET earlier and downloaded Irfan View onto MY Laptop. but not had a chance tom give it a go yet.
I'm on my desktop at the mo and back on CNET to download GIMP.CNET must be having problems as it has been half way through downloading GIMP for the last 20 Min's.
Once I have got it installed I will try out both programs and let you and Anbesol know how I get on.
I have looked at the Tamron 18-250/18-270 and my first shock was the price of them.I did not realize Lenses were so expensive.I will have to raid My Piggy Bank.However before I splash out on a new lens I will try out the two softwares from CNET.
There is one more thing I meant to mention earlier though I don't think it is anything serious.
When I plug my a200 into both my laptop and Desktop the import program on screen comes up as CANON_DC (J
Is this OK.


http://www.panoramio.com/user/2813131

[OldClicker]

I believe that you have a Sony A(alpha)200 with the 18-70 f/3.5-5.6 lens that comes with it. The .038m/1.3ft is the minimum distance at which it will focus. 'Macro' means nothing on this lens. With this combination, you should be able to take photos from 1.3ft (0.038 meters) to infinity. If the photos were blurred at longer ranges, it is either something wrong with the body or lens or operator error. Having recently started using a DSLR myself, operator error is very likely (you don't want to hear all the mistakes I made). My first suggestion is to read the manual from cover to cover several times while trying each thing on the camera. Don't try getting important shots until you know what every button, knob and menu item does. Then post a shot here on the site along with all your settings and we can probably help you along quickly.

The first thing to check is whether you have it set on manual focus - a little switch on the front of the body.

TF

[eifion69]

Hello OldClicker.
I agree with you that it is down to me as the operator to learn how to use my camera properly.I am one of these persons who, on getting something new, dive straight in and start clicking buttons before I even open the instruction book.
When I first tried out the camera the first thing I did was to turn on The Auto,Anti Shake and Auto Focus.
Hopefully once I go through The Inst Manual I will improve.
I will start at the beginning and go through each setting for a couple of days before moving onto the next.
This is my first ever DSLR and I am totally new to this way of taking photos..
If you click on the link I have put here you will see the shots I took with the A200 last week whilst away on a break.Its is the section with shots of flowers and A Country House,not mine unfortunately.
Once I get out and about again,I'm Disabled,I will send the shots I take into the forum.
Many Thanks for your reply and advice.:thumbsup:
Eifion.