Sony 24-105mm f3.5-4.5 SAL-24105
A full frame bargain?

August 2008, Carl Garrard
(Tested on Sony Alpha A700/200)

Sony 24-105mm f3.5-4.5 - Introduction and Overview

Sony's 24-105mm f3.5-4.5 is a carry over from the highly popular Minolta 24-105 RS 'D' (D stands for distance encoding via an 8 pin connector). Distance encoding basically means the camera and lens communicate with each other in multi-segment metering mode so the camera knows what focal length the lens is at during the time of exposure, and as a result helps to more correctly analyze that data for a final exposure calculation. This data is even more important when using a compatible flash unit so all three can work together to gather correct exposure information, and generally speaking you get a more accurate flash reading at any given focal length as a result.

Mini Review - Minolta 28-135 f4-f.5 2553-100 Lens

A bargain full frame collectors lens!

August 2008, Carl Garrard

Introduction and Layout-

Minolta's 28-135 f4-f4.5 first generation lens is a subculture icon. If you haven't yet heard of this lens, that is one reason alone for generating this article. With the soon to come Sony A900 (Flagship) due, many Minolta users or Sony users looking to upgrade to that body may be looking for some killer low budget glass. Enter the Minolta 28-135 f4-4.5. This lens boasts a full frame wide angle of 28mm, to a very decent mid telephoto of 135mm, and.... a decent macro feature to boot (1:4 magnification APS-C), with rear component and internal focusing (great for filters). You can probably get a good one for about $175.00-$300.00 USD when you look around.

Sony 28mm F 2.8 Lens SAL-28F28

Sony's most affordable general purpose Prime

July 2008, Carl Garrard

Introduction

Sony's 28mm f2.8 lens is currently the most affordable "prime" lens offered by Sony, and in Sony's top 4 most affordable lenses in its lineup. It is also Sony's smallest and lightest lens, and one carried over from a Minolta design. Brand new, this lens will only cost you $249.00 direct from SonyStyle or other retailers at the time of this review.

The most affordable G lens to date, and introduced at a very popular focal length

SAL-70300G

June 2008, Carl Garrard

(Thanks to Matt Davids at AlphaLensRental.com for providing this lens)

Lens tested on the Sony A700 and A200 DSLRS

The Sony 70-300G SSM 4.5-5.6 lens was introduced first at PMA this year, and after a bit of a wait is now finally available from Sony and other major retailers. The past "G" series lenses from Minolta and now subsequently Sony, carry a tradition of the highest image quality available from the lens lineup and typically carry a large price tag to go along with that quality. "G" lenses in the past have been hand built one by one at Sony's facilities, which partially accounts for the higher prices. With no official word from Sony, we can only guess if this lens will follow this tradition or not. Given the price, I doubt it can still be hand built. However, will it follow the tradition of image quality? Let's find out.

Sony Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 SSM SAL-2470Z

Built like an Artillery Shell, Sharp as Silk Image Quality

April 2008, Carl Garrard

(A very special thanks to Matt Davids at AlphaLensRental.com for the review copy of the lens!)

The Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 SSM large aperture lens is a professional's tool, from the price to its overall performance. Complete with a fast 2.8 max aperture thru the entire zoom range, Zeiss *T Coatings, two Aspherical and two ED glass lens elements that help eliminate flare and CA distortions, and a super fast and ultra quiet internal focusing motor, all add up to one serious lens. The Carl Zeiss 24-70 was tested on the Sony A700 and the Sony A350(See our image sample galleries).

Sony 50mm 2.8 Macro

A great macro lens, and more...

Introduction -

The Sony 50mm 2.8 Macro is an often overlooked lens for the Alpha kit. I haven't figured out just yet why this is, but I think I have a good idea. What does it offer that would make one want it for your kit? Well, the Sony 50mm 2.8 is a very sharp lens, it's built like a rock, comes complete with a focus hold/DOF preview button and a focus limiter, and has some seriously creamy-smooth Bokeh. Those who want a lens for portraits, well, it fits that bill too.

Tamron 90mm Di 2.8 Macro AutoFocus Lens

Review by: C. Garrard

Lens graciously provided by Matt Davids at www.AlphaLensRental.com, thank you Matt!

*Tested on the Sony Alpha A100 and A700

Preamble:

One of the priorities of AlphaMountWorld.com is to bring you real world reviews of products of great quality and value to add to your Alpha system. Also, so that you don't have to shop all over the net or read thousands of reviews to make a final decision. We aim to find the best products for overall value and performance, then review them for you. Of late, we have had our eye on a few macro lenses we feel bring an excellent addition to your kit. While there are many macro lenses available to the Alpha Mount, we have narrowed our favorites to just a handful based on image quality, price, and build. One of these lenses is the Tamron 90mm 2.8 Macro.

Sony 18-250mm f3.5-f6.3
Lens Review for the Alpha Mount

Tested on: Sony Alpha A700
(sample images on last page)

Preamble:

The Sony 18-250 is one of the newest lenses offered under the Sony brand name. It is an exciting optic, in theory giving the DSLR photographer a very high quality “one lens solution” for travel, or lighter packing/convenience situations and more. Basically, the Sony is an slightly upgraded and rebadged version of Tamron’s 18-250, but there are key differences worth noting.