Lenses

Review- Sony DT 30mm f/2.8 SAM Macro

Review- Sony DT 30mm f/2.8 SAM Macro

March 2011, Carl Garrard Sony SAL30M28 30mm f/2.8 Lens for Alpha Digital SLR CamerasDigital Camera Lenses)

Sony DT 30mm f/2.8 SAM MACRO
Review Intro- Sony's Sony DT 30mm f/2.8 SAM Macro represents one of a few bargain lenses they offer for the A-Mount that retails for about $229.00. This lens is marketed towards the budget buyer mainly that wants to venture out and away from the standard kit lens for creative options yet doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg to do so. Sony introduced the 30mm f/2.8 Macro SAM lens officially in August of 2009 and remains in the actively available list of lenses to purchase. What are you getting for your money?

Auto Makinon 135mm f/2.8 Macro (MD mount): Quick Review

Auto Makinon 135mm f/2.8 Macro (MD mount): Quick Review 

May 2010, Carl Garrard

(KM7D and A580 Sample Images Added)

P.S.- If this article was helpful to you and you feel like you're in the mood to spread some cheer, please feel free to donate any amount (even .25 cents is not unwelcome!) to my PayPal Donate account here: CLICK ME  


 Surprise surprise? Some lenses I purchase have this power to totally surprise me. Especially when they are built as good as the Makinon is,  and perform so well. The Makinon 135mm f/2.8 was a very common lens in the 80's/90's and sold for about $79.99 retail (in fact the box I have still has the original price tag on it).  Needless to say I wasn't expecting much out of this lens but maybe it would perform well, sometimes its fun to play craps. I was able to find a brand new one in the box for $29.

Tamron AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Lens Review

Review - Tamron AF28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro 

September 2010, Carl Garrard

Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Lens for Konica Minolta and Sony Digital SLR Cameras
 Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 IF Macro When reviewing the Tamron AF28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro lens the question that kept popping into my head before, during, and after this review was; Is this the ultimate one stop multi-purpose lens for your full frame and APS-C Sony DSLR's and SLT's? Certainly no one lens could fit that role realistically and expect to out perform all other lenses, otherwise we wouldn't have such a diverse selection. However, there are some lenses that do many things very well and the Tamron AF28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro is certainly one of them. As of this writing, Tamron still makes them for the Alpha mount and provides a screw driven alternative to Sony's rebadged model for about $450-$550 retail USD. 

Pentax 35mm DA f/2.4 Lens Review Posted

"Pentax DA 35mm f2.4 AL Lens Review
Introduction- The budget 35mm f2.4 is compact lightweight standard equivalent lens for all Pentax DSLRs (as of the time of this writing). As the name implies, it has a relatively bright max f/2.4 aperture and 50mm equivalent (in 35mm terms) field of view. This lens is for the budget conscious or those who like a good bang for the buck. Pentax denotes that this lens is good for beginners who want better picture quality from a prime lens without having to spend a lot of money to do so. More at www.photographic-central.blogspot.com."
Pentax 21987 DA 35mm f/2.4 AL Lens for Pentax Digital SLR cameras "

Turn Your 50 Standard Into A Super Macro- Cheap!

Turn Your 50mm Lens Into A Super Macro-On A Budget

May 2011, Carl Garrard

 10x Macro Filter

Going Macro For Less- For this article, I'm using a Standard 50mm Lens as an example and test bed for the filter and lens. For those of you who can't afford, or better yet don't want to afford, a dedicated macro lens- this article is for you. There are a couple different ways to go about avoiding the purchase of a sometimes pretty expensive dedicated macro lens for your DSLR arsenal. Namely there are two common ways: Turn your lens around backwards and use an adapter to mount it to your camera, or buy a dedicated macro filter to screw onto the front of your lens. Personally I prefer the latter, and I'll explain why in more detail as we go along here.  One way in particular I find even better than just screwing on filter to your 50mm Standard lens. 

Tamron SP Di II 60mm F/2 Macro Lens Review

Tamron SP Di II 60mm F/2 Macro Lens Review

February 2010, Carl Garrard

Tamron AF 60mm f/2.0 SP DI II LD IF 1:1 Macro Lens for Sony Digital SLR Cameras
 Tamron SP Di II 60mm f/2 Macro Lens  Tamron's newest macro lens is the new Tamron SP Di 60mm f/2 Macro lens. SP is the designation for Tamron's special performance lens (their professional grade lens). It comes equipped with an internal focus motor, internal focusing design (the lens does not change shape during focusing), and a bright max f/2 aperture rating. Specifically Tamron calls this lens a Di II lens which means that is is optimized optically for digital cameras, and for sensos with an APS-C sized sensor only. However, in my findings during testing this lens on the A900 full frame sensor, some might consider this Tamron to be fully functional for full frame use as well. More on that further in the review. Announced on September 28th, 2009 the Tamron currently sells for about $570.00 in the U.S. Considering this lens could be capable of being a great portrait lens (90mm on APS-C is a great focal length for portrait work), it could be a bargain to some photographers looking for a lens that can do more than its specified task. Lets see how the Tamron performs in testing on our new AMW lens chart, and what my opinion of the overall value of this lens can mean to you.

Tamron SP AF17-35MM F/2.8-4 Di LD Aspherical (IF) Lens Review

Tamron SP AF 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Di Lens Review

July 2009, Carl Garrard

Tamron AF 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 Di LD SP Aspherical (IF) Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Tamron SP AF 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Lens/Alpha A900 Tamron's SP AF 17-35mm f/2.8-f4 Di Lens is a compact and relatively lightweight ultra-wide angle lens that is nearly as versatile on a full frame D/SLR as it is on an APS-C DSLR. This lens is currently priced from $300.00-$450.00 USD and seemingly offers quite a bargain for the price. It is a relatively fast maxiumum aperture lens that has a good specification sheet for both indoor and outdoor work. Mounted on an APS-C Alpha DSLR, it has a 25.5-52.5mm equivalent field of view, and does extra wide duty work for a full frame DSLR. This lens is similar in design to the Konica Minolta 17-35mm lens that has been out of production for quite some time. On the hunt for a bargain ultra-wide with respectable performance for my A900, I decided to purchase this lens and give it a go.

Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 Review

Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 Summary Review

June 2009, Carl Garrard

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras
Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-f/5.6 LD Macro 1:2 Lens Our review reveals that Tamron's 70-300mm f/4-f/5.6 LD Macro 1:2 Lens is currently one of the most affordable and versatile lenses in its range. It is a highly popular lens and is available in just about every DSLR mount because its features and performance for the price creates a high demand from photographers of many levels of experience. For the Alpha Mount it offers full frame coverage, a 1:2 macro feature, 9 aperture blades, Limited Dispersion Elements (LD) to control aberrations, elements coated for digital optics, and a full 6 year warranty. It has been widely available since spring of 2006.

Sony Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8 Review

Sony Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8 Review

May 2009, Carl Garrard

Sony SAL1635Z 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA LensCamera Filters)
Sony Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8 Lens Continuing to introduce professional grade optics to the Alpha lens lineup, Sony introduced the Sony Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 16-35mm f/2.8 lens on the same day the Alpha A900 DSLR was announced officially last year, to which we are finally getting a chance to review. The Sony 16-35mm Zeiss joins the lineup as the most expensive Zeiss offering yet as a professional grade ultra-wide angle alternative covering a full frame sensor. A relative brother to the extremely popular and industry leading Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, both lenses look almost identical in design and include many of the same specifications. While the 24-70mm f/2.8 is a more standard zoom by focal length comparison, the Sony Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8 fits a more specific niche category aimed at wide landscape and architecture photography. The lens boasts Sony's SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) auto focusing technology, internal zoom and focus, focus hold button, AF/MF switch, and a constant and bright f/2.8 aperture. Retailing currently for $1,899.00 the price should command more serious photographers who demand the highest optical quality available for the Alpha Mount, or for enthusiasts fortunate enough in these times to have extra cash to plunk down for the best name in lens design.