A little lens help for a Newbie

[Jeff A]

I have only had my a73 for a couple of days but I'm looking ahead to the future when I can afford another lens. What brands beside Sony are considered to be "Top Quality" lenses? Are other manufacturers lenses completely compatible with the a73? Any brands that you could recomend? Any brands to avoid? Thanks in advance

 

[Tim Mayo]

Hey Jeff. There are certainly a lot of lens options when it comes to Sony's E-mount. What focal length are you thinking of? I might be able to help you narrow down the choice a little.

Besides Sony you have Zeiss, Sigma, Tamron, Voigtlander, Rokinon/Samyang and Laowa just to name a few. I can't think of any manufacturers to stay away from off the top of my head. Of course, lens quality can also vary considerably from the same manufacturers (even Sony) so it's always good to try and read as many reviews as possible before purchasing.

Providing they are E-mount lenses then they can be mounted to your a7III. Just make sure they are also full-frame E-mount lenses and not APS-C E-mount lenses otherwise you'll be shooting in crop mode and this reduces the megapixels on the a7III down to 10MP. Full-frame Sony lenses will always have FE in the name and their APS-C lenses just have E. Unfortunately third-parties don't normally name their lenses like this so you'll have to jump into the spec sheets.

 

[Jeff A]

Hey Jeff. There are certainly a lot of lens options when it comes to Sony's E-mount. What focal length are you thinking of? I might be able to help you narrow down the choice a little.

Besides Sony you have Zeiss, Sigma, Tamron, Voigtlander, Rokinon/Samyang and Laowa just to name a few. I can't think of any manufacturers to stay away from off the top of my head. Of course, lens quality can also vary considerably from the same manufacturers (even Sony) so it's always good to try and read as many reviews as possible before purchasing.

Providing they are E-mount lenses then they can be mounted to your a7III. Just make sure they are also full-frame E-mount lenses and not APS-C E-mount lenses otherwise you'll be shooting in crop mode and this reduces the megapixels on the a7III down to 10MP. Full-frame Sony lenses will always have FE in the name and their APS-C lenses just have E. Unfortunately third-parties don't normally name their lenses like this so you'll have to jump into the spec sheets.

Thanks for the info. It will take awhile before I will know what lens I would need next but I do have a question. Not that I would go a lot but I sure do like to go to car shows. What's a good Focal Length for that application? And since I'm a pilot, seldom miss an opportunity to roam around the local airport. Again, Focal Length?
Lastly, I am a life long shooter and firearms enthusiast. I see many photographs that others take of their guns and I am envious. Much gun pictures pretty much suck. I'm not sure any lens will help me.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Thanks for the info. It will take awhile before I will know what lens I would need next but I do have a question. Not that I would go a lot but I sure do like to go to car shows. What's a good Focal Length for that application? And since I'm a pilot, seldom miss an opportunity to roam around the local airport. Again, Focal Length?
Lastly, I am a life long shooter and firearms enthusiast. I see many photographs that others take of their guns and I am envious. Much gun pictures pretty much suck. I'm not sure any lens will help me.

I guess it depends on close you will be getting to the cars? If you can walk up to them then I quite like the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM.

If you are at the side of a track then you might need a little more reach. Here's one with the Sony FE 70-200 F4 G lens.

For aviation you are probably look at the Sony FE 100-400 or Sony FE 200-600. If you are on a budget then the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN might be worth considering, but the autofocus isn't as fast as the Sony.

Here's a shot with the Sony FE 100-400 but it was on my a7R III and I cropped in to 4000px here:

I'm not sure about gun photos I'm afraid. Although the Sony FE 100-400 is pretty versatile and good for close-up shots as well. If you wanted to get really close then you might want to consider a macro lens like the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G lens or the Sigma 70mm F2.8 Macro lens.

 

[Jeff A]

I guess it depends on close you will be getting to the cars? If you can walk up to them then I quite like the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM.

View attachment 2900

If you are at the side of a track then you might need a little more reach. Here's one with the Sony FE 70-200 F4 G lens.

View attachment 2901

For aviation you are probably look at the Sony FE 100-400 or Sony FE 200-600. If you are on a budget then the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN might be worth considering, but the autofocus isn't as fast as the Sony.

Here's a shot with the Sony FE 100-400 but it was on my a7R III and I cropped in to 4000px here:

View attachment 2902

I'm not sure about gun photos I'm afraid. Although the Sony FE 100-400 is pretty versatile and good for close-up shots as well. If you wanted to get really close then you might want to consider a macro lens like the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G lens or the Sigma 70mm F2.8 Macro lens.

Great shot!

 

[garuda]

Here's a shot with the Sony FE 100-400 but it was on my a7R III and I cropped in to 4000px here:

View attachment 2902

Wow! Aerial shot downward when above the aircraft. That takes skill and nerve. Hum... are you flying in your wing suit again. Do you remember the warning your wife leveled when she found out about your skydiving escapades? Winter is approaching.... no fun having to sleep in garage. (Nice photo though!)

 

[garuda]

I have only had my a73. Any brands that you could recomend? Any brands to avoid?

I know little about which are best quality for each brand, so for that reason I play it safe by buying Sony native lenses or Zeiss -- reasoning they likely function better with Sony cams since Sony built them.

Likely other brands are just as good, maybe even better in some ways. But I like to play it safe so I stay native.

I would avoid lenses made by Mattel.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Wow! Aerial shot downward when above the aircraft. That takes skill and nerve. Hum... are you flying in your wing suit again. Do you remember the warning your wife leveled when she found out about your skydiving escapades? Winter is approaching.... no fun having to sleep in garage. (Nice photo though!)

Lol. My wing suit days are long gone This was actually shot from the side of a mountain where the RAF and American Forces practice low-levelling flying. Sadly they don't fly through as often as they used to though.