SAL70300G lens

[rajanshares@gmail.com]

Hello All,

 

I have an A58 and 55-300mm DT lens. thinking of upgrading to SAL70300G lens since G2 is out of my budget.. Considering that SAL70300G was released in 2008.. IS it worth the upgrade ? Can anyone share their experience with this lens ?  I am 100% using it for bird photography..I am looking for sharper pictures and slightly more low-light capabilities than my current DT lens..

 

Sony a58 - DT55300 , 18-135.

[yarmmcd]

I use the MK 1 version of the lens on my NEX-7 , it my favourite lens. If you have access to Flickr there is a group called "Sony 70-300 G Lens" many in that group post good bird pictures.

Yarm McD

[rajanshares@gmail.com]

hi yarmmcd,

 

thx for the hint., I will look at the flickr group.

 

Reg

[Austerror]

I do the same. Nex-7 + LA-EA2 + 70300G = excellent results.

 

I did have to calibrate my focus though.  AF micro adjust I think it is called.  Once I had tweaked the focus it became the best lens. Accurate focus is critical, I have found, with this lens. On a sunny or bright day this lens provides excellent fast and accurate focusing.  It is great wide open and as such shooting wide open is great.  Stopping down provides a little improvement in the corners.  But wide open it produces great results. It is an excellent lens.

 

The only reason to not get this lens is if you buy the 70400G. The 70400G is a little better all around.

 

Having said all that, I've not had great success with my A99.  I've not devoted enough time to calibrating its AF settings.  I thought I did, but the results were clearly out of focus.  Perhaps I am more fussy than other people about focus accuracy...

[rajanshares@gmail.com]

hi all thx for the inputs, how do the third party lenses compare to sony G ? for example bigma 50-500mm  or the tamron one..

ofcourse they are in bigger fl and higher budget but still how would rate them for a-mount performance ?

[Austerror]

The Sigmas and Tamrons are pretty good.  However, the 70400G provides more detail and resolution at the 400mm end than the Bigma does at 500mm.  IF that is your only concern, then the 70400G is the lens to get.  It is of course more expensive vs the Sigma and Tamrons.

 

However, the 50-500 has a few other benefits, its wider and cheaper for example. 500mm on an APS-C body might be a little long, equivalent to 750mm.  750mm basically removes any hand held options you might have otherwise had at shorter focal lengths.  Tripod or some other method of securing the camera/lens will be required to reduce camera and lens shake.

 

Comparing the 70300G to the 50-500 is a little different.  the Bigma is much bigger and heavier and the prices I've seen, the 70300G is cheaper. I suspect the Sony will focus better and it is certainly much easier to walk around with.

 

This guy:

http://kurtmunger.com/sony_70_300mm_f_4_5_5_6_gid224.html

 

Has reviewed and tested a bunch of lenses for A (and E) mount.  Well worth reading.

[rajanshares@gmail.com]

thatz great insight..thanks for all your inputs Aus...!

[rajanshares@gmail.com]

Aus,  Just a last check before I invest..

 

I looked at the ratings on DxoMark and both the 55-300 DT and 70-300G are scored  at 11 !  for some reason , with A900 camera the G lens scores @14... But I have SLT-58... And closest camera/lens combination rated @DxoMark is with SLT77.. As soon as I change my camera to be SLT-77 - both G lens and DT lens score same 11 points on DxoMark.. Here are the links:

 

http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Sony/Sony-70-300mm-F4-5-5-6-G-SSM-mounted-on-Sony-SLT-Alpha-77__734

http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Sony/Sony-DT-55-300mm-F45-56-SAM-mounted-on-Sony-SLT-Alpha-77__734

 

I cant figure why this would be the case ,  how reliable are their comparisons - can you help out ? thx 

[Austerror]

Sorry for my late reply!

 

70-300G works great wide open, the 55-300 DT needs to be stopped down to reach its potential.  The G lens also has silent AF, faster AF, it is larger and heavier and more robust.

 

If you only shoot with a tripod and stopped down to F8, maybe you won't notice the difference between the two.  I got my 70-300 to I can shoot wide open and not worry about anything.  Also the SSM AF. Also internal focusing and the front element does not rotate so filters work well.

 

Kurt Munger says the 55-300 is 'almost' as sharp in the centers as the 70-400.  So maybe its not worth buying the G lens, if you are only concerned about center sharpness...

[rajanshares@gmail.com]

Aus, thanks for your great advice... After a long dilemma , I decided to move to Canon/Nikon...   From my experience so far - Sony's cameras are great , but for telephoto(wildlife/birding) the lenses are just too expensive.In india atleast, the secondhand market/ lens rentals on sony gear are non-existent.  I wish sony pays attention to wildlife segment