I got some extension tubes made for the Sony Alpha. How do I control the lens’ aperture when using the tubes? There are inexpensive extension tubes that do not have the electronic contact pins to connect the lens with the camera. And then there are more expensive ones (such as those made by Kenko) that… Read More »
I don’t have the means to test, but I’ve always wondered if the first generation Maxxum “Big Beercan” 75-300mm zoom is better than the current-generation Tamron and Sigma 70-300mm’s for the A850. At 12 and 16 mp the “Big Beercan” has slightly better corner sharpness than a Sigma or Tamron 75-300mm, especially wide open and… Read More »
No. The confusion comes from the corporate history of Minolta, Konica, and Sony. Back in the 1980’s Konica and Minolta were separate companies with separate, incompatible camera systems. Sometime after 2000 Minolta bought Konica, but by that time Konica had long discontinued its cameras, and made mostly film and specialty devices (like copiers and printers).… Read More »
Yes and no. It is important to distinguish between the high-end lenses and the sub-$500 consumer zooms, both from Sony and from Minolta, and to understand sample variation. The high end lenses are essentially the same lenses, built in the same factory, to the same standards, and are essentially comparable. The differences are in the… Read More »
Back in 2001 I wrote an article titled “Can you use Minolta manual focus lenses on an autofocus body?” That was before Minolta released their first digital SLR, and before they sold their camera business to Sony. The information, however, is still valid, and applies to the Sony Alpha digital SLR cameras for the same reasons. The… Read More »
Should I buy a Sony Alpha a700 or wait for the newer versions? My take as of July 14th, 2009: I’ve been hearing rumors of an upgrade to the a700 for at least six months. None have any definite release date. It could be announced next week, or in November some time. Who knows? The typical… Read More »
The following lenses represent an unusual value. They are not necessarily the cheapest or the best quality available, but they all represent a very high quality for a reasonable price. I’ve written this guide from the perspective of a longtime and Minolta user. I own the lenses below, but I don’t buy or sell them.… Read More »