Nature and outdoor photographers will tell you that you can never have too long of a lens – the more millimeters, the better! I’m one of those photographers.
For me a single lens that has wide angle settings for inclusive scenes and can zoom out to capture distant subjects is preferable to carrying multiple lenses. The lens that attracted my attention was an 18mm to 300mm zoom. However I was only able to find one made for APS-C sensor cameras.
My main camera has a large full-frame sensor with a resolution of 9504 x 6336 pixels. Luckily it can accept APS-C lenses although the sensor resolution is reduced to 6240 x 4160 pixels.
Here’s a small gallery comparing the relative image sizes when using the APS-C lens and full-frame lens. While these samples are not subjects from the outdoors I hope that they illustrate the concept of mm reach.
Below are side by side sample photos taken at various lens setting. The photos on the left were all taken with the Tamron APS-C lens. The photos on the right were taken with the Sony full frame lens.
Keep in mind that although the subject size is smaller on the right, there are more pixels available if you crop the image in post processing.
For me, the bonus in using the Tamron lens is the addition of reach up to 300mm which gives me the ability to capture more distant subjects from a single lens.
I just returned from a recent trip with my full frame Sony camera and the Tamron lens. The two photos below were taken from a distance and the extra mm’s gave me a more detailed images of the two birds.
My back was grateful too since I was weighted down with only a single lens instead of two lenses that could offer me the same range.
As a bonus I can use the new Tamron lens with my older and smaller APS-C size Sony A6000 camera.
Written by:
Arnie Lee
A few years ago I upgraded from a Sony NEX7 to the newer Alpha 6000.
The A6000 became my everyday walk around camera. But I didn’t want to let the NEX7 collect dust, nor did I want to spend a lot more investing in more glass.
The one drawback is that this lens is manual aperture control and manual focus but I decided that I could live with these limitations.
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So I started looking for an inexpensive lens. My preference was to go wide so I did a little looking around and found an affordable 8mm fisheye. I’m a fan of the way the images are elegantly distorted by lens’ curvature. The lens adds lots of interest to common everyday scenery and subjects. The lens I chose is the 8mm Rokinon fisheye for about $300. When the 8mm lens is coupled on the camera’s APS-C sensor it is equivalent to a 12mm full frame lens. To use the lens, I set the camera to Auto ISO and using the manual exposure mode (M) rotate the aperture ring on the lens to a specific aperture (f/stop) and dial the shutter speed until the exposure indicator is centered. |
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| Measuring about 3″ long and weighing just a few ounces, it is miniscule compared to the two other DSLR fisheyes in my equipment stable. The Rokinon 8mm has a well-marked aperture ring, smooth focus ring, a small built-in sunshade and lens cap that total covers the outer lens surface. I am very happy that when mounted, my fisheye camera is very compact and easy to carry. | |
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The important question is how does this inexpensive fisheye perform? I’ve taken hundreds of photos with the 8mm. I’ve found that the images are tack sharp. The resolution of the NEX-7 is 24MP and with this lens I’ve made several 16″ x 20″ enlargements including three below. |
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The compact size of this camera/lens combination makes it a great way to have a tag along camera and use it for the wide views without having to change lenses.
For many excursions, I carrythree cameras: this fisheye combo, a second with a long lens telephoto (80-400mm) for wildlife and a third with a medium zoom (24mm to 200mm) – all without breaking my back with the weight. In the case of the 8mm fisheye lens, I have a winner at a very decent price.
Having done a little looking around, I know that there are other inexpensive fisheye lenses available for all of the major brand cameras. If you too like the interesting effects that the come from the ultra curved lens surface you’ll be able to find a fisheye to add to your camera bag.
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As the cold winter weather wares on me, I look forward to escaping for a few days. My destination is the Wedding & Portrait Professional International Conference and Expo in warm (usually) Las Vegas. There photographers can attend any of several hundred seminars, classes, workshops covering the gamut of the photography world. I especially like the expo where I can seek out the makers of new equipment and accessories. And so for this article, you’ll see that I stopped at Sony to have a look at their upcoming A7 III mirrorless camera. |
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| Sony is the leading maker of mirrorless cameras. Early on I was attracted to Sony’s NEX series owing to their compact size and weight. I now own three of Sony’s mirrorless APS-C sensor models. For the past two years, my walk-around “goto” is the Sony Alpha 6000 with which I’ve taken many tens of thousands of pix.
I’ve been holding off upgrading to a full frame, but Sony has been dangling some impressive features in their newer models. The A7 III is Sony’s latest iteration of full-framers and I had some hands-on at the WPPI Expo. |
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| Pick up the camera and it’s lightweight (compared to full-frame DSLR) but solid. The body is made from a magnesium alloy and is sealed to keep out dirt and moisture. The handgrip is comfortable (I’m right handed) as I tested it with the 24-105mm G lens. I cozied up to the bright, crisp viewfinder. Although I was in a lower light indoor setting, the speed of autofocus seemed to be very snappy. I counted four customizable buttons – a plus for fast working in the field. There are also two convenient dials for changing shutter speed or aperture and a welcomed dedicated dial for exposure adjustment. |  |
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| Among the A7 III’s impressive features are:
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At the WPPI Expo, Sony rep David Rhodes demonstrated a new feature for me. Using your finger tip, you can use the touch screen to instantly change the focus point. The LCD screen also tilts up and down for easier viewing from different angles. While I wasn’t able to try it, the A7 III is capable of shooting 10 frames per second while maintaining autofocus. |
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| In the past, some critics pointed to the dearth of lenses for full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras. Sony has been rapidly developing and introducing new lenses and now has a decent stable of prime and zoom lenses – I counted about two dozen lenses.
Additionally, Sigma recently announced the support the Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras. While they are not yet available, Sigma will be producing the following prime lenses for Sony E-mount cameras: 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art |
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The A7 III is on target for release about mid-April. The suggested price is $2200 with a 28-70mm lens. For more information and detailed specifications, please visit Sony A7 III.
For more information about the upcoming Sigma lenses, please visit Sigma.
After my hands-on test and after talking to the Sony rep David Rhodes, I’ve decided to pre-order the A7 III. The two features that pushed my decision are the speedy and more accurate autofocus, the 10 fps shooting capability and the availability of a larger selection of lenses. I look forward to its arrival – I’m told in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, I’ll have a review of the new equipment in the near future.
Note from April 10, 2018: I just received delivery of the A7 III that I preordered a couple of weeks ago. I hope to have a review shortly.
Written by: Arnie Lee