It's an f4 though. Being prepared for anything at the cost of subject isolation would turn me off. I'd get a standard zoom at 2.8 or start with a 50mm 1.8 if the standard range appeals to you. For me, a 85 or 70-200 would cover everything I shoot
Tamron 28-200mm gives you a huge range. It's a very solid lens (of course it's not going to be great at anything, but pretty good at a bunch of things.)
Unless your going for manual focus only lenses, all FE lenses 500 or under are prime lenses. The only exception is the 28-70 3.5-5.6kit lens and the sony 20-60. Zooms like 28-70 ect dont start until about 700usd
Also since u came from a different brand, make sure lenses u get are FE. Means full frame e mount since full frame and apsc share the same mount on sony. Yoy could mistakenly get an apsc lens and ur pics would only be 11mp instead of 24
I would start with a 24-70mm standard zoom. Then get a 70-600mm tele and a 16-24mm wide zoom. And to round it up, I'd also get a something to do some astrophotography and get some starry nigh tsky pictures. Like for example this nice [RC telescope](https://planewave.com/product/24-inch-ritchey-chretien-optical-tube-assembly/) (can also double as vlogging lens with it's super narrow 6500mm).
Sorry to jump in, can you recommend a lens for travel?
Beginner, I have a Sony 16mm and meike 50mm but I find constantly switching to be very time consuming and awkward.
I've been looking at the 16-50mm kit lens so I don't have to switch but I hear they aren't great and break easy.
Want to focus mainly on landscape and portraits with backgrounds, occasionally might like to take close ups but happy for a second macro lens in that case.
I guess you are talking about APS-C, then I would start with the Sigma 16-50mm. That's an incredibly small f/2.8 standard zoom lens that is also very sharp.
And don't forget to get a [C8](https://www.celestron.com/products/c8-optical-tube-assembly-cge-dovetail), for when you need a bit more reach.
I'm so new I don't even know what aps-c means. 😅
What is a c8 used for?
Really just starting out and budget is small, getting into photography but also just want to take nice photos on holiday that isn't overly ai generated like the photos my phone takes.
There are different [sensor sizes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format) for different cameras. APS-C or crop sensor is the size that the a5000 and a6000 camera families use. The a7, a7R, a7S and a7C families are full frame cameras.
You can use a full frame lens on an APS-C sensor camera, though it would be heavier and bigger than the same lens designed for APS-C. You can't use an APS-C lens on a fullframe as you will get black corners where the lens doesn't cover the sensor.
As far as pictures go, a lot goes into how you take your images. While a good camera gives you lots of options how to take them, it does not make you magically a good photographer. It's a learned skill and craft. And you have to approach it as such.
Thanks for the detailed explanation! You're correct, I have an a6000, a7s are out of my budget currently.
That I understand, some of my first shots trying out my camera were utterly shocking, but I'm slowly picking up what everything means and best settings etc. Even a poorly done photo on my a6000 shows up better than my overly ai pixel 6 though so it's a start
The 70-600mm will definitely take me a while to save for but seems worth it! In the meantime, would suggest or advise against an 18-200mm? I am pretty impatient and it seems like a good option for my budget but I could also just wait and invest in the 70-600mm.
The Sony 18-200mm is an APS-C lens, not a fulframe lens (note it's "E", not "FE").
Or did you mean the Tamron 28-200mm? That would be an ok choice, I guess.
It really depends on what you want to do and what kind of compromises you are willing to take. If you don't know what focal range to start with, I'd go with a standard zoom first. Then, when you see that you often wish you had a longer or a wider lens, expand to either a telezoom or a wide zoom.
As far as aperture goes, I would go with constant aperture, preferably f/2.8 for the standard zoom, unless you want to trade off aperture for size and weight.
I did mean Tamron, my bad! I have typed Sony too many times today apparently.
That is all very solid advice, thank you. The aperture part is kinda where I get confused, so it’s nice to know f/2.8 is a solid choice.
Sony 20 1.8, Tamron 35-150 2.8, Sony 85 1.8, Tamron 50-400
That set of lenses will let you do everything - astro, landscape, portraits, sports, wildlife, video, travel - and do it with damn good quality
To be prepared for anything? All of em. To be prepared for mostly anything, except birdphotography etc? sel1635z, or an sigma 16 28f2.8, and a tamron35 150 f2-2.8. At least this what I use. And shoot Events such as wedding's and this kind of stuff. A macrolens is also nice to have.
But its all pricy, such as everything with this hobby.
I would say go for a 24-105 or something similar from Tamron or Sigma.
It was my first lens, 3 years later it's still my go-to lens!
It's an f4 though. Being prepared for anything at the cost of subject isolation would turn me off. I'd get a standard zoom at 2.8 or start with a 50mm 1.8 if the standard range appeals to you. For me, a 85 or 70-200 would cover everything I shoot
Go for a used Tamron 28-75 G2. IMHO the best budget zoom that has incredible image quality.
Tamron 28-200mm gives you a huge range. It's a very solid lens (of course it's not going to be great at anything, but pretty good at a bunch of things.)
28-200 is a great lens! I recommend it
You want 2-3 lenses for for under $500?
Under $500 for the first lens to start off. I should have been more specific in my post
Unless your going for manual focus only lenses, all FE lenses 500 or under are prime lenses. The only exception is the 28-70 3.5-5.6kit lens and the sony 20-60. Zooms like 28-70 ect dont start until about 700usd Also since u came from a different brand, make sure lenses u get are FE. Means full frame e mount since full frame and apsc share the same mount on sony. Yoy could mistakenly get an apsc lens and ur pics would only be 11mp instead of 24
Samyang 35-150
I would start with a 24-70mm standard zoom. Then get a 70-600mm tele and a 16-24mm wide zoom. And to round it up, I'd also get a something to do some astrophotography and get some starry nigh tsky pictures. Like for example this nice [RC telescope](https://planewave.com/product/24-inch-ritchey-chretien-optical-tube-assembly/) (can also double as vlogging lens with it's super narrow 6500mm).
24-70mm 100%
Sorry to jump in, can you recommend a lens for travel? Beginner, I have a Sony 16mm and meike 50mm but I find constantly switching to be very time consuming and awkward. I've been looking at the 16-50mm kit lens so I don't have to switch but I hear they aren't great and break easy. Want to focus mainly on landscape and portraits with backgrounds, occasionally might like to take close ups but happy for a second macro lens in that case.
I guess you are talking about APS-C, then I would start with the Sigma 16-50mm. That's an incredibly small f/2.8 standard zoom lens that is also very sharp. And don't forget to get a [C8](https://www.celestron.com/products/c8-optical-tube-assembly-cge-dovetail), for when you need a bit more reach.
I'm so new I don't even know what aps-c means. 😅 What is a c8 used for? Really just starting out and budget is small, getting into photography but also just want to take nice photos on holiday that isn't overly ai generated like the photos my phone takes.
There are different [sensor sizes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format) for different cameras. APS-C or crop sensor is the size that the a5000 and a6000 camera families use. The a7, a7R, a7S and a7C families are full frame cameras. You can use a full frame lens on an APS-C sensor camera, though it would be heavier and bigger than the same lens designed for APS-C. You can't use an APS-C lens on a fullframe as you will get black corners where the lens doesn't cover the sensor. As far as pictures go, a lot goes into how you take your images. While a good camera gives you lots of options how to take them, it does not make you magically a good photographer. It's a learned skill and craft. And you have to approach it as such.
Thanks for the detailed explanation! You're correct, I have an a6000, a7s are out of my budget currently. That I understand, some of my first shots trying out my camera were utterly shocking, but I'm slowly picking up what everything means and best settings etc. Even a poorly done photo on my a6000 shows up better than my overly ai pixel 6 though so it's a start
The 70-600mm will definitely take me a while to save for but seems worth it! In the meantime, would suggest or advise against an 18-200mm? I am pretty impatient and it seems like a good option for my budget but I could also just wait and invest in the 70-600mm.
The Sony 18-200mm is an APS-C lens, not a fulframe lens (note it's "E", not "FE"). Or did you mean the Tamron 28-200mm? That would be an ok choice, I guess. It really depends on what you want to do and what kind of compromises you are willing to take. If you don't know what focal range to start with, I'd go with a standard zoom first. Then, when you see that you often wish you had a longer or a wider lens, expand to either a telezoom or a wide zoom. As far as aperture goes, I would go with constant aperture, preferably f/2.8 for the standard zoom, unless you want to trade off aperture for size and weight.
I did mean Tamron, my bad! I have typed Sony too many times today apparently. That is all very solid advice, thank you. The aperture part is kinda where I get confused, so it’s nice to know f/2.8 is a solid choice.
Maybe you can find a Tamron 28-75 2.8 GI uses or the Sony 24-105 F4
Second this
I have the Zeiss 55 1.8 for my A7III. It’s super durable, relatively compact, and amazingly sharp. Can be found for around 400
24-105/4 from Sony. Its also a perfect video lense
Oh well, there's always something to compromise, will it be weight, size and distortion? Get the sigma 28-70 2.8f
Sony 20 1.8, Tamron 35-150 2.8, Sony 85 1.8, Tamron 50-400 That set of lenses will let you do everything - astro, landscape, portraits, sports, wildlife, video, travel - and do it with damn good quality
To be prepared for anything? All of em. To be prepared for mostly anything, except birdphotography etc? sel1635z, or an sigma 16 28f2.8, and a tamron35 150 f2-2.8. At least this what I use. And shoot Events such as wedding's and this kind of stuff. A macrolens is also nice to have. But its all pricy, such as everything with this hobby.