Your favourite A-mount lens

mambo wrote: Hi Basil, I am delighted the 600/4 is being taken for a spin once in a while.

I am still in the learning curve phase of using it. The pandemic has curtailed my wildlife excursions. It is very touchy as far as vibration goes, even with a rock solid tripod and gimbal head. I need to use a remote release and be patient with my long lens technique. I am still having to think about it each time I release the shutter. It will eventually become second nature as I get more accustomed to it. I have far more out of focus shots than keepers at the moment. But when it is right.....oh my!

Miranda F wrote: LAbernethy wrote: My personal favourite A-Mount lens? Minolta AF 24-105mm F/3.5-4.5 D. I could have and probably should have "one and done" with this lens. Hind sight is 20/20. Everything about this lens is perfect. Size, weight, lens shade, focal range, distortion, colour rendering, sharpness and easy on the pocket book. I've tried the larger, faster, more expensive options and should have saved my money. It's my favourite lens on film (600SI), with the 50mm f1.7 as second best due its smooth OOF behaviour.

Miss your pictures in the 2020/2021 film challenge

That would be the 135ZA 1.8
It delivers great photos, that can easily be recognized.
From a practical viewpoint, it would be the 1680CZ that has been my most used lens on my A700. Always with me, never failed me.

While I enjoy many Minolta lenses and can see the attraction of several mentioned (especially the 80-200/2.8 and the 35/2) it is the 100/2.8 macro D that is the one I am most comfortable with, an old friend that always provides. If I feel jaded and uninspired I will often plug this lens on to a camera and go for a walk, it's a great macro lens and a brilliant portrait lens that also takes super landscapes and architectural shots - I love it.

I'm in the easy camp here.

Sony Fisheye 16mm f/2.8

Got it for my a100 and quickly bought a maxxum 5 and learned to shoot film just to shoot the fisheye. The color and sharpness and being able to shoot right into the sun without issue still blows me away to this day.

As someone said earlier in the thread, this is a hard one; not so different from having to choose a favourite child...

But, as the question revolves around the lens that makes me glad to shoot A mount, it has to be my STF. I don't think there is much like it for any other mount. Most of my other favourites have close cousins in other mounts.

mikey2000 wrote: As someone said earlier in the thread, this is a hard one; not so different from having to choose a favourite child... But, as the question revolves around the lens that makes me glad to shoot A mount, it has to be my STF. I don't think there is much like it for any other mount. Most of my other favourites have close cousins in other mounts.

It was an apt observation. And I think anyone who has been in the A-mount a long time will have a few favourites.

Some of the choices I completely understand. The 85/1.4 lens is a sublime portrait lens and the shots I got from mine were wonderful portrait images. But I didn't shoot enough portraits for this to be 'the one'.

Like you, I went for the STF for much the same reasons.