Great lens! Affordable, sharp, well constructed, and light. Good for portraits and general use.
Reviews:
Sample images:
Sony 85mm f1.8
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
This lens is amazing. I have the Sony 24-70mm f4 and I thought it was a bit under-rated given my experience with the lens, which gave excellent results. More recently I got this Tamron lens, which really blows the Sony out of the water. The Tamrom is an inch longer than the Sony un-extended, as one might expect given the larger maximum aperature of the former. But in all other rpspects — build, performance and value — the Tamrom 28-75mm f2,8 is a superior lens.
Here is how the makers describe it:
Spectacular optical performance for inspiring creativity
The second, comprehensively updated generation of the high-speed standard zoom lens
The 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 (model A063) is a fast standard zoom lens for mirrorless full format system cameras from Sony and the successor to the popular 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (model A036). A high resolution and an outstanding image quality are among its most important innovations. The new lens has a revised optical system, but is just as compact as the previous model. The optical structure includes LD (Low Dispersion) and GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) lens elements to minimize aberrations. The imaging performance is very high at every focal length and over the entire image area. When the aperture is open, there is a beautiful bokeh effect. With these and many other innovations, the 28- 75mm F/2.8 G2 is the first choice for everyone who wants to maximize their creativity.
Professional reviews
Sample images
Sony 28mm f2.0
This wide angle lens has two optional adaptors, both of which I have in my collection. One is an ultra-wide angle converter and the other is a fish-eye converter. The first increases the angle to 21mm and the second increases the angle to 16mm.
I want to say I have been a bit underwhelmed by this kit. That said I have gotten some interesting results (see samples below). The 2/28mm gets a 4.22 overall rating on Dyxum, with 4.68 for sharpness. But the lens gives too much distortion yielding a rating of 3.46 in this category.
It is easy enough to snap on the ultra wide angle or fish eye adaptors. These provide for some unique shots suitable for creative photography.
Here is Sony’s promotional blurb:
An excellent choice as a second lens to supplement a basic lens kit, featuring a bright F2.0 maximum aperture and outstanding overall optical performance.
Professional reviews:
Sample images:
Sony SEL24F14GM FE 24 mm f/1.4 GM
Sony SEL24F14GM FE 24 mm f/1.4 GM
This is one of Sony’s very best full-frrame lenses. It ranks at or near the top of the list in all categories — overall, sharpness, color, build, distortion and flare control. Dyxum user ratings give it a five out of five in all these categories.
Sony’s blurb:
Unsparing application of leading-edge technology achieves refined G Master performance with consistently high resolution and soft, natural bokeh even at the widest F1.4 aperture setting.
Professional Reviews
Sample images
Sony SLT A77V
Sony SLT-A77V
I have had this excellent Single Lens Translucent crop-framed camera since 2014. It has served me well with both native Sony lens and high-end Minolta glass. I have used it for all kinds of photography modes — street, landscape, portrait, wildlife and macro photography. Some of my best shots have been taken with this camera paired with my Sony 55-300mm zoom lens, and Minolta 200mm f2.8 APO lens and my Minolta Smooth Trans Focus 135mm f2.8 (4.5) lens.
Professional Reviews
Sample images
Minolta AF 200mm F/2.8 G APO HS
This lens is great. It is rated 4.98 out of 5.00 for sharpness by Dyxum (4.96 overall). It has a macro limiter and a built in retractible lens hood. The focus is fast and accurate. It is an a-mount lens that I use directly on my SLT-A77V and with an LA-EA4 adapter on my e-mount cameras A7R2 and A7R3a.
Here are some professional reviews:
Phillip Reeve
Dyxum
Imaging Resource
…and here are some sample images.
Photoposts; Click on an image to see a full-screen image and image details

Mosaic: Click on any image to enlarge it and to start a slide show.
Sony 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens
This is a very handy multipurpose zoom lens that provides good image quality and is relatively inexpensive. Great for travel if your gear capacity is limited.
Dyxum gives this lens a sharpness rating of only 4.29 and a user rating of only 4.40 (out of 5.00). My own experience has been better.
From Brian Smith’s Ultimate Lens Guide
Full-frame E-Mount telephoto zoom lens with the versatility to stretch from true wide-angle to super telephoto perspectives. Its advanced optical design includes 5 aspherical elements and 1 ED glass element for reduced chromatic and spherical aberrations in a compact design. Optical SteadyShot image stabilization facilitates sharper imaging in low light situations and when shooting at long telephoto lengths.
Professional reviews:
Here are some sample images of my own.
Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Zeiss Vario-Tessar T*
I have always felt this lens is a bit under-rated. Its attributes — constant aperture, OSS, and useful range — belie its relatively low ratings (Dyxum 4.53 overall; 4.43 sharpness). I got some pretty good results with this lens on my A7R cameras.
Here is a description from Brian Smith’s Ultimate Guide:
Compact wide-angle to short telephoto zoom with constant f/4 aperture lens that remains fixed in length while zooming. Features one extra-low dispersion element and five aspherical elements to combat aberrations as well as a Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating to keep flare and ghosting to a minimum.
Professional reviews:
Sample images:
Sony DT 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 SAM
I have had great success with this lens which I have owned and used often since 2007. It is an a-mount lens designed for cameras with crop-framed sensors.
Reviews
Sample images
Minolta 100-400mm f/4.5-6.7 APO
Large and heavy, this lens has a tendency toward chromatic aberration. Still, I have gotten some great wildlife and butterfly shots. I took it to the Frejus zoo and got a few keepers. The lens also gave me some good bird, butterfly and damselfly photos.
Here are some professional reviews:
…and here are some of my sample photos using this lens. Click on an image for details.
