NEX & M4:3 users: great deal on 2 Sigma primes!

I'll leave this one up to Fearless Leader Tim to make a URL link that has the click-through for TMIP, so any due credit can come to our site...but there's a pretty nice deal going on B&H right now for a bundle of the two Sigma prime lenses for mirrorless users...the 30mm F2.8 and the 19mm F2.8, for $199 TOTAL! ; That's $100 per lens - they originally went for $200 each. ; Here's the unlinked link (I put a space between the http and the colon to stop it from linking) for NEX users:

CLICKITY-CLICK

And the M4:3 forums were mentioning the same bundle deal for their mount too.

(Tim - can you find that same 2-lens bundle deal and make it a TMIP link?)

I don't need either of these - but for that price, that's awful tempting to pick them up even if they barely get used! ; Both lenses get good reviews and raves from users for being very sharp and distortion free.

 

Justin, I saw this deal also and was tempted by it, especially for the price.

FYI, if you want to B&H-ify a product link, append /BI/1824/KBID/2466 to the end of the url if its a "search engine friendly" url, such as the one you quoted above. ; If its an "ugly" url, you would append &BI=1824&KBID=2466 to the end.

Examples: ;
1. ; Friendly URL - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/913513-REG/Sigma__19mm_f_2_8_DN_f_SONY.html/BI/1824/KBID/2466

2. ; Ugly URL (clue: ; look for & and = in the url) - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=19mm+f%2F2.8+EX+DN+Lens+and+30mm+f%2F2.8+EX+DN+Lens+Kit+for+Sony+Alpha+E+Mount&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=&BI=1824&KBID=2466

 

I guess the question boils down to... ; will I actually USE the lenses? ; I have the 16mm f/2.8 with both conversion lenses already and the lens bag will begin to fill up rather quickly with 2 more primes. ; But the price is unbeatable.

 

Yeah I wanted to pick them up so bad. But I decided that I would probably never use them as their FL is going to be duplicated elsewhere. But it was a good idea for this promotion as they have already been replaced by a new version!

 

The FL are duped, for sure, but I do love me some f/2.8 glass. ; Especially at that price. ; I'm going to have to think about this- especially because I am not certain I will actually use them all that much. ;

 

I couldn't quite pull the trigger myself for just the same reason - I'd likely rarely use them...but the price is indeed hard to pass - and the reviews of these two lenses have been quite good. ; I think I'm going to pick up the Sony 35mm F1.8 for an autofocus low light lens, and that'll probably do it for my eMount autofocus lens selection for the foreseeable future. ; I've been enjoying the manual focus primes when I want to play more, and with the 16mm, 18-55mm, and 55-210mm lenses, all I'm missing is the fast prime on the autofocus side.

 

I haven't even used the 55-210 since I got the 18-200. ; Probably sending it back and applying the funds to the new 18-200 PZ when it comes out next month. ; Will trade in the 18-200 I have now in the process. ;

Or maybe the 10-18? ; 50 f/1.8?

 

Sounds like a plan on the 18-200. ; If you're not using the 55-210mm, no use keeping it to gather dust!


I debated the 50mm vs 35mm - personally I just feel like 50mm might be a bit too tight for crop sensor (that's 75mm equiv) - I figured on the 35mm F1.8 being a more useful focal length (52.5mm)...so I think I'm going with the 35mm F1.8.


The 10-18mm is very cool though - I love my Tamron 10-24mm on my DSLR, and to have a stabilized ultrawide is pretty cool. ; If I didn't already have the Tamron for the DSLR and the 16mm + ECU for the NEX, I'd probably grab the 10-18. ; Still might if I see a sale, refurb, or good used one!

 

I love the 55-210, esp with the TC and the CIZ. ; The TC isn't compatible with the 18-200.

 

TC? ; I didn't know of no steenking TC!

 

It's the 'unofficial' TC - a screw-on 1.7x teleextender from the superzoom P&S line that happens to work very well with the 55-210mm lens. ; I use it at Animal Kingdom, in fact, and most of my birding photos with the NEX were using that teleextender.


With the 55-210mm lens, and the 1.7x teleextender, you get 357mm optical reach, or 535mm equivalent, at the same F6.3 (no light loss!)...and can get up close and personal with the wildlife:

 

Link? ; And will it work with the 18-200?

 

Is this the right one?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000PGT9RE

 

Not really; it's a 58mm thread, which is wider than the 55-210, but smaller than the 18-200. ; It still vignettes at the low FL range with it on BUT if you are using it you're probably not shooting at that range.

My copy is really soft on the left but I'm not shooting landscapes with it. ; I got lucky and found a copy on KEH for less than eBay esp. since Sony isn't making this anymore.

 

Can you link to the one you have?

 

Ok, so this is the TC I would want?
Sony VCL-DH1758 Tele Conversion Lens

 

NOW, not for nothing.... ; what about using the TC with the 18-200 and a 67-58 step down ring? ; It would vignette a bit at full wide but it would yield a 46-510 equivalent... ; kind of like my sigmonster.

 

That looks like it; It would probably vignette a lot in a good chunk of the range - the existing one vignettes around 55-70mm on the 55-210, and that one uses a stepup ring!

 

That's the one, Tim. ; Even on the 55-210mm with the 58-49mm step down ring, it still vignettes from 55mm to around 70-75mm or so. ; With the step-UP ring and going to the larger 67mm glass opening on the 18-200mm, I think you'd see vignetting probably well into the 150-170mm range. ; The bigger problem might be that you'll be using too much of the TC due to the larger end-glass on that 18-200mm, which would likely mean some very soft or blurry corners. ; I can see some soft corners even on mine when at the shorter end of the lens, like 150mm and under...once I zoom to 200-210mm I think the smaller end-glass of the 55-210mm lens means I'm using primarily the center of the teleextender, which helps get rid of the softer corners from the curvature of the extender glass. ; I believe I remember one other NEX guy trying out the teleextender on his 18-200 and he wasn't too happy with the results. ; Note: Sony also made a larger teleextender, the DH1778, which has 78mm threading - I don't know how the quality would hold up, but it might work better with the 18-200mm since you'd be stepping up.