what telephoto lenses can i buy with AF for my Nex 5 using the EA1 adaptor?

[sheilag52]

the nex 5 200m is way too expensive.

also what other adaptors -if any- are compatible with other brand lenses and do they have AF?

Please help as i am a newbie.

Thanks

[Mick2011]

Hi sheilag52

I'm not quite clear which lens you're referring to as bing too pricey. Can you give an idea of your spending limit?

Certainly the EA1 will save you having to lay out hundreds on a NEX-native lens.

Among Sony lenses the SAL55200-2 DT 55-200 mm f/4-5.6 is a very reasonably priced, lightweight telephoto zoom at around £180 and gets very good reviews.

Adaptors for Pentax and Canon lenses are available. Although you increase your choices I'm not sure you'd save any money that way.

Cheers

Mick

[sheilag52]

hi,

i was reffering to the  E18-200mm F3.5-6.3 for the Nex 5- unbelievab;y expensive- are they worth the money considering its just a hobby and i dont want to devlop into a proffesional photographers like others  may want to.

the lens that you refer to above- does it have AF?  i am definately after lightweight lenses as that is part of the reason i bought the nex5- its size and weight.

if i were to get a canon lens which do you reccomend? and also how much would one of those adapters set me back?

Thanks

[Mick2011 · Accepted solution]

Everyone seems to make an 18-200mm 'superzoom' these days, and they all seem to hit the £600 mark. They are, invariably, a great all-in-one solution with only minor image quality tradeoffs for all that convenience. But they are 600 quid...

If you already have a wide zoom, 'kit' lens (18-55 or similar) and don't mind changing between them, 55-200 lenses can complete the 'reach' of the superzoom for a lot less money, often without the quality tradeoff.

Incidentally Canon glass is always going to cost more, be difficult to adapt and (I believe) only be usable as manual focus. The adapter I was thinkning of is cheap but actually intended for A-mount and I'm not sure that would work in conjuction with the EA1. In many ways, the more esoteric adaptors are only a good idea if you want to experiment with lenses you already own. So that suggestion was maybe a non-starter :smileyblush:

The SAL55200 I mentioned is indeed autofocus, using the (preferable) Smooth Autofocus (SAM) motor, and is very compact and lightweight:

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/ddl-aps-c-lenses/sal-55200-2

The only drawback often cited about this is a relatively slow autofocus, due to the adaptor.

I'd be surprised if you match it for price vs quality; having said that, I should probably mention the rumoured development of another native NEX lens, the OSS 55-210, which will probably have even better IQ, certainly provide faster autofocus (not needing an adaptor) and likely come in only slightly more expensive. It hasn't been officially announced as yet but may well be worth waiting for.

Mick

[Mitch11]

I would also be interested in a longer focal length lens for my NEX-5 and would consider the lens you suggest with the LA-EA1 adaptor, but I believe I read recently that one of the lens manufacturers were about to produce E mount lenses in or around this focal length as Sony had released the necessary 'permissions'.  Can you comment or confirm this to be the case and do you think it would be worth waiting for, eg would AF be faster as there would be no adaptor, what about quality??, what about pricing??

[Mick2011]

Hi Mitch11, welcome to the Sony Forums

Shortly after I posted that, Sony did officially announce the SEL-55210. Release is set for end-October, so I'd imagine we're only a few weeks off seeing some reviews.

I haven't tried it yet but I'm fully expecting it to be a good deal faster-focussing than the adaptor-based SAL lens, in line with other 'native' NEX lenses. Image quality is also rumoured to be top-notch but again, I haven't had my hands on one so can't confirm any of this myself.

As for price, it's likely to come in a lot cheaper than earlier NEX lenses. I'd guess around the £225-250 mark, based on news coming out of the US at the moment. 

Sorry it's not much more than I already posted but at least it's not long to wait.. and you can feast your eyes on it here in the meantime: http://www.sony.co.uk/product/ddl-nex-5-nex-3-lenses-and-a-mount-adaptor/sel-55210

Cheers

Mick

[Mitch11]

Thanks Mick, that's good to know.  I was actually referring to 3rd party lens manufacturers, I think I read somewhere that Tamron, (I think) were about to release something, but if the Sony one is priced around your guess then I would more than likely go for it.  Looks good 🙂

[Mick2011]

I think the native fit, without an adaptor, is a big plus. The Tamron will probably have an adaptor; however that doesn't make it a non-contender...

The most important thing here is Try Before You Buy

Cheers

Mick

[wildraco]

Hi all

It's been over a year since someone last updated this thread and I'm kind of looking for the same answer as the poster.  I've a Nex-5, the 18-55mm lens isn't cutting the mustard for me anymore.  I see now there are updates and firmware improvements, advances in technology etc and wondered what is the best way of going about getting something like a 18-200mm lens without having to pay £600.

Hope you can help.

[blaireau_photo]

Hello wildraco - Welcome to the Sony Forums

I have left a reply on your other thread about lenses that you may / may not already have. If you respond on there I will gladly look into this further for you.

Thanks,

Simon