I got an 18-55 with my a6000 which is better than than my 18-55 kit lens from Canon for the SL1 but the 55-210 Sony is MUCH better than the Tamron 28-300 that I had for the little Canon. Looking at an 18-200 SEL for travel and walk around.
I bought my 18-200 used at KEH and paid less than the cost of a new one. Its in perfect condition and I love it.
In testing them, the 18-200 is sharper than the 55 to 210, but the 55-210 is still reasonably good. As I mentioned before, there are 3 versions of this 18-200 lens and the cheapest is not known for its sharpness. I have the middle, silver version. I think it has the same optics as the more expensive one.
One thing that is very noticeable is the impact of Image Stabilization. If I am looking at something at 200mm, I can see it dance all over the screen as I hand hold it. As soon as I depress the shutter half way, the Stabilization kicks on and suddenly the image is steady. I am seeing this effect more with the 18-200 lens than the other lenses I have.
I bought my 18-200 used at KEH and paid less than ... (show quote)
Which "version" did you get of the 18-200? Have you seen the 18-105?
Not sure SX50 is pocket size, but that's my opinion Look at RX100's from Sony http://www.yahoo.com/tech/sonys-new-pocket-cam-is-great-but-is-it-worth-123758419009.html
If I was in your shoes I'd be shooting about half the shots in manual focus, unless you have the money to go back again next week! With your camera and lens set to f/9 you should have more then enough for a DOF to produce very sharp images.
So here's some simple steps. Look at what you are shooting, it sill or moving, this will help you decide on a shutter speed. Do you want everything in focus or do you want a portrait with soft backgrounds. If things are fairly still as you have shown then a shutter speed of 1/125 to 1/250 sec should work if you can hold your camera steady. Your choice of F/9 should be fine for daylight. NOW look at your light meter , if it is above or below center by 1/3 of a stop I wouldn't worry but if you are way above or below the center then adjust your ISO to bring the light meter to the center. There is one other option that can be used and that's auto ISO. Set the camera to auto ISO and you should get more "keepers". As for the focus, if you have single point then use it, multi point focusing will focus on the closest thing in the frame, not necessarily what you want. If that lens has "VR" then by all means use it too. As I said if you still can't get clear images even using the large JPEG then manually focus. Hope this helps and have a grand time over there...Ron
If I was in your shoes I'd be shooting about half ... (show quote)
I have a great Ravelli, but the pistol grip head was loose when I tried to screw it down to the base plate. Apparently, a rubber washer on the plate on the tripod was missing. A cut up lg. rubber band with double face tape did the trick!