Which lens to buy for glamour/swimsuit shoots in and outdoors?

Question

I am starting to do glamour, langerie, and swimsuit shoots for friends and a few others. I need a new lens, I have narrowed it down to 3 and want the best one for the price. I will only buy a SONY. I know the Zeiss is best one, but is it really worth that much. Anyway, here are the choices, please give your educated and technical expertise which would be best for what I am doing. Thanks.

1. SAL-100M28 100mm f/2.8 Macro Sony ----- $675.00
2. SAL-85F14Z 85mm f/1.4 Zeiss Planar ----- $1300.00
3. SAL-50F14 50mm f/1.4 ------- $350.00

Answer 1

Well I got a Tamron 18-250 with my Canon XTi and love the set up.

Try www.bhphotovideo.com for reviews & demos and great prices.

Answer 2

FYI: The Sony DSLR line is really the Minolta MAXXUM line re-badged. When Konica-Minolta ended camera production in 2006 Sony bought the DSLR line. All MAXXUM accessories (with the exception of those idiotic cards for Travel, Bracket, Portrait, etc.) should be compatible with your Sony

First we'll eliminate the macro lens. Why? Because its too sharp. The most minute blemish will be highly detailed. I know you can "fix" that in Photoshop but why not avoid it?

Second, have you considered the Minolta AF 28-85mm or 24-105mm or 35-105mm lenses? True, they are slower (all 3 are f3.5/4.5) than the Zeiss but you'll be using flash indoors and outdoors you'll be fine. Plus the zooms give you more composition options, especially indoors.

Minolta also offered an 85mm f1.4 AF lens. Its about $300 less than the Zeiss.

Knowing that Minolta used its XE-7 as the platform for Leica's R-3, and later, the Minolta XD-11 was sold as the Leica R-4 & 5, and that Leica had Minolta build the Minolta 16mm fisheye and the 35-70mm f3.5 and 70-210mm f4 constant aperture zooms with a Leica mount, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Zeiss lens is really a Minolta. I DO NOT know that but it seems possible.