Thank you, Colin, for taking the time to answer my questions and to make some good suggestions. I was so stuck on the 24-105 business that I never noticed more practical solutions were available like the Sony 18-135 you mentioned. My lens lineup is a Minolta 11-18..then my 24-105 void..then a Minolta 100-300 D and a Minolta 500mm mirror lens. I read many favorable reviews on the 18-135, It fills my gap and with 30mm upper end buffer, weighs half as much as the Sigma, costs a lot less money and uses the same filters I already have. I'll shop around a bit and likely order one. So again, thanks for helping me out. On another note, the world's largest flying anything..Antonov 225 Mriya visited Anchorage several times recently hauling corvid 19 supplies to Canada. This one was taken with my Minolta 24-105. Thank God for spot remova l tool.