I know that people say that it weighs the same as a 70-200mm, but it actually seems to weigh about a third more than Sony's and about the same as the 100-400mm which is lens that I think carefully before bringing out.
That said, I thought that the 28-70mm would be too heavy, compared to the 24-70mm and I take the faster lens out with me almost everything time.
There's a ton of lightweight lenses for Sony cameras on the market. The last thing we need, is watering down QUALITY lenses with the weight argument. As a matter of facts, most that come up with this argument, are not even in the market for a $4k lens to begin with - no matter the weight.
Watch Sony finally bringing out a 85mm 1.2 or a 200mm 1.8, and the same people will complain about the weight yet again.
If you can't deal with an extra 300 grams, its time to hit the gym. Seriously.
without a doubt an excellent lens but for me I still find the Tamron 35-150 the be the best event lens I have used. I know it's only f2 up to around 45mm but all the same the extra versatility of going to 35mm when shooting an event massively outweighs the extra stop at the long end
These comments are always strange to me. I have traveled abroad for fun 90-120 days out of the year for nearly a decade.bbI am soon to be out of the country for fun for 85% of every year. The idea that you have to rush around and tag everything and can't have downtime to post on an internet forum while traveling is utterly bizarre. I am actively using photography the most while travelling, which makes me more likely to post. So, your kind of response reeks of jealousy.
rd4tile wrote:
Seriously . . . you've averaged almost 4 post a day for over 20 years. When do you have time to travel?
Only thing ignorant is wanting every lens to be lightweight and compromising quality for it.
This is not a travel lens. I know the head of the Sony product team in San Diego. This lens was designed for us pros doing headshots, portraits and events. 2 of those are mostly done on a tripod. We wanted quality that gets close to primes, not yet another compromise for lens collectors.
Mani_S wrote:
Only thing ignorant is wanting every lens to be lightweight and compromising quality for it.
This is not a travel lens. I know the head of the Sony product team in San Diego. This lens was designed for us pros doing headshots, portraits and events. 2 of those are mostly done on a tripod. We wanted quality that gets close to primes, not yet another compromise for lens collectors.
Indeed for headshots an portraits I can see this lens as being a superb choice and if that was my main area I would consider it but I would say for events I prefer the wider range of the Tamron and combine it with the 16-35 GM on a 2nd body. Now if there was a something like a 20-50 GM f2 combined with the Sony 50-150 then that for me would make an ultimate working setup
The vast, vast majority of buyers of lenses are enthusiasts/hobbyists.
Note: I bought one, and I will be bringing it with me on all travel.
Mani_S wrote:
Only thing ignorant is wanting every lens to be lightweight and compromising quality for it.
This is not a travel lens. I know the head of the Sony product team in San Diego. This lens was designed for us pros doing headshots, portraits and events. 2 of those are mostly done on a tripod. We wanted quality that gets close to primes, not yet another compromise for lens collectors.
Viramati wrote:
Indeed for headshots an portraits I can see this lens as being a superb choice and if that was my main area I would consider it but I would say for events I prefer the wider range of the Tamron and combine it with the 16-35 GM on a 2nd body. Now if there was a something like a 20-50 GM f2 combined with the Sony 50-150 then that for me would make an ultimate working setup
Sony made this lens mainly for us headshot photographers. They do listen to us pros. We get asked on WPPI every year.
Most of us either work with primes, or the old 24-105mm 4.0 zooms, due to the focal range we make use of. The 70-200mm was missing the lower end for those working in small studios or corporate settings. 200mm was never used. Both zooms are lacking in background separation compared to our primes. Hence the 50-150mm 2.0 was born.
For headshots, the setup is always on a tripod, so weight and size doesn't matter at all.
Complaining about the price - also often seen on forums by consumers - also makes no sense. This is a fully tax deductible and profit lowering business expense for us, that is covered with 10 shots or one corporate outing.
Obviously, everybody can buy this lens, but if size, weight or cost are an issue for you, keep in mind that this lens was never designed and made for you.
shadow9d9 wrote:
The vast, vast majority of buyers of lenses are enthusiasts/hobbyists.
Not with this lens. Not every lens is designed and made to please the majority. Sony has a strong connection with the wedding / headshot photography community. I'm on WPPI every year. The headshot crew is a huge community.
I just got my hands on one of these briefly at the local camera store, and to be honest I was really surprised at how it handles. I know it’s not a light lens in absolute terms, but it felt much lighter than I was expecting, and it balances so well I was able to shoot it one handed. This is a concern for me because it seems like an ideal lens for my dog portrait work (in addition to to humans), and I’m often finding myself removing my left hand to get the subjects’ attention. I’d likely rent one of these before laying out so much money, but I don’t see the handling to be any kind of problem for me.
I would just need to figure out how to afford it, as I picked up the 28-70 f/2 not long ago, and that was already a very expensive piece of kit for me. Maybe a used/grey market copy is in my future.
Jimi3 wrote:
I just got my hands on one of these briefly at the local camera store, and to be honest I was really surprised at how it handles. I know it’s not a light lens in absolute terms, but it felt much lighter than I was expecting, and it balances so well I was able to shoot it one handed. This is a concern for me because it seems like an ideal lens for my dog portrait work (in addition to to humans), and I’m often finding myself removing my left hand to get the subjects’ attention. I’d likely rent one of these before laying out so much money, but I don’t see the handling to be any kind of problem for me.
I would just need to figure out how to afford it, as I picked up the 28-70 f/2 not long ago, and that was already a very expensive piece of kit for me. Maybe a used/grey market copy is in my future. ...Show more →
Donzo98 wrote:
Did you buy one for that price? That’s a damn nice discount on a brand new addition to the Sony line up!!
Based on my last purchases, when the needle is just slightly on the right side, a seller will accept the offer. It's dead center at 3.3k and clearly on the right at 3.4k. I think many sellers got that lens with a huge margin, hence can afford a higher discount, because Sony ramped up the MSRP shortly before release. It was first suggested to go for as low as 3.4k
I was just looking into the 28-70mm 2.0 first because I bought a new Sony 70-200 2.8 GM II for only 1.8k a month ago, but now I'm thinking about getting both 2.0 lenses and selling my 70-200. I'm still hoping to see more 28-70mm photos from owners in my thread. I don't care for reviews or pixel peeping, good photos sell me on a lens.
Chances are I'll call Kurt from Cardinal Camera on Monday and see if his offer on the 28-70 still stands. I may throw the 50-150 into the mix if he has stock and the prices all align. I know my self, when I get a good offer on the phone, I tend to go all in. Say thanks to my addiction for instant gratification. And then I end up not selling the 70-200 after all
Mani_S wrote:
Based on my last purchases, when the needle is just slightly on the right side, a seller will accept the offer. It's dead center at 3.3k and clearly on the right at 3.4k. I think many sellers got that lens with a huge margin, hence can afford a higher discount, because Sony ramped up the MSRP shortly before release. It was first suggested to go for as low as 3.4k
I was just looking into the 28-70mm 2.0 first because I bought a new Sony 70-200 2.8 GM II for only 1.8k a month ago, but now I'm thinking about getting both 2.0 lenses and selling my 70-200. I'm still hoping to see more 28-70mm photos from owners in my thread. I don't care for reviews or pixel peeping, good photos sell me on a lens.
Chances are I'll call Kurt from Cardinal Camera on Monday and see if his offer on the 28-70 still stands. I may throw the 50-150 into the mix if he has stock and the prices all align. I know my self, when I get a good offer on the phone, I tend to go all in. Say thanks to my addiction for instant gratification. And then I end up not selling the 70-200 after all ...Show more →
Yeah I was wondering about that price too. At $3400 it would sure be tempting to sell some stuff and make it work.
I was planning on waiting for prices to come down, but looking at used prices on the 28-70 f/2 six months later, there don’t appear to be any great deals yet. Is greentoe always no tax?
Jimi3 wrote:
Yeah I was wondering about that price too. At $3400 it would sure be tempting to sell some stuff and make it work.
I was planning on waiting for prices to come down, but looking at used prices on the 28-70 f/2 six months later, there don’t appear to be any great deals yet. Is greentoe always no tax?
I didn't get any sales tax charged, and I was told that Kurt won't charge any for my state. I assume its the same for all states. No shipping costs either.
I have a long list of lenses that I wanted to sell in order to justify my lens purchases from the past year. Didn't get to it so far. I hate dealing with eBay and putting things up for sale in general. That being said, it is stupid in my case. Those lenses have been sitting in my safe for a long time, untouched. Such as the Sony 90mm 2.8 macro, the 35mm 1.4 Zeiss, the 18mm Batis, the 14mm GM.
With the 50-150mm 2.0 I'd also sell my 135mm 1.8 GM.
As of right now, this is my "final" plan:
Sony A7R V (own)
Sony 12-24mm 2.8 GM (own)
Sony 28-70mm 2.0 GM
Sony 50mm 1.2 GM (own)
Sony 50-150mm 2.0 GM
Sony 70-200mm 2.8 GM II (sell)
I also own this as my daily keep-in-car at all times setup:
