p.1 #1 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
I've explored a lot of different lenses in the years since I got my first e-mount body.
For a long time there were only a few Sony lenses to choose from, but thanks to an ever-growing collection of adapters, it didn't matter; I could shoot nearly any lens ever made. And I did. That kept me busy and mostly satisfied for a long time.
Meanwhile the third-party e-mount lenses started to appear, and things got really interesting. So many choices and so little time. Plus Sony kept a steady stream of brilliant new lenses flowing. I tried so many that I literally couldn't recount them all*, but my kit evolved, expanded and contracted as the possibilities grew. I'd constantly make tweaks, seeking the perfect combination of lenses to address both my (now limited) pro work and my travel shooting.
I've shot literally dozens of e-mount lenses, plus adapted lenses from Pentax 110, to Rollei SL66, to Linhof view cameras, and everything in between. My kits went from a high of 15 'active' lenses to a low of 3 (I was really on a 'make it as small as possible' kick). And from the earliest days it's always been a mix of brands.
THE STRANGE THING:
So I was quite surprised when I realized the other day that my current 6-lens kit consists exclusively of Sony lenses. And all auto focus. No more third-parties, no adapters, no lenses without electronic contacts...just brilliant lenses that do everything I need and are capable of far more than I am.
p.1 #8 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
Knut. wrote:
Why did the Voigtländers and the Sigma iSeries lenses disappear?
(I still get a lot of fun out of these)
I've had several, and liked them all. But they just didn't get used enough for me to keep them.
A secondary factor is that I'm hoping to buy an a9iii when the used prices reach my level; so it's nice to have lenses which don't limit the frame rate of that body.
p.1 #10 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
MikeEvangelist wrote:
I've had several, and liked them all. But they just didn't get used enough for me to keep them.
A secondary factor is that I'm hoping to buy an a9iii when the used prices reach my level; so it's nice to have lenses which don't limit the frame rate of that body.
Yes, that is conclusive.
I have gone a completely different route: I bought the A1 shortly after it came out in anticipation, that I will use this body 10-15 years (my usual use cycle of bodies). The viewfinder was the decisive factor (A7RV came later).
I felt I would be reasonably set up if I would ever need faster AF and bought nearly only Voigtländers:
21/3.5 - 21/1.4 - 35/2 Apo - 65/2 Apo
(I did add Zeiss 135/2.8 and Sony 200-600 as autofocus lenses …)
I do a lot of event photography at the school of my kids and feel most comfortable with manual focus lenses. Unexpectedly, the short electronic readout time of the A1 has become one of the most important features for me since I‘m forced to use silent shutter at the classical concerts and with the A1 I have no problem with rolling shutter nor with flickering led lights.
At some point I may add af lenses in the range of 35 -85mm (then most likely Sony as you did), but not yet.
p.1 #11 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
old-gregg wrote:
@MikeEvangelist@ what are these? I only recognize the two on the left, and the 20-70 f/4. But I am relatively new to the Sony ecosystem.
p.1 #12 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
MikeEvangelist wrote:
I edited the photo to label them.
Thanks! Nitpick: technically the Zeiss is not a Sony lens, but I understand what you meant. I too have been through a similar search, but of course it wasn't nowhere as extensive as yours. I knew what focal length range I belong to, so it was simpler.
But the core "algorithm" is solid IMO: compress time by acquiring everything and then selling what you don't use.
In my case I also settled on 100% Sony lenses, and also 6! :-)
* 24mm GM
* 35mm GM
* 50mm GM
* 85mm GM
* 24-70mm GM when I can't bring the primes due to size/bulk constraint
* 40mm G when I need the smallest-possible setup
I loved the i-series Sigmas too, but they lacked the focus hold button on the left, and I found that I can't adjust to two different workflows: with a lens button and without, depending on what's mounted.
p.1 #13 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
Interesting. I am going "backwards" and re-acquired Loxias (21/25/50/85) and also added (again) the Batis 135 to my E mount lens collection.
MikeEvangelist wrote:
I've explored a lot of different lenses in the years since I got my first e-mount body.
For a long time there were only a few Sony lenses to choose from, but thanks to an ever-growing collection of adapters, it didn't matter; I could shoot nearly any lens ever made. And I did. That kept me busy and mostly satisfied for a long time.
Meanwhile the third-party e-mount lenses started to appear, and things got really interesting. So many choices and so little time. Plus Sony kept a steady stream of brilliant new lenses flowing. I tried so many that I literally couldn't recount them all*, but my kit evolved, expanded and contracted as the possibilities grew. I'd constantly make tweaks, seeking the perfect combination of lenses to address both my (now limited) pro work and my travel work.
I've shot literally dozens of e-mount lenses, plus adapted lenses from Pentax 110, to Rollei SL66, to Linhof view cameras, and everything in between. My kits went from a high of 15 'active' lenses to a low of 3 (I was really on a 'make it as small as possible' kick). And from the earliest days it's always been a mix of brands.
THE STRANGE THING:
So I was quite surprised when I realized the other day that my current 6-lens kit consists exclusively of Sony lenses. And all auto focus. No more third-parties, no adapters, no lenses without electronic contacts...just brilliant lenses that do everything I need and are capable of far more than I am.
p.1 #16 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
I admire your sensibility and discipline to keep thing simple!
I pared-down my kit, getting rid of manual focus and adapted non-native lenses. I ended-up with sixteen (seemingly, must have) lenses. To be honest I feel a bit foolish - particularly when I read posts like yours.
Like you, most of the lenses in my kit have gravitated to Sony.
The problem is, I shoot so many scenarios that I match my lens setup to:
Simple portrait sessions.
Complex portrait sessions with multiple strobes and props.
General walk-around w/o my wife.
General walk-around with my wife (lens changes and big camera bags, and big lenses, really annoy her).
General walk-around, blue-hour and night.
Interior/exterior architecture
Macro.
Travel - mostly urban.
Travel - mix of urban and landscape.
Travel - nature.
Travel with night shooting.
Travel with a lot of hiking/climbing.
Action/sports
Somehow, I rationalize using a selected partial mix of my lenses for each scenario. My goal is to get my kit down to about ten lenses within a year without feeling that I am missing-out.
Fortunately, IBIS has become so good, along with AI noise reduction, highly flexible lenses like the Sony 20-70mm f4 have become much more functional, for me. I would have rejected an f4 lens like this one a few years ago.
Final note - it is amazing how the Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 has held-up all these years. It was my first actual Sony lens that I purchased when it was released twelve years ago.
p.1 #17 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
InFocus2014 wrote:
Final note - it is amazing how the Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 has held-up all these years. It was my first actual Sony lens that I purchased when it was released twelve years ago.
Indeed! It was one of my first native e-mount lenses as well. Except for the ferocious purple fringing in some situations, it's still a great lens (just wish it had an aperture ring).
p.1 #20 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
You mentioned getting the A9III; I love mine and find myself using it more than the A1 for some reason. Even shoot it single shot. I enjoy the versatility of the 70/200 f/4 II with it.
