p.2 #1 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
MikeEvangelist, Thanks for sharing your story. But why do you need a Sony 24mm? The Sony 20-70 covers it.
I'm looking at it myself, but it seems to be the least popular of the three lenses, the Sony G 24-40-50.
p.2 #2 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
Hmmm. Surprised to see the mostly abandoned concern about going smaller. And, while getting bigger, this combo leaves out a basic capability in the lack of a fast 35 and/or 85.
p.2 #4 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
Gerald Brooks wrote:
Hmmm. Surprised to see the mostly abandoned concern about going smaller. And, while getting bigger, this combo leaves out a basic capability in the lack of a fast 35 and/or 85.
My main kit is still quite small: the a7CR, the 20-70mm and (sometimes) the 14mm. The other lenses come into play for special circumstances, but I rarely carry them around in bunches like I used to do.
Oddly, in over 50 years of shooting I've never really 'clicked' with 35mm lenses; I've always preferred 24mm or 28mm. And for me, the long end of the 20-70mm or the 135mm, covers anything I might have used an 85mm for.
p.2 #5 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
00demontver00 wrote:
...why do you need a Sony 24mm? The Sony 20-70 covers it.
I got that to use with the a7CR for a very small 'always with me' combo. I've always liked the 24mm perspective. (plus, it mostly satisfies my desire to own a Leica Q3)
Of course, like most of what we discuss on FM, 'need' doesn't really factor into the equation.
p.2 #6 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
3catsinky wrote:
How many A7CRs do you have? Currently I am with:
16-25G
20-70G (my new favorite)
24F1.4
35F1.8
50F2 Viltrox (a real gem)
85 Batis
70-200GMII
I kinda don't need the 24 any longer, it's barely used. Nor the 16-25. I should sell both for the 14F1.8. too many choices.
I have one a7CR and one a7Rv. I tried going with just a pair of a7CRs, but missed the speed and EVF of the a7Rv in some situations. Now I use the a7CR primarily for my travel and walk-around kits.
The 14mm GM was the solution for me always having to choose between the 12-24mm G or the 12mm or 15mm VC. The VCs were small, but slow and needed stopping down; the 12-24mm was good, but rather large. The 14mm covers the field-of-view I want while being a bit smaller and a great performer. It has the bonus of being much faster, which is great for interiors.
p.2 #7 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
mogul wrote:
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.
I got one from Sony to try for a couple weeks and -loved- the pre-capture feature and global shutter. I try to shoot wildlife occasionally, and I could see immediately that it would dramatically increase my hit rate. (especially as my reaction times slow as I get older). It also won't hurt when I'm trying to capture my grandchildren as they flit around; faster than hummingbirds sometimes.
I just have to wait for the prices and my budget to align.
p.2 #8 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
Sounds like that makes sense for you.
If pairing with a 35, just now the Kase 85mm f/1.4 looks pretty good for bokeh - e.g., portraits, cats and flowers, not too razzy and not too watery, and it is smaller than a 135.
I saw your kit and was trying to want to go for the 55 but it seems to be partly dependent on situations of flat light. Also, the Samyang 35mm f/1.8 is materially lighter at 210 grams, so for me that would typically get the call.
p.2 #9 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
MikeEvangelist wrote:
I got one from Sony to try for a couple weeks and -loved- the pre-capture feature and global shutter. I try to shoot wildlife occasionally, and I could see immediately that it would dramatically increase my hit rate. (especially as my reaction times slow as I get older). It also won't hurt when I'm trying to capture my grandchildren as they flit around; faster than hummingbirds sometimes.
I just have to wait for the prices and my budget to align.
Greentoe can be your friend. A9III's are substantially marked down.
p.2 #11 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
MikeEvangelist wrote:
I got that to use with the a7CR for a very small 'always with me' combo. I've always like the 24mm perspective. (plus, it mostly satisfies my desire to own a Leica Q3)
Of course, like most of what we discuss on FM, 'need' doesn't really factor into the equation.
Agree with you here and have the same thing. I find the little 24 provides scenarios when I have my camera with me instances where I otherwise wouldn't have bothered due to carrying convenience.
Your thoughts on the 14GM match mine as well. Quite the wide/fast combo in a small package.
p.2 #14 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
I replaced my Sigma ART 24-70 with the 20-70, and I love it! so much lighter. Very sharp. the bokeh isn't that much different. I have used it on some jobs, and it's been great.
p.2 #15 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
Sirfishalot wrote:
How does that 20-70 G stack up against the 24-70 GM?
If it could replace I could surely appreciate the weight savings.
The IQ on that GM though.
If you're talking about version 2 of the 24-70 GM, I have no doubt that it's better than the 20-70mm. The first version of the GM, on the other hand, probably not.
For me the lenses are not comparable, because I really like having the 20mm option.
p.2 #16 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
I find myself drifting towards a pure Sony kit as well, not there yet.. I think that is a pretty strong testament about the quality of Sony lenses. There is a ton of high quality third party, but Sony still has various advantages.
p.2 #18 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
MikeEvangelist wrote:
Number one, by far, the 20-70mm G. So flexible and so good. I could -almost- get by with just this lens for much of what I shoot these days.
Second, for travel/vacation shooting, I add the 14mm GM. Very useful for interiors.
Third is the 100-400mm GM, which I carry when I'm chasing chase birds and beasts around my local haunts.
Mike, thank you for responding!
I somewhat anticipated that the 20-70mm lens could be your no. 1.
I haven't used this lens but I am really interested in zooms that start from 16 to 20mm and reach to 50 - 70 mm.
Needless to say that liking a lens (or a camera) can be inherently personal. In this sense (and not being critical) I tried liking the Sony 16-35mm GM lens (version I, on Sony A1) but it didn't work (and I tried two copies of this lens).
In the last 10 months, I have experimented with an exotic micro-four-thirds zoom, Panasonic Leica DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 10-25mm/F1.7 (full-frame equivalent 20-50 F3.4), on two mFT bodies: OM-1 II and G9 II. I really liked the lens, but have run into some problems with the dynamic range. The problem is not so much with the cameras (I like the OM-1 II a lot) but more because of my usage. I do most shooting while travelling with my wife, and so often the pictures are taken while hiking when the light is ghastly. A prime example is taking portrait or panoramic shots with some beautiful yet blindingly bright backgrounds, when the dynamic range of the scene can be extreme and overwhelming for any sensor, not just mFT. There is little that can be helped in such situations because we are hiking with light backpacks and minimal equipment and there is often no time for returning to the scenes for re-taking shots when the light is more "reasonable." I am now away from home, but when I return, I am thinking of adding a medium format camera, the GFX100S II with the wide zoom FUJINON GF20-35mm F4 (full-frame equivalent 16-28mm F3.2 and extending to FF 35 F4 in the 35mm crop mode). I am not sure if this is a good idea to be honest (I might be overreacting in this pursuit of the best dynamic range). An alternative, of course, is to try the Sony 20-70 mm F4 on my A1.
p.2 #19 · Strange thing happened on my way to the ideal kit...
InFocus2014 wrote:
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. ...Show more →
I smiled when I saw this post -- so complicated, so organised, yet it summarised what I have done myself, without thinking, and why I have the lenses I do Completely identify!
