p.2 #1 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Wow! Sounds like a great trip!
If it were me, I’d upgrade my camera before thinking of lenses. Reason? Crop ability. Buy a used A7r3, 4, or 5 and instantly double the effectiveness of your primes. With a hi res camera your 24/1.4 doubles as a 35/2 in crop mode with 26mp files. You don’t have as much crop ability with a 24mp camera. That’s where I’d start.
p.2 #2 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
I've been traveling from the US to NZ yearly (except for COVID) since 2011 and have been all over the North and South Island. First...I agree with Mudlake, upgrade your camera. Second...I suspect I'll not convince you, but by almost every measurement high quality zooms equal or outperform most primes. I do agree that for low light and specialty purposes, eg super shallow dof, fast primes are nice and that there are some quite small decent primes out there.
But... for a major trip to a place you've never been, it just makes sense, to me, to use some of decent zooms. I own too many rarely used primes and do almost all my landscape and nature work with the 16-35 f/4 PZ (so small and good one almost has to bring it along), the 24-70 f/2.8 GM II, and the 70-200 f/2.8 GMII. If you can't do it with those, (unless you're doing sports, BIF, or African animals) you can't do it. I've photographed my surfing grandsons, Doubtful Sound, the Southern Alps, Able Tasman, geysers in Rotorua, and lots more with those three. I fully understand and respe that it's your choice and privilege but, you did ask for advice. Do give it a think, as the Kiwis say.
p.2 #3 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
No matter how you ask the question, the advice remains the same from almost respondents. Will they convince you? AI helps them with strength in numbers:
In travel photography, zoom lenses are the standard choice for the vast majority of practitioners due to their versatility in uncontrolled environments. Community data and professional gear guides indicate a heavy lean toward zooms for primary use.
The "One-Lens" Solution (Dominant): A high percentage of travel photographers rely on a single all-in-one zoom (e.g., 24-105mm or 24-120mm). These lenses are designed to cover everything from landscapes to street portraits without the risk of missing moments during lens swaps.
p.2 #4 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
'Travel' encompasses a host of sub-genres but done elsewhere, away from home. It's a poorly defined concept and photographers pretend to know what is meant by the term.
Many take 'travel' images as future memories of themselves in the travel envelope, others feel the societal pressure to make a record of socially engineered special sights. Travel pressurizes people - time is tight, schedules must be kept, endless bookings are made, fatigue must be managed, the environment keeps changing, health feels like it is being challenged. Convenience obviously wins in these circumstances, it is a point and shoot exercise, before rushing off to the next 'attraction'. Zooms are the tool for the mainstream here.
Yours is an unusual case - family vacation and two high tech photophones, but a preference for primes.
Trust your own instincts. Your plan is a good one, you are familiar with the gear. Go through what and why you want to photograph, think how you would go about it, how much time you have and need, what lenses are needed for each sub-genre of interest, your need for fast apertures, discretion, engagement with others. (And best to not leave the 40/1.2 at home, even if you do succumb to zoom gloom.)
And do be aware of this new concept of 'overtourism' - a short video including NZ - this is not the future, it is the present:
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I suggest you study out of the way places, some can be reached pretty easily in NZ, and ask the locals for their favourite special places.
p.2 #5 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
"The vacation has a bit of a double duty role - we are also considering relocating to NZ. So we balance "living like a local" with sightseeing with making the trip worthwhile for the kids (and ideally show them that this country has a lot to offer). It won't be relaxing, we are aware of that :/ "
I've had little experience with this, at least for myself. Although family, friends, especially while in the Navy, big moves do happen all the time. Just, I think it shapes up differently than a simple (or not so simple) vacation. From a photo side might make me think keeping it simpler might be easier, more important.
p.2 #6 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
I would get the a7rIV/V or an a1 and my favorite travel lens - the Tamron 28-200 - or the slightly slower 25-200 if you want wider. Then add a fast prime in your favorite FL, mine is the 24 or 35 GM depending on where I'm going. In crop mode you have 26mp images with the R bodies at an effective 300mm with the Tammy. And with Clear Image Zoom set to 1.5x you're at 450mm with no loss in IQ, though its jpeg only in stills. IMO that's really no big deal for an occasional long tele shot or video. The Tamron is on my camera like 90% of the time these days, the IQ and convenience is unmatched. I'm not a fan of constantly swapping lenses while on the go, the zoom makes it easy to get the framing right in cam.
I also like to shoot wide so my kit always has something wider. I'm experimenting with small/fast APS-c wides like the 11/1.8 instead of carrying larger FF lenses since they cover most of the frame when shooting in FF mode anyway. I have the 16-35 GM II which has been my travel wide and its small for what it is, but it's huge compared to the 11mm.
While you're on the South Island, take a trip to the Catlins on the coast for a sunrise and catch the Yellow Eyed Penguins as they head out to sea. It's pretty awesome, you just camp out on the beach while they waddle right past you and shoot off into the water. My wife and I did a middle of the night drive from Invercargill to get to the coast by sunrise, an exhausting morning fueled by tons of coffee haha, but one of the best experiences we had in the few weeks we spent there since there's not much by the way of wildlife in NZ and penguins are just so cool.
p.2 #7 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Sounds like a great trip. Since this will be a family vacation, it's best to focus on the memories. Also, go light, you don't want to lug a ton of gear. New Zealand is all about landscapes, so no need for long lenses and/or fast lenses. I recommend just two, a 20-70mm F4 and a 70-200mm F4 Macro G. They may be a bit pricey, but are excellent and give great versatility. The 70-200 is a good macro lens and will enable lovely closeup shots of the rain forests. If you insist the 40mm f1.2 is an excellent lens too. Check them out on the Lens Tip web site.
p.2 #10 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
I did a similar trip in 2024 with the family for 3 weeks. The kids were adults, and not with us the whole time. I prefer primes, but I'm pragmatic and shot the Tamron 28-200 more than the other glass on the trip. The reach past 135 is important to me in all situations, so I typically shot that lens most of the day and the 35GM at night. 14GM for astrolandscapes.
A7Rv
28-200
14GM
35GM
Gitzo tripod
That is my normal travel kit, except I will occasionally make it lighter with the Sigma i35 instead of the 35GM and I now have a super small kickstarter tripod for when I want to go crazy light.
For video, I highly recommend an Insta360. The quality and flexibility are way better than iPhone and it is a tiny addition to a kit.
Here's the album. You'll see right out of the gate, I hit 200mm, right after some food photos with decently blurred out backgrounds. The Tamron is one of the most underrated optics in the e-mount ecosystem!
p.2 #11 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
My view on this is to take just 1 lens with you (24 or 40) for pictures with your family and buy a nice photo book with the best landscapes of New Zealand. In the end only the pictures of your family matter and landscapes have been done by many others already.
p.2 #13 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Personally I would take a look at the 24-50G lens (I had the 20-70 for a while but found f4 limiting and it has weird focus issues in the mid range) which as Mark Galer says in his review he combines with the FE85 1,8 and the apsc 11mm for the wide end to make a small light weight kit. I have modified this slightly to add the voigtlander 15mm f4.5 E mount for the wide and would also consider carrying my Tamron 50-300. The 24-50 is limited in range but is excellent optically, small, light and at 2.8 more versatile in low light
p.2 #14 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Two thoughts:
1) I would upgrade the camera. It will have a far greater impact on your trip than a lens.
2) Whatever you buy or select, buy it early enough to be completely familiar with it before you travel.
p.2 #15 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
I'd take the 20-70mmf4 G and a low light prime such as 35mm GM or the Voight 40mm you mentioned. Less to carry and easier to be ready to take a shot with a high quality zoom lens for me.
p.2 #16 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Again, great suggestions and insights! I really appreciate it!
I also thought about upgrading the camera, but WAF won't allow it
But I am considering buying the sigma 20-200. A bit like a safety net to not regret having made the wrong choice on the trip.
I have a Peakdesign 6L that would hold 24GM, 40 1.2, 85 1.8 and Sigma 20-200 with body detached and a smallrig table tripod. Or 3 lenses when any is attached to the body. I can leave the one I most likely won't need in the car or hotel.
I am considering leaving the 85. If I want low light I can use the 40 1.2 and if I want reach I can use the zoom.
The 24gm stays because I am super looking forward to night sky photography.
So what I will most likely go with is 24, 40, 20-200.
p.2 #17 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Sounds like an amazing trip. I've traveled a lot with our kids during the last 20 years, and it always about family first - photography has to take the backseat.
Couple of observations/recommendations:
- You say that you are not really a wide-angle guy, yet perhaps your nicest lens is a 24GM?! You could easily cover that with something like the Sony 24/2.5 or a Batis 25/2, etc and save some money. Heck, I even think you can cover your wide-angle needs with the iPhone 17 Pro.
- For such an amazing trip, I personally would negotiate with the wife to upgrade the camera. You will be amazed how far Sony has come in terms of AF, ergs, color science, etc, etc. And with kids at that age, you probably should think about capturing a fair amount of video as well. Operationally, an a7V is so much faster as well, everything from startup time, navigating menus. And chasing kids with the new AI-aided AF system is just night and day.
- Not exactly what you asked for, but I would suggest selling the a7 III (1000 EUR?) and the 24GM (750 EUR?) and put the money towards an a7V. That will do more for your photography instead of thinking back and forward about this lens or that.
I'd take the 40/1.2 and the 85/1.8 and be there. I too love the rendering of the Voigtlander 40/1.2 but I don't like shooting manual focus on Sony compared to e.g. on Nikon. I'd be tempted to return the 40/1.2 and get a Sony 35/1.8 instead.
Yupp, that is what I would do. Sony a7V + 35/1.8 & 85/1.8 + iPhone 17 Pro. Save money on extra battery, just use a power bank (for half the price of a Sony battery) and you can use it to charge camera and/or phone). Put it all in a small sling and enjoy the trip!!!
p.2 #18 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
Hmm.
For my a7iii I get here about 600€ and for the 24gm about 850€.
That is 1450€.
An A7V costs 3000.
So that would mean losing a good lens and paying an additional 1500€. And I never really felt that the a7iii is holding me back that much (though I see the upgrades in the a7V and find that VERY intriguing).
Also in this scenario I would travel to one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and have an iPhone for anything wider than 35/40mm.
p.2 #19 · New Zealand family trip - sanity check on lens selection
DTFagus wrote:
So what I will most likely go with is 24, 40, 20-200.
I think that's a great setup!
As you said the zoom is just a good fallback option and can handle pretty much anything except very low light. Personally would rather go for the Tamron 25-200mm as I don't feel the 20mm end is necessary for NZ.
Those zooms will be around f5 - f5.6 at 80mm and imo this can give a really pleasing look for portraits - it's not always necessary to completely obliterate the background. Btw the Tamron 28-200mm is a little faster with max aperture of f4.5 at 85mm, might also be an option.
Don't overthink the camera model. If you're comfortable with the A7iii then there's no reason to upgrade.
I'll also be in NZ around mid April - mid May, but I'm traveling solo with more focus on landscape photography hence more emphasis on the South Island. Current kit I'm considering bringing with me:
- 24-200mm
- 70-180mm f2.8 (not taking it with me every time, just for those occasions where I know I'll use tele a lot)
- Voigtländer 28mm f2 APO
- Voigtländer 50mm f2 APO
If I was travelling with family / friends I'd be leaving the Voigtländers at home and bring a 35mm f1.4 instead.
