curious80 wrote: bwcolor wroteNewenglandrocks wroteI personally love the 24GM because of its gorgeous OOF rendering. I bought it to shoot wide open, but I have used the aperture ring a few times and Holy Batman, it is pretty sharp stopped down.
As an owner of the 100GM macro, I would advise leaving that at home due to weight and bulk. Great lens, but I don't understand how people bring that or the 50GM f/1.2 on trips. Maybe they're stronger than I am?!
Finally, I would throw a word of caution out regarding third party 50mm lenses. I am sure the i50 from Sigma focuses fine since I have the i35, but I can tell you Samyangs, while lightweight and offering beautiful OOF rendering, are useless for even the slowest moving subjects even with the A9iii. I would try to locate a used ZA55. My local shop had one for $300, and I see there is one here on FM B&S for $375. Great little lens and it has zero focusing issues.
Have fun with your trip!I 100% agree with your representation of the 24GM. It was firmly mounted on an A9 last I visited France. I started this lens selection considering the 16-35 GMii and 50-150mm f/2 GM, so the 100mm Macro is heavy, but it could be worse. When not on the camera, I’ll be carrying it inside a case mounted to a sturdy tactical belt. I own the ZA55, but decided not to take it and yes, it was a brilliant little lens when it first appeared. It was probably my first non-APSc Sony (Zeiss) lens.21mm vs 24mm for me comes dow to how much you value or need the wider FOV of the 21mm. You can crop the 21mm to 24mm but you can't go the other way. If you feel that 24mm is as wide as you would want to go then I would agree with the 24mm/50mm/100mm suggestion. If you need the extra width of the 21mm then 21, 35 and 85/100 would be my recommendation. This is purely based on FL and not considering AF capability which you know better how important it is for you. Personally I would prefer to have the wider FL available...Show more →
I thought about that and I’ve previously used mostly 21mm & 35mm for most of my full frame travel images. I’ve not traveled with the 24mm since 2019. I’ve always found that I adapt to whatever focal length I have with me. Last in Japan, I sold my favorite lens, the Zeiss 21mm f/4.5 Biogon C and picked up my first 75mm. I used the 75mm for the remainder of my trip. I don’t think that 21mm, or 24mm will be limiting, but the big plus for the 24mm is the weather sealing. I haven’t a preference regarding AF/MF for 21mm-50mm focal lengths. Your point regarding 21/24mm is a good one and I’ll give it some more thought. I have a very good pocket sized Sigma 17mm lens and it has very good optics, but it is a slow f/4. Perhaps I’ll take that and the 24mm.
@bwcolor Time to step up your game. Be a man. Take just ONE lens. I recommend the Sony 600mm f/4 GM. Yes, it comes with a few extra grams, and may not be wide enough for some scenes, but consider the memories you'll make trying to make it work! Besides, how cool would it be to casually drop "I find the 600mm to be most fitting for photographing Korea" at a party.