Looking for recommendations on lenses for a7iii

[WileyCoyote]

Howdy forum people,

 

I am an enthusiast and have been out of photography for a while. Long gone are the days of infrared B&W photography with my old Yashica 35mm. The last decent digital camera I used was a Fujifilm Finepix pro2 with a 16mm on it that I borrowed from work to shoot landscapes while vacationing. It's been iPhone photography since then. I've been looking at getting a new camera for a long while now. I almost bought the Fujifilm XT2 this past summer. I saw the A7riii and the A7iii rumors and waited to see what Sony was going to do. I'm glad I did. I pre-ordered an a7iii, and now I'm going to need lenses for it.

 

I'm looking for the best bang for the buck when it comes to lenses. The graphic designer in me gives me champagne taste, but in reality, I'm on a quality beer budget. I don't plan on using the camera to make money so something like the 85mm 1.4 GM would be way out of my price range, but the Zeis Batis 85mm 1.8 would be something I might consider splurging for if it fills a role for the uses I have listed below.

 

1. Landscape – I am one who prefers to be where people are not. I love taking my dog for hikes and camping excursions and curse myself for not having a good camera, lenses and a tripod.

 

2. Dog Portraits and Action Shots – I'm looking to photograph my dog while playing at the dog park or hanging out with me at the office during the day. He's very active and in constant motion when off leash. I can't wait to see what the AF system can do. He's also one of those dogs with unique markings that makes him very photogenic for portraits. I wouldn't mind some creamy bokeh behind him as well. Does anyone know if the eye tracking on the 7iii is only for people? Bonus points to Sony if it tracks animal eyes that are human shaped.

 

3. People Portraits – I will be roped into family shots once my siblings and parents find out I have a new camera. I'm the one in the family with the art degree, so naturally, things like portraits and family pictures are my responsibility. My sister has already penciled me in to shoot senior portraits for my nieces. 

 

One final question for everyone, I have about $700 in Amazon gift cards I've accumulated over the last couple years that I've been hoarding for just this reason. Are there any good sources for lenses at Amazon or should I stick with the online stores of B&H, Adorama, etc. and use the gift cards for accessories?

 

Thank you in advance, and I look forward to any advice you might have.

[metacove]

Just a few quick thoughts here. A nice 24-70 2.8 ticks most of your boxes here except not being as wide as most Landscape photographers prefer. It sits right in the middle. After acquiring many lenses for my canon setup and then switching to Sony and re-acquiring lenses I have found that my 24-70 is just a great workhorse of a lens. It really sees a lot of use in my bag. Unfortunately the Sony 24-70 2.8 GM is quite expensive. It is a great lens.

 

Tamron is supposed to release their 28-75 f2.8 Lens in April / May for around 1000-1200 I heard. This may be a great compromise type option. 

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/very-first-two-image-samples-shot-with-the-new-tamron-28-75mm-f-2-8-fe-lens/

https://www.thephoblographer.com/2018/02/22/true-tamron-28-75mm-f2-8-coming-sony-fe-lineup-cameras/

 

I have both the 85 GM and the Batis 85. The Batis is so quick to focus and nice to carry. More often than not I do prefer the image quality and bokeh the Sony GM provides over the Batis.

 

Here are some lenses to possibly look at:

 

Budget Zoom Option Releasing April / May ($1100ish):

Tamron 28-75 f2.8

 

Budget Prime Option ($970):

Portraits - Sony SEL85F18 (Fairly well reviewed for the money)

Landscape - Sony 28 F2 SEL28F20 (Small profile might be nice for those hikes)

 

Expensive Zoom Option ($2200)

Sony 24-70 GM (Expensive but nice)

 

2 Primes Mid Tier Option ($1700):

Portraits - Sony SEL85F18 

Landscape - Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2

 

2 Prime Batis Line:

Portrait - Batis 85

Landscape - Batis 25 (Smallish profile)

 

 

Manual Focus Options:

Portrait - Rokinon 135 F2 for Sony E (This lens is fantastic) $549

 

My Landscape suggestions probably aren't as wide as you would prefer. Trying to stay semi-budget there. 

[Username]

If you let the herd mentality sell you 

on f/2.8 zooms, your "quality beer" 

budget will get you nowhere. 

[metacove]

If you let the herd mentality sell you 

on f/2.8 zooms, your "quality beer" 

budget will get you nowhere. 

 

 

I feel like the 24-70 2.8 GM is a fantastic lens and has gotten me lots of places (it isn't cheap as I mentioned). Have you found the 24-70 GM to not be useful ? I suggested many primes as well. On a limited budget trying to cover landscape (Fairly wide) and portraits (short telephoto) requires either two lenses or a zoom. A quality zoom should be an option given the original poster's request.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

If you let the herd mentality sell you 

on f/2.8 zooms, your "quality beer" 

budget will get you nowhere.

 

It's not a herd thing. Being able to control the dof is the most important part of creative photography. I trained in documentary photography and it was all "f8 and be there". The aperture ring was used to control exposure and little else. But the creative use of dof is the most powerful element when presenting a scene.

[Username]

 

 

I'm looking for the best bang for the buck when it comes to lenses. 

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[WileyCoyote]

Thanks for the response.

 

I re-read my post and realized in my rush to get it done I left out some vital details.

 

My current landscape photography will be primarily woodlands, wetlands with some semi-wide prairie views. I find myself compressing the perspective more often than not. I don't mind zooming with my legs but a zoom would definitely be handy. The widest I go currently is 16mm on the APS-C. I also have a 24-105 kit. There were a couple of times I wished I had a wider lens but I don't mind stitching in post-production. I use photoshop daily at work.

 

As far as the dogs are concerned, I photograph them on agility and lure courses. They are moving fast and changing direction quickly. I'm hoping that if I pick up a zoom, I can use it for this activity.

 

I support a couple of local rescues. Their profile pictures are not so good. I talked to a professional in the area who does outstanding photographic work with a different rescue organization. The dogs' eyes are tack sharp, and the bokeh is nice. The photos illicit an emotional response which helps with finding them homes. The gear used is an 80d, 50 1.4, 85 1.8, a squeaky ball, handheld with one hand and about 50-80 exposures. If I can get close to the same results with a portrait lens, the AF system and fewer shots, it would help the local organizations a lot.

 

I'd love to pick up, the 16-35 GM, 24-70 GM, a 35 pancake and a super fast lightweight 50 and call it a day. I don't see that working for now.

 

I took a hard look at the Sony 85 1.8 and read as much as I could find, and I am hoping that should do the trick for what I want to do with the dogs portraits. Thank you for that suggestion.

 

I also saw you mentioned the Tamron 28-75 2.8, would the Sony 24-105 f/4 be an equivalent? I lose a stop, but I'm living between f4 and f8 most of the time anyway or will that stop give me something I'm not thinking about?

 

One final question, I'm looking at the 35 2.8 Sonnar and the 55 1.8 Sonnar for grab and go vacation, family, and company event style stuff. I'm curious as to any thoughts about those lenses.

 

Thanks again!

[metacove]

One final question, I'm looking at the 35 2.8 Sonnar and the 55 1.8 Sonnar for grab and go vacation, family, and company event style stuff. I'm curious as to any thoughts about those lenses.

 

I have the 55 you mentioned and it is a ridiculously sharp lens. It's one of the sharpest across all systems in that focal range to my knowledge. It produces some beautiful images. The biggest downfall is the amount of chromatic aberration it tends to generate. That is my only downside to that lens. It doesn't always exhibit itself but when it does it seems worse than most lenses.

 

The CA issue doesn't always popup so don't let it scare you but I'd look into it at least. 

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

In practical terms most lenses are sharp between f5.6 and f8. Even if you shoot at f4, a wider aperture lens is often sharper stopped down to f4 than a lens that starts at f4 so you should allow some room to stop down to your preferred aperture.

 

The 35/2.8 has noticeable distortion and the 55/1.8 is a bit narrow for a general purpose lens. A normal zoom would probably be more useful as a vacation lens.

[WileyCoyote]

Thanks for the info, it's really helpful.

[crysmeth]

I regret selling my laowa 15 f2. I would purchase that lens in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for my 1635gm and it being MF. That lens is dead sharp and if you’re on to landscape, it doesn’t really matter if it’s MF.

 

I’d wait for the sigma art lenses to come out too. Especially the 50 1.4. But if you can’t, the 55 is an awesome light weighted lens. It’s sharp and the af is fast even on my previous a7r2, so the a73 would be even faster.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[WileyCoyote]

Thanks. I’m holding off on an uwa for now. I think 24 should be wide enough for starters. I will be getting a fast UWA at some point when life and work allow for night sky and travel. I’m not scared off by MF on a landscape lens, it’s actually my preference. If the lens will double for other things that’s when AF would be my choice.

 

I saw the announcement for the sigma art lenses, specifically the 14 and that made me smile. I also remember seeing Rokinon is building lenses from the ring up for the ff mount, but I couldn’t find where I read that. Maybe I’m just getting old and senile.

 

How go you like your 1635 GM? Is the inconsistency of the lenses at 35 overblown? I see the articles and threads on the decentering and softness at 35 and get nervous.

[WileyCoyote]

I wanted to say thanks to everyone for the help. I ended up with the 85 1.8 at first. Taxes were good to me so also picked up the 24-70 2.8. I've included a couple of samples practicing my technique with the camera. The photos are edited for the owners/parents.

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[thefsb]

Nice pictures. Thanks for coming back to share.

 

Yes, 24 is wide enough.