gwilliams6 wrote:
The Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens is the #1 selling Sony lens in the world, and for good reasons . I have owned Sony A6500, A7RII, A7RIII, A7III, A9 and currently own A7RIV, A1, A7SIII. I currently have 13 native E-mount lenses covering 10mm to 600mm from Sony, Sigma and Tamron. That includes fast primes like my Sony 24mm f1.4 GM, and my Sony 135mm f1.8 GM, along with several f 2.8 zooms and a f2.8 macro lens.
I shoot all subjects worldwide as a longtime pro, and my Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS is my most widely used lens of them all. It is super versatile, sharp, fast and quiet focus, and yes that lens' OSS coupled with the cameras' IBIS does allow me to handhold that lens at insanely slow shutter speeds.
That being said, many who have that Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 love it for events , wedding coverage and more. As a pro photojournalist for the past 48 + years, I would have loved to have such a lens back in the day.
You will have to live with the size and weight of the Tamron, but if you have the Sony 200-600mm like I do, you are used to heavier lenses.
For me, not having any lens wider than 35mm would give me pause. If you do choose to get the Tamron 35-105mm f2-2.8, I suggest you add the Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 in native E-mount.
Since I have the Tamron 17-28mm f2.8; Sigma Art 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN; Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS; Sigma Art 85mm f1.4 DG DN and Sony 135mm f1.8 GM among the lenses in my kit, I dont really have the need for the Tamron 35-150mm lens. For you that lens might be an excellent choice.
Here just a few shots i have made with my Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens;
1) This award winning shot was made with my A9 and the Sony 24-105mm lens. A local swimmer dives off a pier into the Caribbean Sea on the Island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. 24mm, ISO 400, f5.6, 1/2000 sec.
2) This shot was named a Worldwide Photo of the Week by Sony Alpha Photographers in 2020. Environmental Scientist Brook H. in a slot canyon near Upper Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Page, Arizona, USA. Sony A9, Sony 24-105mm lens, 24mm, ISO 400, f4, 1/15 sec handheld, all natural sunlight in the canyon.
3) A Parrot in flight on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Sony A1, Sony 24-105mm lens. 105mm, ISO 1600, f4, 1/2000 sec, all natural light
4-5) Two shots of my nephew and his family for their Xmas card, shot In Flower Mound, Texas a couple of weeks ago. Sony A1, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens. Shot at various focal lengths, f5.6, 1/250 second, handheld .Three Godox AD200Pro strobes with reflectors and diffusers used to light it all, mixed with the ambient light.
The Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens is the #1 selling ... (
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Gerald's assessment is spot-on.
I have used the Sony 24-105mm for almost five years. This is a superb and very versatile lens--it still is the best all-purpose zoom for Sony FE. It also is the best travel lens. I shoot with Sony A7III and A7RIII bodies. I own many great primes, yet the Sony 24-105mm invariably makes it into my photo bag.
The Tamron 35-150mm has an odd focal range--it is most useful for event photographers.
I do mostly travel photography, and the Sony 24-105mm is always in my travel bag. There are three reasons why I prefer the Sony 24-105mm.
1) The Tamron 35-150mm is very large and heavy--it weighs 1,165g as opposed to the the 663g of the Sony. The difference is 500g or a little over a pound in the imperial system. Carry that all day long! For that reason alone, I would never use the Tamron as a travel lens.
2) The Sony is image-stabilized, the Tamron is not. This gives you more options in poor light.
3) The focal range: 35mm is not wide enough to make the Tamron a useful general-purpose lens. You need to take a second lens to cover the wider end. 24mm at the wide end works for me. For this reason, the Sony is a useful, even great landscape lens, while the Tamron is not.
Yes, the Sony 24-105mm is an f/4 lens. However, it is very sharp right at f/4, so the entire range is useful. I have taken many shots at night or in dark churches and always came away with great shots. I shoot at ISO 6400 with my A7III without thinking twice about noise, and because of the combined camera and lens image stabilization I can shoot to about 1/15th of a second hand-held, as long there is no motion in the image.
At the long end, the difference between 105mm and 150mm is not nearly as significant as the difference between 24mm and 35mm. I also use Clear Image Zoom to extend the reach of the Sony. This gives you up to 2x magnification if you need it. (Focusing is limited to zone, and you only can shoot JPEGs.)
Flower shots: try shooting flowers at the long end at 105mm. The Sony has a respectable minimum focus distance of 38cm, which gives you great detail at 105mm. (The Tamron is a tad better at 33cm.) In fact, I often use my Sony 100-400mm lens for flowers, often at 400mm, with great results.