russjc001 Loc: South Carolina

I have a Sony A7rii and plan an overseas trip this summer. Do any such Sony users have a good travel lens suggestion? I would like wide to long capability.

johonew

My new favorite travel lens for my SONY A7R4 is the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD. I recently took a trip to Antarctica, and it was the perfect all-encompasing lens for my needs. For wider shots, I used my iPhone 13 Pro Max, and a Leica Q2, but got a LOT of use our of the Tamron. Hope this helps.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

The Sony 24-105 mm lens is the best travel lens. In my opinion, the focal range is perfect for travel, and the IQ is superb. Mine has been to four continents, and it has always performed. It has been through a number of mishaps but has never given up. For general travel and landscape photography you need at least 24mm. lf you want a little wider I would get the Sony 20-70mm..

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

Tamron also has a perfect lens to pair with that in the 17-50mm for Sony Full Frame E mount. I have yet to check this one out but it is only $699.00 new.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I just got the Tamron 50-400 and love it.
Be aware that whenever you fly be prepared to have your camera bag opened and checked. There are what I'm told are 18 pieces of glass in that lens. I've had mine checked many times. I think that the X-Ray just can't see through it so they have to check it. They would pull me out of line going thru to get on a plane.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

You are making a LOT of assumptions for a LOT of people!!! It depends on what "travel" means. And that means a LOT of different things to a LOT of people!
I "travel" to get birds! Your 105mm MIGHT get me a duck or an ostrich in a zoo!! Your "opinion" probably won't serve most of the people who "travel" for photography!!

russjc001 Loc: South Carolina

Guess I should have put more info in my request. This trip we are taking an OAT small ship cruise (89 passengers) from Bergen, Norway to Copenhagen. The ship makes stops along the way. I'm still undecided but would consider both the 24-105 and 50-400. Waking around towns and landscapes could favor the 24-105.

Russ

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

I just completed a one week rent of the Tamron 50-400. I wanted to use one for birds, mostly. My camera is the Sony α6500. I use a Minolta 500/8 AF and was trying to get equal or better image quality plus the flexibility of a zoom. I was very disappointed with the comparison on image quality. Maybe it’s just a bad copy but I won’t be buying one.

I really wanted it to be the solution!

Perhaps for travel having a zoom is a must-have. But I suggest that if the OP has enough time that renting a candidate first is worthwhile. The Sony 100-400 is about twice the price and lacks the wide end benefit but in my experience it’s better for IQ.

Depending on subject matter a zoom with max length of 300 or 350 may be better and easier to carry. My best lens for general purposes other than distant birds is my Sony 70-200 f 4.0. Light, fast, internal zoom and great IQ. On my crop frame it’s like a 300. Reasonably priced, too.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

I would look for one or two lenses covering 20 to 28 on the wide end (24 is both popular and useful) and 200 to 400 on the wide end (even longer if you can take the weight). I agree the 24-105 is a good travel lens, but it is short on the telephoto end. The 24-105 along with a second lens going up to 400, 500, 600, or 800 might make a great travel combination.

User ID

Nope its you who is off base. So, you travel for birds. For that you need your birder lens. But a burder lens is NOT a "travel lens". I travel to take fisheye selfies. But that doent mean fisheyes are "travel lenses".

The 24-105 is a great travel lens, regardless of NOT being a fisheye or birder lens. Its a huuuuuugely popular lens for general use near home base cuz it covers so many subjects so conveniently. The First Law of the Universe guarantees that its convenience and abilities will not be diminished merely by visiting some other peoples home base.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Let's consider the question OP posed:

"I have a Sony A7rii and plan an overseas trip this summer. Do any such Sony users have a good travel lens suggestion? I would like wide to long capability."

I stand by my answer that the Sony 24-105 really is that lens. I have owned this lens for five years, and I have traveled with this lens on four continents. So I know what it can do, and what it can't.

While I have taken great bird shots at 105mm, this is not a lens for birding. For that you might take a Sony 200-600mm lens.

When I visit European cities, I take the Zeiss Batis 18mm for church interiors and the Sony 24-105mm for everything else. When I shoot in Nairobi (I live just outside Nairobi) I take my tiny Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens--the perfect street lens. When I travel in the Alps I definitely also take my Sony 100-400mm GM lens because I love these long landscape shots that isolate details. When I am on safari--safari being the Swahili word for trip or travel--I always take two bodies--the A7III with the Sony 24-105mm (for landscapes and animals that are close enough) and the A7RIII with the Sony 100-400 GM, often with a 1.4x extender.

In all these travel configurations, the 24-105mm lens is the centerpiece. I often take other lenses to complement its abilities. But if OP looks for a general and versatile travel lens for an overseas trip, the 24-105mm is it. Yes, you could take a superzoom (like the Sony 24-240mm or the Tamron 50-400mm) but you will make serious compromises in image quality.

A lot of folks here are retired and are into group travel. I do not know if that is the case for OP. In that scenario, you want a one-and-done lens. If you travel with others, they may not give you the time to change lenses frequently. So you want to take a lens that can do 95% of the shots, and the Sony 24-105mm is that lens. You call it assumptions, I call it experience.

Canisdirus

On your trip you won't need a long tele...just go with the 24-105 Sony...stellar lens. One lens...you are traveling...don't get bogged down...keep it light.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

The Sony 24-240 lens is what I consider the best travel lens because of it's coverage from wide to fairly long telephoto. It's not considered one of Sony's best lenses but I have one and the IQ is very good while the size and price are very reasonable.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/sony/lenses/24-240mm.htm#usa

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

When I travel with my Sony's my lens of choice is the Sony 24-105 f4. Because most of my travel images fall in that range, I am not shooting wildlife when I travel with my wife so long lenses are not needed.
On our recent trip to Utah, that is the only lens I took and we had no difficulty getting all the shots we needed.
On some shots I like to shoot foreground background shots, the 24mm end of the zoom did a nice job at this.
The lens is small enough to carry around with you all day and balances nicely. Don't forget the polarizing filter and keep the hood on at all times.
Enjoy and keep on shooting until the end.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I would second the 24-105mm zoom. I've taken two significant trips over the past two years with a full-frame camera and a 24-120mm f/4 zoom. That's what my camera maker offers instead of a 24-105. These trips involved visits to major passenger stations, passenger train rides, bus tours, museum visits, and visits to model railroads. Past trips have also involved tours of various industries. I missed exactly zero shots, although I did need to stirch one panorama of the exterior of the Topeka Union Pacific passenger station. It's a huge building, and our vantage point was just a little too close.