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Lens purchase advice
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Oct 11, 2018 17:26:45   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
I have been actively attempting to improve my photography for the last couple of years. I mainly photograph landscapes with some flowers and grandkids thrown in. This, of course, has resulted in several GAS attacks. I now have a Sony a7riii body with a Sony 24 - 70 GM lens and a Sony 100 - 400 GM lens. Now Sony has come out with its highly touted 24mm prime. The question I have is whether this would be a good "walk around, general purpose" addition or is there another lens I should be considering.

Thanks!

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Oct 11, 2018 17:31:45   #
twowindsbear
 
Wrap a rubber band around the zoom control on your 24-70 lens to esentially 'lock' the lens at 24mm. Then use the lens that way for a while to try out that focal length.

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Oct 11, 2018 17:32:23   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
twowindsbear wrote:
Wrap a rubber band around the zoom control on your 24-70 lens to esentially 'lock' the lens at 24mm. Then use the lens that way for a while to try out that focal length.


Good idea!

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Oct 11, 2018 17:37:39   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
Restricting yourself to 24 mm for a trial period is a great idea. My flirtation with a prime lens (40 mm on APS-C) faded quickly. Just too many years of zooming! With grandkids, I think you'd definitely feel the pinch, unless you're placing them "just so" for portraits.

However, I think a prime lens is a terrific tool for those wanting to improve their composition and observation skills, and work more slowly and thoughtfully.

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Oct 11, 2018 17:44:53   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Restricting yourself to 24 mm for a trial period is a great idea. My flirtation with a prime lens (40 mm on APS-C) faded quickly. Just too many years of zooming! With grandkids, I think you'd definitely feel the pinch, unless you're placing them "just so" for portraits.

However, I think a prime lens is a terrific tool for those wanting to improve their composition and observation skills, and work more slowly and thoughtfully.


As to primes, any suggestion on the best size (e.g., 50)?

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Oct 11, 2018 17:45:02   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
Your 24-70 is the great walkaround lens. I like the challenge of shooting only with a prime, but I'll bring a 24 or preferred 35 only when I know these focal lengths are appropriate for the expected situations. An even more likely scenario, I'll have a bag with at least one other lens, maybe at 85 or 135. The zoom typically doesn't need that second lens at a longer focal length.

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Oct 11, 2018 17:45:59   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
CHG_CANON wrote:
Your 24-70 is the great walkaround lens. I like the challenge of shooting only with a prime, but I'll bring a 24 or preferred 35 only when I know these focal lengths are appropriate for the expected situations. An even more likely scenario, I'll have a bag with at least one other lens, maybe at 85 or 135. The zoom typically doesn't need that second lens at a longer focal length.


Thanks, Paul. More good points to ponder.

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Oct 11, 2018 17:47:12   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
UTMike wrote:
As to primes, any suggestion on the best size (e.g., 50)?

Lenses in 50 to 85 are the more typical, general purpose on full frame. But, if you like wide / wider, a 35 also can be just as general purpose as a 40 or 50.

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Oct 11, 2018 17:48:21   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
--

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Oct 11, 2018 17:59:37   #
Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida
 
UTMike wrote:
I have been actively attempting to improve my photography for the last couple of years. I mainly photograph landscapes with some flowers and grandkids thrown in. This, of course, has resulted in several GAS attacks. I now have a Sony a7riii body with a Sony 24 - 70 GM lens and a Sony 100 - 400 GM lens. Now Sony has come out with its highly touted 24mm prime. The question I have is whether this would be a good "walk around, general purpose" addition or is there another lens I should be considering.

Thanks!
I have been actively attempting to improve my phot... (show quote)


I shoot Nikon and use the 24-70 a lot.
But, I walk around with a 35mm prime.

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Oct 11, 2018 17:59:55   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
Mike, if I remember correctly, you're now shooting a a7RIII. So imagine the trains at the Golden Spike Monument at Promontory Point. I took just a 24mm on that visit. Great for close and wide of the trains. Wouldn't seem like the best choice for standing to the side for the re-enactors. But, the lens was so sharp and the resolution of the camera deep enough to let me crop out much better images even though 24mm didn't seem close. But, out hiking along the old train tracks looking into the valley left me wanting as 24mm of a far away subject is just a faraway image. That experience helped me see when 24 was the right lens to pack or when it wasn't or would be fine when partnered with a supplement lens / focal length. The extreme resolution of your camera can somewhat offset the issue where you can crop out a still large image even if you couldn't fill the frame at 24mm.

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Oct 11, 2018 18:01:37   #
rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin
 
Quoting Linda From Maine - Sorry, no. I think the point Paul made about knowing ahead of time what you're going to shoot is excellent. But if you're indeed looking for a challenge, especially wanting to improve composition, then a 24 sounds good. Does your camera have a crop factor of 2? If yes, 24 = 48 in film and FF digital comparison of field of view.

Linda, what you are saying is correct, but both UTMike’s Sony a7RIII camera and the Sony 24mm prime lens he was referring to are Full Frame, so in this case a 24mm is a 24mm.

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Oct 11, 2018 18:02:50   #
rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
 
To me a utility lens is an extremely versatile lens that delivers the best image quality for it's focal range. I would never considered a prime for a utility lens, they are too restrictive. My utility lens is the EF 28-300 f/3.5-5.6L IS. It may not be the sharpest lens I own but it's certainly sharp enough.

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Oct 11, 2018 18:32:51   #
Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington
 
rjaywallace wrote:
Linda, both UTMike’s Sony a7RIII camera and the Sony 24mm prime lens he was referring are Full Frame, so in this case a 24mm is a 24mm.
While I was trying to double-check the sensor size on Mike's camera, Chg Canon posted a reply to the question directed at me, so after I saw that, I just wiped all evidence of my own comments

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Oct 11, 2018 20:00:48   #
Photocraig
 
I agree with all the posts. I have a crop sensor and my "walk around zoom is a Sigma 17-70. The reason I'm interested in a 24mm pancake is that these zooms are quite large, and with the pancake 24mm will be a "wide normal" view and be an excellent lightweight choice for street scenes, tourist work, etc. They primes are usually sharper, smaller and lighter. However with wide apertures like the premium lenses, they can be quite large and expensive. Good for what they do, but not suiting my purpose.

I endorse restriction shooting for a day, or a few situations to see if the proposed new focal length is appropriate. I'm in the middle of that. Also, note that the quality of the GM lens and camera you're talking about, with good technique you should expect to crop in a lot and get good results. There is also a technique in Lightroom to be able to sort your catalog by focal length. If you can figure that trick out, it will yield how you already use that focal length. I think with a full frame camera such as yours, a 40-50 mm lens would be more appropriate. There are folks devoted to the 35mm focal length too. Julia Ratti, a You Tuber, makes a great case for that focal length, and generations of journalists and "Street" shooters alike agree.
C

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