If only owning 1 L lens, which one: 35mm 1.4 ii, 24-70 2.8 ii, or 50mm 1.2?

Och Elo wrote:

I re-entered FF DSLR world with 6D2 and 24-105 STM and 50mm 1.8 STM. I wanted to keep my initial lens investment small, and with those 2 lenses I can actually shoot anything I want/need. I'm a hobbyist and primarily shoot people.

I've always wanted to add 1 high quality L lens to the lineup, and just one, due to cost and wanting to avoid GAS. So the 3 I am choosing from is the 35mm, 24-70 f/2.8, or 50mm. I have used the 24-70 before so aware of it's quality, have not used the other 2 before.

IF I was only limited to carrying 1 lens, then the 35mm focal length is the one I prefer and most versatile. But if I have any kind of zoom available, I prefer a 50mm. So it's a tough choice, I could see any 1 of these 3 getting a lot of use from me.

So, if I could only have 1 of the 3, which would be the best choice?

Sell the 24-105 STM and get a 24-70 II instead. Shoot for a while with the 24-70 and 50 1.8 and see if you'd rather be shooting with a prime or a zoom. If you decide on zoom, you already have the best one in the form of your 24-70. If you decide on prime, get the 35 1.4 II (or the 85 1.4L IS, depending on whether you shoot wide or telephoto more). For me, I'd always pick the 24-70 as my first choice especially if it's a case where I get to carry only one lens. If I got the option of a second one, I'd probably pick the 85 1.4 for tighter portraits, given how everything else is covered by 24-70, and 35 is a bit too wide for tighter shots.

50 1.2 is a big no-no for me because of two reasons - extreme focus hunting/missed focus, and lack of sharpness. I'm getting a 35 1.4 II to replace my 50 1.2 because that extra fraction stop of light is not worth the missed shots and lack of sharpness. And from what I've seen on YouTube, the shallowness of the DoF is next to none between 1.4 and 1.2. The dreamy quality of the bokeh on the 1.2L is a different story altogether and changes things if that's what you're into.

I'm a hobbyist and primarily shoot people as well, and the 24-70 almost never comes off my camera. Never got used to the lack of zooming capability and how it made me miss a lot of candid shots. I find that 2.8 provides a nice balance of shallow DoF and ease of focusing when using AF. With f1.4, I'd probably have to ensure placing the focus point on the eye to get perfect focus, whereas with f2.8 anywhere on the face is perfectly fine. And the 24-70 focuses almost instantaneously, which is also amazing for shooting candids.

Hope this helps.