Tamron 28-75 OR These Three Primes

Trader_Liu · Feb 24, 2019

This is purely hypothetical to you since I know you have different preferences. However, I'd appreciate your rationale if you had to make this decision. I do not want both options since I would not be bringing the zoom along with the three primes when traveling; it will be one or the other.

Option 1:

Tamron 28-75 f2.8 -- versatile as a zoom but as a zoom it may not be specialized enough for certain applications.

Option 2:

Wide Angle (either Sony 24mm 1.4 GM or a Loxia) -- looking for a great landscape and astro lens so 1.4 helps but Loxias have better flare resistance and sunstars

Nifty Fifty (Sony 50mm Macro) -- considered 55 1.8 but 50mm 2.8 Macro provides close up capabilities

Portrait Lens (85 1.8) -- great size; biggest downside is the lemon football bokeh balls off center - however, no way am i going to lug the GM around.

Bluerio · Feb 27, 2019

Fair point. I did the opposite in the canon days with my 24-105 that didn’t even come with me when travelling. So when I switched to Sony I didn’t bother with a mid range zoom. As a result I probably have too many primes (9!) but the problem is that I find myself using all of them!

ahaslett · Feb 27, 2019

Bluerio said:
Fair point. I did the opposite in the canon days with my 24-105 that didn’t even come with me when travelling. So when I switched to Sony I didn’t bother with a mid range zoom. As a result I probably have too many primes (9!) but the problem is that I find myself using all of them!

This is not a problem, or at least not like having too many zooms!

Andrew

cyberpi1 · Feb 27, 2019

bpatient said:
al. said:

If you have time to change lenses, then get the primes. If you need speed of selecting focal lengths, then get the zoom.

Click to expand...

Here's another way of looking at it: use only the single focal length that you prefer:

https://www.dearsusan.net/2019/01/21/whats-in-my-bagt-one-only-lens/

Really one-sided opinion. The more FL you have - the easier for you to be creative. You can shoot portraits with 85mm only, but 35mm will give you different images.

Once I get Tammy, i got rid of 85mm and 35mm.

W3PYF · Feb 27, 2019

“Once I get Tammy, i got rid of 85mm and 35mm.”

Precisely.

I still keep my Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M on a TechArt Pro as a “lens cap” on my A7III so I have a rig I can carry under my coat, but the Tamron 28-75 RXD basically covers that range so well - only a bit warmer than my primes.

Every time you change lenses, you risk losing time and gaining sensor schmutz.

DenImage · Feb 27, 2019

W3PYF said:
“Once I get Tammy, i got rid of 85mm and 35mm.”

Precisely.

I still keep my Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M on a TechArt Pro as a “lens cap” on my A7III so I have a rig I can carry under my coat, but the Tamron 28-75 RXD basically covers that range so well - only a bit warmer than my primes.

Every time you change lenses, you risk losing time and gaining sensor schmutz.

Yeah, after I got my Tamron, I got rid of my Voigtlander FE 40mm f1.2, and my Sony FE 85mm f1.8

I kept my Sony FE 100mm STF, for the unique look it gives.

Den

PWPhotography · Feb 27, 2019

DenImage said:
The Tamron FE 28-75mm f2.8 is so good wide open at f2.8, I sold my primes within the same/similar focal lengths because I felt I'd hardly ever use them anymore.

I rarely shot my fast primes wide open and usually/mostly stopped them down to f2.8 anyway.

I now only have the following lenses because they're all I need:

Sigma 8mm fisheye (for Realestate panoramic tours)

Voigtlander FE 15mm f4.5

Tamron FE 28-75mm f2.8

Sony FE 100mm STF f2.8 (t5.6)

I prefer to only keep lenses I actually use, I hate expensive primes sitting on my shelf only to be used on rare occasions.

Note: I now prefer to use my RX cameras (RX10iv & RX100vi) for general photography.

Den

I fortunately have own many lenses, zoom and prime and my list keeps growing and will receive Loxia 85 soon. Unfortunately it becomes more and more hard decision as I need to pickup lenses on specific trips mix with zoom and prime

Nevertheless among lenses I have own, I have not found prime lenses are significantly sharper than my two main zoom - FE 16-35 GM and Tamron FE 28-75. Just happen I don't own FE 85/1.8, widely quoted in this thread and I don't plan to own as I am going to get FE 85/1.4 GM mainly for portrait and shallow DOF street photos.

BTW, in my another side by side test did before my FE 70-200 GM is almost as sharp as Batis 135 @135mm/F2.8 and basically the same sharpness after stop down a bit. Just another example. I only own good quality lenses - prime or zoom.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55485085@N04/albums

W3PYF · Feb 27, 2019

DenImage said:
W3PYF said:

“Once I get Tammy, i got rid of 85mm and 35mm.”

Precisely.

I still keep my Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M on a TechArt Pro as a “lens cap” on my A7III so I have a rig I can carry under my coat, but the Tamron 28-75 RXD basically covers that range so well - only a bit warmer than my primes.

Every time you change lenses, you risk losing time and gaining sensor schmutz.

Click to expand...

Yeah, after I got my Tamron, I got rid of my Voigtlander FE 40mm f1.2, and my Sony FE 85mm f1.8

I kept my Sony FE 100mm STF, for the unique look it gives.

Den

I wish I could part with my primes. I find my photography more and more to require some degree of travel, and so I carry fewer and fewer primes.

Some of those primes are special - for example, my Canon FD 85mm F1.2L for action under very low light.

PWPhotography · Feb 27, 2019

W3PYF said:
DenImage said:

W3PYF said:

“Once I get Tammy, i got rid of 85mm and 35mm.”

Precisely.

I still keep my Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M on a TechArt Pro as a “lens cap” on my A7III so I have a rig I can carry under my coat, but the Tamron 28-75 RXD basically covers that range so well - only a bit warmer than my primes.

Every time you change lenses, you risk losing time and gaining sensor schmutz.

Click to expand...

Yeah, after I got my Tamron, I got rid of my Voigtlander FE 40mm f1.2, and my Sony FE 85mm f1.8

I kept my Sony FE 100mm STF, for the unique look it gives.

Den

Click to expand...

I wish I could part with my primes. I find my photography more and more to require some degree of travel, and so I carry fewer and fewer primes.

Some of those primes are special - for example, my Canon FD 85mm F1.2L for action under very low light.

As I said swapping lens is a hassle, so easily sucks in dust, slows down pace that might miss critical moments or even risky that caused lens accidentally dropped and damaged. Therefore I even carry two cameras into trips.

In all my lens lineup, my zoom lenses have no problem to resolve 42mp sensors as I have posted in full size photos. I start carrying a few primes such as CV 12 and L21 not really in gaining extra sharpness (they are not actually) but they have special characters - extra UWA from 12mm, much more pleasing 10-point sunstar and special and more pleasing color rendering especially from Loxia line that zoom lenses are not very good at, as shown in my recent Iceland trip.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55485085@N04/albums

bpatient · Feb 27, 2019

cyberpi1 said:
bpatient said:

al. said:

If you have time to change lenses, then get the primes. If you need speed of selecting focal lengths, then get the zoom.

Click to expand...

Here's another way of looking at it: use only the single focal length that you prefer:

https://www.dearsusan.net/2019/01/21/whats-in-my-bagt-one-only-lens/

Click to expand...

Really one-sided opinion. The more FL you have - the easier for you to be creative.

Indeed, that one person's reflection on his own vision, preferences and experiences was undoubtedly "one sided"--in contrast to a multi-faceted and nuanced take that is instead a clear and simple statement of received truth. Thanks.

People may have different artistic visions (if they have any at all).

Someone posted here that it was--and I think that this is a quote--'super-enraging' that he had to struggle to transition from capturing a distant landscape to recording a muskrat that emerged from the brush 50 feet from him. I suppose that when Claude Monet endeavored to "be creative" as he set out to paint plein air seascapes he must have been burdened by the many other canvasses that he carried just in case he saw a squirrel.

Stflbn · Feb 27, 2019

I normally use 28 f2, 55 1.8 and 85 1.8, along with 70-200 2.8 shooting events.
This weekend I have a 2 day songwriting camp for a non-profit that pairs up children of fallen soldiers with songwriters here in Nashville culminating with a live concert Sat night at Johnny Cash Museum. I will be purposely using mainly the Tamron 28-75, while my other shooter uses the normal prime lens selection, both using A7iii bodies.

I normally do about 3-4 of these songwriting camps a year, So we'll see how it shakes out.

--
----------------------------------
A7iii | a6500 | RX100 v | 70-200 2.8 GM | 55 1.8 ZA | 85 1.8 | 90 2.8 Macro | 30 1.4 DC | 28 f2 | Godox tt685s (x3) & Xpro-S | Zhiyun Weebill Lab
----------------------------------
http://501concepts.com

sportyaccordy · Feb 28, 2019

bpatient said:
I suppose that when Claude Monet endeavored to "be creative" as he set out to paint plein air seascapes he must have been burdened by the many other canvasses that he carried just in case he saw a squirrel.

Stuff like this makes me groan. Photography isn't painting, and nobody here is Monet.

thiefofpresence · Feb 28, 2019

sportyaccordy said:
bpatient said:

I suppose that when Claude Monet endeavored to "be creative" as he set out to paint plein air seascapes he must have been burdened by the many other canvasses that he carried just in case he saw a squirrel.

Click to expand...

Stuff like this makes me groan. Photography isn't painting, and nobody here is Monet.

It's both guys.

There are people going out with one lens with a burning vision to do the one thing that lens is perfect for.

And there are people going out with large prime kits or all-in-one zooms that don't know what they will be photographing until they see it.

I know there are both because I personally am both. It depends... on the day and my vision that day.

--
https://www.instagram.com/thiefofpresence
Sony A7iii | Zeiss Batis 25/2; Sony Distagon 35/1.4 ; Sony FE 85/1.8 | Tamron 28-75/2.8; Sony FE 70-200/4 G

sportyaccordy · Feb 28, 2019

thiefofpresence said:
sportyaccordy said:

bpatient said:

I suppose that when Claude Monet endeavored to "be creative" as he set out to paint plein air seascapes he must have been burdened by the many other canvasses that he carried just in case he saw a squirrel.

Click to expand...

Stuff like this makes me groan. Photography isn't painting, and nobody here is Monet.

Click to expand...

It's both guys.

There are people going out with one lens with a burning vision to do the one thing that lens is perfect for.

And there are people going out with large prime kits or all-in-one zooms that don't know what they will be photographing until they see it.

I know there are both because I personally am both. It depends... on the day and my vision that day.

I don't disagree; I've done both as well. I just take issue with the idea that photographers should operate like painters.

Selene · Feb 28, 2019

Your songwriting workshops with the kids of fallen soldiers sounds really cool! What a wonderful thing to be doing!!!!

Stflbn · Feb 28, 2019

Thanks, I shoot about 15-20 events a year for them, as well as handling all their graphic design and video work.

bpatient · Feb 28, 2019

sportyaccordy said:
I just take issue with the idea that photographers should operate like painters.

I don't believe that I or anyone here suggested that photographers should operate like painters--but some do.

Perhaps because I am a painter (the only photographs that I've ever published were scanning electron micrographs of viruses that I made as a Ph.D. student), I appreciated the intentional single-focal-length approach that was used by the author of the blog that I cited in the context of this primes vs. zooms discussion. (FWIW, that author--who wrote that he uses a 25mm lens exclusively on his A7R II--noted that two of his friends happened to make nearly coincident visits to Japan; one used a 25mm Loxia for 70% of his work there although he carried four other lenses from 12 to 85mm plus the 24-105 zoom; the other carried three primes (a 25mm Loxia, a ZM 35/1.4, and a Leica 50mm) but chose to use only the 25mm lens. Although that author, his friends, and I tend to visualize our work through a moderate wide angle prime lens, that doesn't in any way imply that you should do that.)

W3PYF · Feb 28, 2019

Liked your Flickr gallery!

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Tamron 28-75 OR These Three Primes

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