Advice on building my lens kit

darrenhaken wrote:

Could you break down the own, pack, carry a little more?

I ended up getting the 24-105 used (pretty good price) but I have since discovered how much praise the Tamron 28-200 is actually getting. Can I ask why you have decided to buy it?

I managed to get the Sony 24-105 for £700 and it looks like I can get a used Tamron 28-200 for £600. I'm tempted to sell and swap to that, what do you think?

Other lenses I've picked up since originally posting 16-35 GM (used good price), Sony 35 1.8, Sony 85 1.8.

I don't always carry primes and zooms, like you it's the difference between own and carry.

Own - Lenses I own

Pack - Lenses that made it into the backpack/suitcase/whatever. Could be one lens on a weekend backpack trip, could be 5 lenses and a tripod on the 2-week photo trip.

Carry - What I'm specifically taking out of the car/hotel room for the next 10 minutes/12 hours/4 days until the next time I'm back at the car/hotel room.

So I used to own: 24-105, 16-35, 24/1.4, 85/1.4, 55/1.8, and pack 24-105, 16-35, 85/24, 55 in that order. Since that's a lot of lenses to throw in the suitcase, I ended up selling the 55 and buying a much cheaper 45/1.8 instead.

Current lenses: 16-35, 24-105, (28-200, Sigma 100-400 in the mail). 24/45/85 prime trinity, strongly debating a 35.

Carry:

• 24-105 for one-lens daytime. (Possibly sub 28-200)
• 16-35 for one-lens street/nighttime/museum/astro. Makes sense if the museums come with bag rules.
• 24/1.4 as a one-lens slightly lighter walk-around prime for after-dark.  Though by choice, I'd. 
• Two-lens with the 16-35 and 24/1.4 for nighttime walk-around and tripod work.  
• 16-35 + 24-105 for two lens daytime or tripod use. Interiors + daylight, maximum flexibility.
• 16-35 + 85 as a street kit. Maybe add the 55 (or 45)
• 24-105 + 24/1.4 as a daytime + museum kit. 24/1.4 at 1/30 is ISO 1-200 depending on the lighting. Did this on a whim on a sunny day in SF and I was... surprised at how well this works.  
• 35/85 now that I'm playing with primes more makes an interesting woodland kit.
• If I bring the lens bag out to play, (16-35 or 24)/45/85 trinity with the 24-105 zoom is the do-*everything*.  But I'd have to drive to make that happen.  That's a lot of bag space and a lot of weight.  

Forgot to ask. What would you pack for a place you won’t return for years?

16-35 + 24-105 (+100-400). You don't know what you're going to want to take pictures of, so give yourself as much flexibility as you can. If you can pack primes, that's a bonus, but if you're going to want 19mm or 52mm at random, and you don't know that, you'd rather be stuck with 52/4 than 45/1.8.

Bonus if there's dusty hiking trails at which point I do not want to be shifting lenses.  (Bonus points if there's hiking trails at which point I'm too tired to be shifting lenses).