24-70 F2.8 or 24-105 F4 for Alpha A1

[Dane01]

I just got the new A1 delivered 2 days ago and am loving the camera, it is just way too advanced.

Question I have is would the 24-105 F4 lens do justice to the camera or better off with the 24-70 F2,8, mostly would be using it for travel.

 

[Laslo Varadi]

The 24-105 is a very good lens. I have it and use it quite a bit. I prefer longer focal length lenses and for my travel needs it works well. I have never used the 24-70, but from the comments, it is due for some updating.

 

[Rue64285]

Actually I own the GM lens only and, thus, cannot give a perfect recommendation. The GM is a perfect zoom lens covering a widely used focal range and comes as an absolutely professional tool (... such as your Alpha 1 is). Weight is just okay (... it is f2.8), but AF is almost perfect and IQ is extremly good. The only limitation for you could be the focal range when travelling, because from time to time you want to have just a bit more than 70 mm ...

Hence the G f4 can be a solution to go with, the better lens certainly is the GM (... though many people say that the G lens is even better than the GM).

That means whatever your decision might be, it cannot be wrong ... both lenses are really great. For my style of photography, f2.8 (... bokeh ) is more important than the focal range, but that can be different for your eyes.

Happy shooting and enjoy your new Alpha 1!

 

[dcstep]

I just got the new A1 delivered 2 days ago and am loving the camera, it is just way too advanced.

Question I have is would the 24-105 F4 lens do justice to the camera or better off with the 24-70 F2,8, mostly would be using it for travel.

I own both these lenses and the 24-105 G stays on my a1. The extra versatility wins out for me. IQ stands up to well against the GM primes.

Other lenses in my arsenal:
FE 14mm f/1.8 GM

FE 85mm GM

FE 100-400mm GM

FE 600mm GM

FE 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters

 

[Locutus001]

I just got the new A1 delivered 2 days ago and am loving the camera, it is just way too advanced.

Question I have is would the 24-105 F4 lens do justice to the camera or better off with the 24-70 F2,8, mostly would be using it for travel.

Super difficult question since the 24-70mm is the best sony has got to offer at the moment but it could use an update.

Sony Alpha Blog : Which Lenses to maximise the potential of your Sony A7RIV/ A7RV / A1 / A7IV…?

This article assesses approximately 300 full-frame lenses tested on the Sony A7RV, focusing on their sharpness and performance. Divided into seven parts, it discusses lens categories, optimal condi…

sonyalpha.blog

As tested out by someone on the internet (for the A7RIV) the 24-105mm seems to do better than the older 24-70mm GM.

So more versatile and probably better for the resolution seems to be the 24-105mm but the 24-70mm GM with its F2.8 still is a very good lens. I'm pretty happy with mine (on the A7RIII) and personally wouldn't want to switch to the 24-105mm.

Anyhow, good luck making the right choice for your personal use. Maybe we all get lucky and Sony announces an updated version this year around.

 

[ActionPhotoPassion]

I just got the new A1 delivered 2 days ago and am loving the camera, it is just way too advanced.

Question I have is would the 24-105 F4 lens do justice to the camera or better off with the 24-70 F2,8, mostly would be using it for travel.

If you're the type of a person travelling with one single lens then a more versatile one like 24-105 could suit you better.

I mainly travel with z kit of 3 lenses covering from 15mm up to 300mm, but the few times I did like you and travelled with one lens only I took my 28-135mm. The tele end is always welcomed when you shoot candid travel pics.

 

[brulain]

24-105 works great with A7R4. Do you need 2.8 without money issue or an extra reach ?

 

[reinaroundtheglobe]

I just got the new A1 delivered 2 days ago and am loving the camera, it is just way too advanced.

Question I have is would the 24-105 F4 lens do justice to the camera or better off with the 24-70 F2,8, mostly would be using it for travel.

For travel the 24-105 F4, it's a great lens, excellent sharpness and the extra reach over the 70mm is what you need. I own it and travel a lot and it always delivers. If you do lot's of indoor, 2.8 might be helpful but if not, get the 24-105. For more reach you might even consider the Tamron 28-200mm for traveling and maybe a wide angle prime for architecture / indoor

 

[MikeInOr]

The extra stop of light really isn't that signifigant when you can just crank the ISO up a notch. The main advantage, to me at least, of the extra F stop of the F/2.8 lens is the shorter possible in focus depth of field. The shorter DOF allows you to highlight the subject by blurring more of the background.

I stressed over this same decision and decided to go for the 24-105 and I am VERY happy with my decision. Occasionally my 100mm F/2.8 will come out for a portrait in tight spaces but for the most part the DOF of the F/4 is plenty short for 95% of the portrait pics I take.

The Bokeh (The rendering of out of focus objects) on the 24-105 to my eyes is very pleasing. I haven't analized the bokeh on the 24-70, but I am sure it is very good too. I have found that F/2.8 can often be too shallow a DOF. I prefer the entire subject (person)to be in focus. Blurred noses and blurred ears with sharp eyes is a very annoying presentation in my opinion. But once the subject is a dencent distance away from the lens the total DOF increases making F/2.8 more useful for highlighting the subject.

I also own an A7RIV and have found the 24-105 to be very sharp. It should be an excellent lens for the A1!

For me the 24-105 vwas the right choice, but that doesn't mean it is going to be the right chaice for everyone!

 

[Malling]

With modern standards f/4 is a rather slow lens, especially as f/2 zoom lenses are getting released and f/2.8 is getting smaller and lighter. There are rumours of not just a new Sony 24-70 but also a 2.8/28-70

It’s mostly okay if you want that extra reach and don’t anticipate shooting much handheld in low light or indoor or need background separation/blur, f/4 is really a little to slow for that, you really should use something faster.

the copies I seen the 24-70 where definitely better then the 24-105, but the latter is still a fine lens, it’s just that you now can get the Tamron 28-75, Sigma 28-70 and Sigma Art 24-70, some even prefer the Tamron 3.5-6.3/18-200. Third party however don’t do 30fps in AF-C but IQ some of these are better.



Personlly I would only by the Sony second hand, especially as newer versions is expected soon.

 

[Old Pirate]

I have the 24 GM, the 35 GM, and the 16-35 GM to use with either my A1 or 7iv and the 50 and 135's have been ordered. When I travel, and know I will be outside alot of the time with various scenes and people, and that nothing specific is my goal then I always reach for the 24-105. I have had countless moments when reviewing files and seeing one image standout among many taken by various lenses only to realize it was taken with the 24-105.

The GM lenses are exceptional and I am fortunate to own them, but let no one fool you. The 24-105 is exceptional too when versatility counts. Many international photo contests won by Sony shooters were shot using the 24-105. It is one of the last lenses I own that I would give up.

 

[Dane01]

Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas, really helps a lot to decide, definitely keeping the 24-105 as performed great in a sporting event yesterday for me.

As to a good prime for travel what does one recommend for architecture.