Walk around lens Sony A7cii

[LD Photography]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

How much sharper on this body is the newer 40 g.

Cii is 2nd camera to my A7rv, and I have full range of either G or GM primes 20 to 135 for that and the Cii, but on planned trip to UK will be days walking around cities I don’t want the weight of A7rv or gm lens, also have 24 70 GMii,

The other alternative is the 28 60 kit zoom, but wonder if fas enough.

Would love to hear from people the have used all the lens mentioned.

 

[henryk1]

For me the 28-60 f4 is plenty fast enough at an ISO of 1600 on my A7Riii and A7c. I just use Lighroom's denoise feature to smooth out the bumps. But then my output is 8 1/2 x 11 as well as online. I am not a pro, just a geezer who appreciates light weight and image quality.

 

[MikeInOr]

The Sony 28-60 F/4.5-f/5.6 is my walk around lens when I don't want to carry a bulkier lens. I have never had any issue where it didn't let in enough light in low light. I paid about $100 for my used 28-60 in like new condition.

The 20-70 f/4 is one that I have been eyeing for a very useful range in a small package.

 

[ahaslett]

The Sony 28-60 F/4.5-f/5.6 is my walk around lens when I don't want to carry a bulkier lens. I have never had any issue where it didn't let in enough light in low light. I paid about $100 for my used 28-60 in like new condition.

The 20-70 f/4 is one that I have been eyeing for a very useful range in a small package.

I just bought the 20-70/4 at the same time as an A7CR and it's everything I hoped for as a general lightweight package. I've been wondering about adding a dekitted 28-60mm as an even smaller and lighter option. Unless you need subject separation, both are great lenses on a body with decent IBIS.

Not sure I'd add a prime as my main lens for an expensive and capable body, but we are all different. I do have the Sony 55/1.8 and Sigma 35/2 as options.

My favourite FLs are 20mm and 50mm, so a Loxia 21mm and the Zony can make a 2 prime kit.

A

 

[LightsAndTones]

As the others have already said the 28-60 is perfect for this. I usually put the Viltrox 20mm F2.8 into my bag in case I need a wider angle of view but 90% of my shots are usually taken with the kit lens.

 

[jhunna]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

How much sharper on this body is the newer 40 g.

This is a tough question to answer as people carry the 40G for more than it's sharpness. You want the 40G because of its handling. I don't get the 40G if I have the 35 and I am ok with the handling lack of buttons. If buying new I get the 40G even if I can get the 35 used

Cii is 2nd camera to my A7rv, and I have full range of either G or GM primes 20 to 135 for that and the Cii, but on planned trip to UK will be days walking around cities I don’t want the weight of A7rv or gm lens, also have 24 70 GMii,

The other alternative is the 28 60 kit zoom, but wonder if fas enough.

It is enough but get the 2070G, it really is a one lens walk around powerhouse with the A7Cxx line up.

Would love to hear from people the have used all the lens mentioned.

If you just want a small lens camera set up get the 24G and use apsc to zoom to 36mm. Or do the same with the 40G and use apsc to zoom to 60mm. But if you want to zoom get the 2070G, it is a winner.

 

[DirkPeh]

I love the 50 G f/2.5 on my A7c II. Great lens. I might have chosen the 40, but they had the 50 there and I am using a X100V a lot, that is 35mm equivalent and a GR that is 28mm equivalent, so I wanted a different FL.

The compact size and the aperture ring had a huge impact on my decision. Coming from a A6400 with good lenses, I can’t differentiate what impact the improved colours of the A7c II and what impact the lens has, but I love the results I get. I might buy the 28 of the G trio too.

 

[wheresrunnicles]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

How much sharper on this body is the newer 40 g.

Cii is 2nd camera to my A7rv, and I have full range of either G or GM primes 20 to 135 for that and the Cii, but on planned trip to UK will be days walking around cities I don’t want the weight of A7rv or gm lens, also have 24 70 GMii,

The other alternative is the 28 60 kit zoom, but wonder if fas enough.

Would love to hear from people the have used all the lens mentioned.

I have the 50/2.5 and it makes a very nice compact package on the original 7C. It’s not GM quality but good enough for most purposes unless you want to look at the bokeh under a microscope etc.

The 28-60 is also great optically, but not ergonomically. I miss the aperture and it feels cheap. This doesn’t affect image quality but does affect how much I enjoy using it.

Personally, my walk around choices are the Loxia 50 but that’s MF only so may not be of interest, and the Sigma 45. It has a great rendering and useful close focus ability. Build quality is outstanding. AF is less good than the sony but I enjoy the images from it more and haven’t used the 50/2.5 since I got it.

I could suggest some other 50s but sounds like you’re after something wider. The other lens I’ve used in this space is the Batis 40. It’s a bit big, but not to heavy so fine on the C models. Good optically, weather sealed unlike the sigma, and focuses nice and close.

 

[Matthew39]

Lots of us would love a Sony 28 G....

 

[wheresrunnicles]

Lots of us would love a Sony 28 G....

Or a Sigma 28 from the i series, or a Voigtlander 28… it’s sad 28 is so neglected these days.

 

[Rod McD]

Hi,

I use the 20-70 for general travel when I'm happy to carry a camera weighing a kilo or more. A full-sized Sony body with 20-70 weighs just over 1200g. An A7CR plus 20-70 weighs just over a kilo.

When I want a very light and compact kit for 'grab and go' / walk-around duties, I grab the 28-60. It's a surprising little lens, hidden by its kit lens status. With it, the A7CR weighs just under 700g. The A7Cii would weigh much the same. The 28-60 is a whisker smaller (retracted) and lighter than the 40G. It lacks the build, FL range and close-focusing of the 20-70, but it is 'weather resistant'. All that said, it's every bit as sharp as the 20-70 at the overlapping FLs and every bit as flare resistant. In terms of AF, it has a linear motor and its AF is nimble in any reasonable light.

It might be worth considering, given that you have all the heavyweight glass for when you need it. Quite apart from all that, you can buy one new for US$260 on sale, and less used - people sometimes sell them off mint when they buy one with a kit.

Regards, Rod

 

[jayboo]

Get's very little mention as it always seems to be the 20-70 f/4 that folks like best, but I'm happy with the 24-50 2.8, especially because it's at 50mm in it's collapsed state. I do appreciate why the 20-70 has such a following but my choice was based on my most used focal range together with size/weight considerations on the smaller body. When I look through my Lightroom catalogue the lens is mostly used at 35 and 50, often cropped to 75mm, much lower use of the 24/28mm range, which is no surprise to me.

The A7CR and 24-50 weigh in around 950grams, and I tend to put the Sigma 90 2.8 in a pocket or small bag, job done for me. I do have the 28-60 and would agree it's a lovely lightweight option and performs better than expected.

Spoilt for choice in this mount really.

-
Jayne

jayneboo

Explore jayneboo’s 7,974 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[AeroPhotographer]

I love my 28-60. And I would rather shoot sharp pics at f5.6 and slightly higher ISO, than shoot at f2, creating blurry photos at low ISO.

Another approach would be shoot 35mm prime and crop. You can easily crop 8x, creating 1188 pixel wide images with the field of view of 8x35, or 280mm.

Or if 35mm isn't wide enough for you, shoot with 24mm.

 

[richj20]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

I've used the 35mm Zeiss f.2.8 for 8+ years. At 120 g/4 oz it has been ideal for me as a light carry system.

--
http://www.rsjphoto.net/

 

[Impulses]

This is a pretty personal or subjective choice, both the 40/2.5 G and the 28-60 are good lightweight walk-around options, one will do better in low light and when it comes to subject isolation (while easily cropping to 60mm), the other can go wider, only you can pick which would make the most sense. Personally, even in a very minimal kit I'd end up packing two lenses, that's when things get more interesting...

28-60 + say a 90mm will cover a ton of use cases. OTOH you could pair a 40G with something much wider than 28mm (Sigma 17/4, Viltrox 20/2.5) or with the very same 90mm. You could do the latter with the 28-60 too tbh and crop it to 90mm as needed. It really comes down to what you wanna shoot and how, which hasn't been talked about or asked much. When I'm in a city I love shooting very wide, but I also like being able to isolate friends/family some.

I'd probably go either 17/4 + 28-60 or 20/2.5 + 40/2.5.

 

[alphaZ]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

How much sharper on this body is the newer 40 g.

Cii is 2nd camera to my A7rv, and I have full range of either G or GM primes 20 to 135 for that and the Cii, but on planned trip to UK will be days walking around cities I don’t want the weight of A7rv or gm lens, also have 24 70 GMii,

When are you coming to the UK, this year its been grey days, day after day followed by rain and a few bright days! Similar across much of Europe in fact.

Personally, 28mm is too narrow and frustrating for a zoom, but, if its compact and 2.8 throughout its not so much of a compromise! The Tamron 20-40 is very small but at 35-40 wide open its a bit soft but is probably far more practical indoors, ie churches/cathedrals than a 24-70 2.8. But outdoors it can be a little short. So, you could think about the new 24-50 2.8 or the 20-70 f4. Both are larger than the 28-60.

The other alternative is the 28 60 kit zoom, but wonder if fas enough.

Would love to hear from people the have used all the lens mentioned.

The 28-60 wasn't for me, awkward to use, starting at 28 and overall a bit too small and fiddly. A bit too slow for UK weather possibly, although the speed is ok outdoors. The Tamron 20-40/28-60 might be a very neat and light 2 lens set-up!

Alternative is the 20-70 and a prime, Sigma 35/2 or SY 35 1.8 (better than fe 35 1.8 imo) or Sony 24-50 2.8 and say SY 75 1.8.

One last comment, why not the new Sony 24-50 2.8 and your a7r5? That way you can really use 2.8 a lot more ie in aps-c mode too, so you really have a great 24-50(75) 2.8 (4); a7cii doesn't really have that flexibility.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

LensTip.com's tests indicate Samyang's 35/2.8 is just as sharp as the Zeiss. The 40 seems a fair bit sharper.

I'd go with Samyang's 35/1.8 instead. Compared to the 40 it's not quite as sharp in the center but sharper at the edges, it's a stop brighter, and it's still quite small and light. Plus, it's $350 vs. $600.

How much sharper on this body is the newer 40 g.

Cii is 2nd camera to my A7rv, and I have full range of either G or GM primes 20 to 135 for that and the Cii, but on planned trip to UK will be days walking around cities I don’t want the weight of A7rv or gm lens, also have 24 70 GMii,

The other alternative is the 28 60 kit zoom, but wonder if fas enough.

It is a great walkabout lens in good light. Mine is quite sharp edge-to-edge at f5.6 on an a7RIII.

Would love to hear from people the have used all the lens mentioned.

I have a 28-60 and like it a lot. I own almost all of Samyang's AF FE primes. The 35/2.8 is the weakest performer, which is why I'm replacing it with a 35/1.8 - the size and weight difference just make any difference when I'm choosing what to take for a walk.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

This is a pretty personal or subjective choice, both the 40/2.5 G and the 28-60 are good lightweight walk-around options, one will do better in low light and when it comes to subject isolation (while easily cropping to 60mm), the other can go wider, only you can pick which would make the most sense. Personally, even in a very minimal kit I'd end up packing two lenses, that's when things get more interesting...

28-60 + say a 90mm will cover a ton of use cases.

I like 28-60 with Samyang 75/1.8

OTOH you could pair a 40G with something much wider than 28mm (Sigma 17/4, Viltrox 20/2.5)

Samyang 18/2.8

or with the very same 90mm. You could do the latter with the 28-60 too tbh and crop it to 90mm as needed. It really comes down to what you wanna shoot and how, which hasn't been talked about or asked much. When I'm in a city I love shooting very wide, but I also like being able to isolate friends/family some.

I'd probably go either 17/4 + 28-60 or 20/2.5 + 40/2.5.

Your analysis seems very sensible to me.

 

[Brian_Smith]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

Those are both great choices for a7C II. You won't go wrong with either.

FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Review

FE 40mm F2.5 G Review

 

[jhunna]

After small walk around lens for Cii, looking at 35zeiss 2.8 or sony 40g2.5.

LensTip.com's tests indicate Samyang's 35/2.8 is just as sharp as the Zeiss. The 40 seems a fair bit sharper.

I'd go with Samyang's 35/1.8 instead. Compared to the 40 it's not quite as sharp in the center but sharper at the edges, it's a stop brighter, and it's still quite small and light. Plus, it's $350 vs. $600.

How much sharper on this body is the newer 40 g.

Cii is 2nd camera to my A7rv, and I have full range of either G or GM primes 20 to 135 for that and the Cii, but on planned trip to UK will be days walking around cities I don’t want the weight of A7rv or gm lens, also have 24 70 GMii,

The other alternative is the 28 60 kit zoom, but wonder if fas enough.

It is a great walkabout lens in good light. Mine is quite sharp edge-to-edge at f5.6 on an a7RIII.

Or with a flash. I can't tell you how nice the pictures are indoors with the HVL-f28RM...

Would love to hear from people the have used all the lens mentioned.

I have a 28-60 and like it a lot. I own almost all of Samyang's AF FE primes. The 35/2.8 is the weakest performer, which is why I'm replacing it with a 35/1.8 - the size and weight difference just make any difference when I'm choosing what to take for a walk.

Only reason I sold mine was to make the sale of the a7c complete, and I didn't like the handling as much as the 2070G.