I think I have my setup and it is good, and simple.

[jhunna]

tldr; after going through a lot of glass, I have narrowed down what is important to me.

I have an A7CR and I have been struggling finding a good setup that is good and simple. I have sang the praises of the 50GMF1.2, but I have a new go to lens for everyday shooting:

24GM

This thing with the a7cr is a match made in heaven. A big sensor cries out for a wide lens, but not too wide. I have the 20G and it is a fine piece of glass, but the 24 focal length just pops a bit better for people with less distortion, and a bit more compression for the look I like. I am pairing this with the:

Tamron 28300

My go to video lens, but with the 28 end open to f4, I can make use of it indoors. This is key for following someone from the graduation stage, all the way up to you without changing the lens. Also this lens is lighter than the 24240 that it is replacing and has longer reach. (I need 300). This is my everyday and travel kit. When I want the best I use the:

50GMf1.2

The best lens Sony makes f1.2, 4 linear motors, sharp and has character with little distortion. When I need the very best output this is the lens I will use. But the A7CR is small and sometimes I want to go small so I am going to keep:

1020PZ (apsc) It is really wide and I never shoot wide, but if I need to this is my lens.

Viltrox 28/4.5 Smallest full frame autofocusing lens available. If I need deeper depth of field I can focus stack, but otherwise, this makes the A7CR a point and shoot.

40G The no compromise small lens, and it has enough character to keep things interesting.

Everything else is being sold, but without the time with the other glass I would not have comfortably come to this place, some of the glass that is going:
Sony 1655G, 70350G, Samyang 24/2.8, Sony 20G, 28/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 24240. Already gone because of rental or returned Sony 1224GM, 1224G, 1635PZ, 135GM, 1625G, 2450G, 2070G, 70200Gmk2 and GMmk2, 200600G, 24105G, Tamron 50300, 50400, 28200. And a handful of manual focus 7 and TT artisans and Voigtlander glass.

As crazy as it seems I have never tried used the 1635GM or 2470GM mk1 or 2.

A lot of time and money, but what it told me was the following:

1. I want fast beautiful primes

2. I can shoot 90% of my photo and video with the 24 and 50 GMs.

3. If I am zooming, picture quality is secondary, BUT video seems really good regardless of what glass I used.

4. 67mm is ideal and the largest size for the a7cr (but the 50/1.2 is soo good I make an exception.

5. I don't want to manual focus.

6. I want all the Sony compatibility and features from Sony glass.

7. The GM glass holds its resale value better than the other levels of glass.

8. And while I do like a wide angle shot apsc shot at f8, and pixel shifted if needed is good enough.

9. While I like small, I like good product if I am going to take the camera out. It must give me something the phone can not.

10. I really can make the shots better with flash.
Thanks for indulging me but it just feels good to be out of the woods, and I know I am out, because I made it through BlackFriday without buying anything.

 

[Satyaa]

Good experience and lessons. Thanks for sharing.

--
See my profile (About me) for gear and my posting policy.

 

[blue_skies]

tldr; after going through a lot of glass, I have narrowed down what is important to me.

I have an A7CR and I have been struggling finding a good setup that is good and simple. I have sang the praises of the 50GMF1.2, but I have a new go to lens for everyday shooting:

24GM

This thing with the a7cr is a match made in heaven. A big sensor cries out for a wide lens, but not too wide. I have the 20G and it is a fine piece of glass, but the 24 focal length just pops a bit better for people with less distortion, and a bit more compression for the look I like. I am pairing this with the:

Tamron 28300

My go to video lens, but with the 28 end open to f4, I can make use of it indoors. This is key for following someone from the graduation stage, all the way up to you without changing the lens. Also this lens is lighter than the 24240 that it is replacing and has longer reach. (I need 300). This is my everyday and travel kit. When I want the best I use the:

50GMf1.2

The best lens Sony makes f1.2, 4 linear motors, sharp and has character with little distortion. When I need the very best output this is the lens I will use. But the A7CR is small and sometimes I want to go small so I am going to keep:

1020PZ (apsc) It is really wide and I never shoot wide, but if I need to this is my lens.

Viltrox 28/4.5 Smallest full frame autofocusing lens available. If I need deeper depth of field I can focus stack, but otherwise, this makes the A7CR a point and shoot.

40G The no compromise small lens, and it has enough character to keep things interesting.

Everything else is being sold, but without the time with the other glass I would not have comfortably come to this place, some of the glass that is going:
Sony 1655G, 70350G, Samyang 24/2.8, Sony 20G, 28/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 24240. Already gone because of rental or returned Sony 1224GM, 1224G, 1635PZ, 135GM, 1625G, 2450G, 2070G, 70200Gmk2 and GMmk2, 200600G, 24105G, Tamron 50300, 50400, 28200. And a handful of manual focus 7 and TT artisans and Voigtlander glass.

As crazy as it seems I have never tried used the 1635GM or 2470GM mk1 or 2.

A lot of time and money, but what it told me was the following:

1. I want fast beautiful primes

2. I can shoot 90% of my photo and video with the 24 and 50 GMs.

3. If I am zooming, picture quality is secondary, BUT video seems really good regardless of what glass I used.

4. 67mm is ideal and the largest size for the a7cr (but the 50/1.2 is soo good I make an exception.

5. I don't want to manual focus.

6. I want all the Sony compatibility and features from Sony glass.

7. The GM glass holds its resale value better than the other levels of glass.

8. And while I do like a wide angle shot apsc shot at f8, and pixel shifted if needed is good enough.

9. While I like small, I like good product if I am going to take the camera out. It must give me something the phone can not.

10. I really can make the shots better with flash.
Thanks for indulging me but it just feels good to be out of the woods, and I know I am out, because I made it through BlackFriday without buying anything.

Nice to see someone who comments from experience and not focuses on max-performance.

 

[Impulses]

24/50 GM + Viltrox 28 & 40G makes a lot of sense to me, I've had a small kit and a larger kit for a while now and (budget constraints aside) I don't understand why people twist themselves into knots trying to decide between one or the other... That versatility is precisely the point of an ILC.

I'm with you on # 1-4, 8 & 9 but don't care as much about 5-7 & 10, I'm glad the camera market is still large enough to support this variety of preferences tbh... I didn't make it thru BF without buying anything but what I got wasn't even something that was specifically on sale for BF, heh, noticed the CV 21/3.5 was discontinued and I jumped on a new one for <$500. I'd always wanted to try it...

I think you've known what you like for a while and just refined it some after some trial and error, but it's nice to have that experience, part of the hobby IMO. Some people don't care to churn thru any significant amount of gear or figure out their preferences and that's okay too, but there's value in doing so.

 

[jhunna]

24/50 GM + Viltrox 28 & 40G makes a lot of sense to me, I've had a small kit and a larger kit for a while now and (budget constraints aside) I don't understand why people twist themselves into knots trying to decide between one or the other... That versatility is precisely the point of an ILC.

Yeah that was definitely me with the a7cr. The GM glass reminded me why I was using this setup, while the smaller lenses made me want to go back to apsc (My a6700). I really want a line of fast (f1.7) cupcake glass, like Leica's small M mounts. But that's not coming.

I'm with you on # 1-4, 8 & 9 but don't care as much about 5-7 & 10, I'm glad the camera market is still large enough to support this variety of preferences tbh... I didn't make it thru BF without buying anything but what I got wasn't even something that was specifically on sale for BF, heh, noticed the CV 21/3.5 was discontinued and I jumped on a new one for <$500. I'd always wanted to try it...

I think once you get on with 10, you will see an entirely new world with your setup. A good flash means you shoot ISO 100 in a lot more situations, and at iso 100, almost all of the glass for the Sony system, is sharp enough.

I did take advantage of the DxO BF sale, but that doesn't count as I needed something clean up my holiday pictures.

I think you've known what you like for a while and just refined it some after some trial and error, but it's nice to have that experience, part of the hobby IMO. Some people don't care to churn thru any significant amount of gear or figure out their preferences and that's okay too, but there's value in doing so.

Here is what is crazy... These are the focal lengths I used the most on m43. PL15, PL25 and Lumix 14-140. I just needed to confirm that all that other glass in the Sony eco system wasn't needed. Besides this is a hobby, so I had great fun in playing with all the other glass. If I ever get serious about birding/sports I might get the 300/2.8, but that is quite a ways away if it ever happens.

 

[Impulses]

I think you've known what you like for a while and just refined it some after some trial and error, but it's nice to have that experience, part of the hobby IMO. Some people don't care to churn thru any significant amount of gear or figure out their preferences and that's okay too, but there's value in doing so.

Here is what is crazy... These are the focal lengths I used the most on m43. PL15, PL25 and Lumix 14-140. I just needed to confirm that all that other glass in the Sony eco system wasn't needed. Besides this is a hobby, so I had great fun in playing with all the other glass. If I ever get serious about birding/sports I might get the 300/2.8, but that is quite a ways away if it ever happens.

I regret not ever trying the PL15; I was pretty married to the Oly 12/2 and Pana 20/1.7, then later the 17/1.2 Pro - which I don't regret cause if I hadn't shot that I'm not sure I would've been willing to jump on the 35GM, and it kept me from thinking about FF too early... 30mm equivalent is still somewhat tighter than 24mm though, but I can see the 24GM easily covering that (~28/1.6 in 4:3), along with the Viltrox (f4.5 is not far off from an f3.4 equivalent M4/3 prime tbh, <2/3rds stop difference).

I'm glad I did shoot the PL25 if only sporadically, at first I'd borrow a family member's when I knew the 20/1.7 AF was gonna let me down, then I got the Mk II even if I didn't get to use it a lot before the pandemic hit... I already knew I didn't love the FL, but I did like the rendering and I really wanted a smaller weather sealed option. Ironically I've ended up with few/no small weather sealed options on E mount as well. My SY 45/1.8 works well in the PL25's role but it's not sealed.

If I ever have issues with it I might end up trying the 40/2.5 G, on paper I like the Sigma 45/2.8's rendering better but practically speaking if I was gonna replace the SY it'd likely be with the well sealed and better featured Sony. Rather have 49mm threads on a lens that small and I'm a sucker for the Haoge hoods that are also available for it (love the one on my 35GM).

 

[Mr_Win]

the 24GM is an absolute stud of a lens, and despite having a ton others, I do find that I tend to keep it on one of my cameras as a defacto lens..... and adding lumix to test and play around, I am oddly feeling the urge of a similar lens for L mount......

aside from that, I've been staying a whole lot simpler and probably should get rid of a lot of lenses

 

[thunder storm]

There are lots of lens options.

The 50 f/1.2 GM is a very good lens. 24mm is a tad wide for my taste, I like 28mm better (for the same reasons you like 24mm better than wider), and I think the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 is the most appealing 28mm today, however, I'm shooting the EF 28mm f/1.4 Art as my 28mm. I have the Viltrox 20mm f/2.8 for when I need wider. But 24mm+50mm is kind of the same thing.

There's no 85mm or 105mm f/1.4 prime in your collection. Personally I need a telephoto portrait prime.

 

[jhunna]

There are lots of lens options.

The 50 f/1.2 GM is a very good lens. 24mm is a tad wide for my taste, I like 28mm better (for the same reasons you like 24mm better than wider), and I think the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 is the most appealing 28mm today, however, I'm shooting the EF 28mm f/1.4 Art as my 28mm. I have the Viltrox 20mm f/2.8 for when I need wider. But 24mm+50mm is kind of the same thing.

There's no 85mm or 105mm f/1.4 prime in your collection. Personally I need a telephoto portrait prime.

I had what I thought was the ideal trio of primes, Sony 20/1.8, 35/1.8, and 85/1.8, but those focal lengths are meh to me compared to the 14/1.8, 24/1.4, 50/1.2, and 135/1.8. but I wouldn't use the 14 or 135 that often. I could find a use for a small 105/1.4....

But I can make a 24G capture most of the shots I want, while giving me the look I like, when using 61 MP. As for 28mm, I do like the focal length, but Sony doesn't make a modern or a fast one. The 20G on the a6700 is a great setup and compliments the 1655G. Along with the 85/1.8 on apsc.

Lots of options....

 

[thunder storm]

There are lots of lens options.

The 50 f/1.2 GM is a very good lens. 24mm is a tad wide for my taste, I like 28mm better (for the same reasons you like 24mm better than wider), and I think the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 is the most appealing 28mm today, however, I'm shooting the EF 28mm f/1.4 Art as my 28mm. I have the Viltrox 20mm f/2.8 for when I need wider. But 24mm+50mm is kind of the same thing.

There's no 85mm or 105mm f/1.4 prime in your collection. Personally I need a telephoto portrait prime.

I had what I thought was the ideal trio of primes, Sony 20/1.8, 35/1.8, and 85/1.8, but those focal lengths are meh to me compared to the 14/1.8, 24/1.4, 50/1.2, and 135/1.8. but I wouldn't use the 14 or 135 that often. I could find a use for a small 105/1.4....

My Sigma 105mm f/1.4 is anything but small..... Yes, wide angle and telephoto are the least used, same here. I can be happy without wide in the bag. But when shooting outdoors I need something giving a bit of compression some times. Even if it's not a lot of shots it adds to the variety.

My minimum setup is 28-60mm +..... Samyang 75mm f/1.8. 75mm is longer than 50, but much more flexible than 85mm.

But I can make a 24G capture most of the shots I want, while giving me the look I like, when using 61 MP. As for 28mm, I do like the focal length, but Sony doesn't make a modern or a fast one.

Yes, that's a problem. For me the Sigma Art was affordable, and I can also shoot it on my Canon camera, so all in all I have my reasons to accept it's weight. AF is fine, even via MC-11, IQ pushes way above it's price point, but the weight is a downside.

For Canon I have two smaller 28mm options, but I keep coming back to that heavy Sigma 28mm f/1.4 Art. So for weight, yes, I can see that 24mmG being the better option there.

The 20G on the a6700 is a great setup and compliments the 1655G. Along with the 85/1.8 on apsc.

I'm done with aps-c, too complicated in the mix for me.

Lots of options....

Yes, and there will come more options in the future, so I'm not reshuffling at the moment, as a future lens can change everything.