If you had one lens only?

[eoslover]

10 hours ago, anonim said:

Choose the brightest and the most beloved/precious prime lens you have from 21 to 35mm FF equivalent. Why? Because it will be your best and intimate creative friend during the trip... and friend in the most intimate and contemplative hours could be just one... There is some magical-personal feeling to be alone with one prime wandering during day and night, that doesn't provide zoom's working easiness and convenience. You may and will miss some shots, but you'll put more of your soul in them... and that is the most important: not to hunt for shots, but to look for your deepest expression.

interestingly most smartphone main camera is 28mm FF equivalent, right in the middle of 21 and 35

I am not sure why you said AF sucks for the Samyang 24mm F2.8

it is a brand new lens and most of the people cannot even get accessed to this lens yet

the only guy who got this early on is Christopher Frost and he did a test and confirmed the AF works perfectly:

 

[IronFilm]

4 hours ago, wolf33d said:

In Those 2 treks, I will do dozens of miles with thousands and thousands of ft of elevation gain at altitude above 10 000 ft. 
I want to be able to shoot timelapses at each sunrise and sunsets and film at the same time so I need 2 cameras. I have a D5500 with a 10-20 Nikon that weights literally nothing (much lighter than a Sony A6300 + sony 10-18mm) and gives the best dynamic range in the APSC words, in fact better than a Canon 5D4. So this part is already solved. Now for filming, I will mainly do action shots (climbing, trail running, hiking,...) while on the trek. I need the best image quality + lightest weight. I need to be able to get thin DoF and lowlight. I obviously need a fantastic AF for the actions shot (I had the GH5 before and it sucks AF) so the only camera I can think of is A7III. Already decided on that. 

If you're already bringing a D5500 for stills, then I'd seriously think of sticking with that one body for the rest of the time. (but bring say a pocketable RX100 as a back up, and say for the gimbal shots, as then you can bring along a very very lightweight gimbal)

A 50mm prime is very lightweight, and takes care of lowlight and thin DoF, maybe bring another lens or two as well and you'd still be under the weight limit of if you'd picked out a whole new camera body + lens + new batteries! 

Yes, you'd have some limitations/drawbacks to work around with the D5500 as your main video camera, but I reckon it is worth it for the weight savings / flexibility gained (as you could bring an extra lens or two more for the D5500, than if you instead brought along a second body)

4 hours ago, wolf33d said:

I want to be able to shoot timelapses at each sunrise and sunsets and film at the same time so I need 2 cameras.

Although.... I kinda glossed over that point. So you really do want TWO bodies, as one will be dedicated to time lapses. 

Why not use the teeny RX100 for video just at sunset/sunrise while the D5500 is doing a time lapse, then use the D5500 as your main video camera for the rest of the time? That would maximize the usage of your camera weight being brought with you, which would seem very important for such a trek. 

[wolf33d]

2 hours ago, eoslover said:

interestingly most smartphone main camera is 28mm FF equivalent, right in the middle of 21 and 35

I am not sure why you said AF sucks for the Samyang 24mm F2.8

 

 

Yes my iPhone has a 28mm. Because it's not too wide to prevent portraits and so on (unlike 24mm) and not to narrow to prevent landscape (unlike 35mm). 
Samyang 35mm for Sony has noisy AF and less good tracking than native lens. Also it is 2.8 and not 2 and it is a bit less versatile than 28mm. 

 

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Why not use the teeny RX100 for video just at sunset/sunrise while the D5500 is doing a time lapse, then use the D5500 as your main video camera for the rest of the time? That would maximize the usage of your camera weight being brought with you, which would seem very important for such a trek. 

D5500 main video camera? It has no video AF and no 4K, and not FH120p. 3 criteria for me (but especially the AF as I will do gimbal tracking shots and so on). 
So it's a no go. 

What could work would be to have the A7III as the only body with a RX100 on the side for when the A7III is used for timelapses. 
The thing is, the light is best early morning and late afternoon. I will film 80% of my videos WHEN a body will be used for timelapse. What a shame to have an RX100 to film 80% of the time while the A7III shoots timelapse. 

Plus I already have the Nikon in my hands. 
So back to the main topic, I am pulling the trigger on the A7III. I am just wondering if I take the 28mm only, the 28mm + the 28-70 Kit (that is light and can serve as a 70mm for the trip. I do not buy this lens it comes with the body anyway as body only isnt in stock for weeks). Or I am thinking again at the new tamron 28-75mm F2.8 
It is the same as the 2 lens option with constant 2.8 aperture and weight the same overall weight. 

The 2 reasons I am hesitating not to take the tamron: non native lens so concern with video AF (as seen on youtube reviews) and weights still 2.5x more than the 28mm which isnt good for the gimbal. 

 

[IronFilm]

46 minutes ago, wolf33d said:

D5500 main video camera? It has no video AF and no 4K, and not FH120p. 3 criteria for me

Fair enough, 1080 60p isn't a deal breaker for everyone though, so I thought I'd at least float the idea as worth re-considering. 

[MacMurphy]

Take the kit zoom if it does the camera justice like Panasonic and Fuji kit zooms do. For $200 it should be a bargain. 295g is good... I just checked reviews and it isn't on the same level as Fuji and Panasonic kit zooms, very mixed reviews. May as well get it anyway for that price and test it yourself.

Then a pants pocketable APSC Ricoh GR; 28mm f2.8 super sharp lens, award winning colors, plus it is super easy to use. It is a one handed camera, which could be very useful on those slopes (an RX100 would feel slippery without a good add-on grip, then it might not be pocketable). The GR is ultralightweight at 220g and used costs probably a few hundred bucks. If you need wifi get the 2nd version for a bit more.

I think I would have to take a fast prime too, a small manual one for those sunsets and sunrises and the odd portrait. Just did a quick search and the Voigtländer NOKTON 35mm F/1.4 E-Mount Lens looks small to me. Might have a nice glow for one or two sunsets with a difference.... yep: " The Nokton Classic 35mm is designed to include some aberrations when shot wide open to produce distinct blur, but offering enhanced sharpness when stopped down." Or maybe the smaller M mount one can be adapted?

[noone]

I like my 28-70 FE kit lens and it is a lot better than some people think and if the trip calls for small(ish) and light should work.      I would see if you can try the new Tamron 2.8 first though for those extra stops at the long end (and around half a stop at 28mm).

[eoslover]

1 hour ago, wolf33d said:

 

Yes my iPhone has a 28mm. Because it's not too wide to prevent portraits and so on (unlike 24mm) and not to narrow to prevent landscape (unlike 35mm). 
Samyang 35mm for Sony has noisy AF and less good tracking than native lens. Also it is 2.8 and not 2 and it is a bit less versatile than 28mm. 

 

D5500 main video camera? It has no video AF and no 4K, and not FH120p. 3 criteria for me (but especially the AF as I will do gimbal tracking shots and so on). 
So it's a no go. 

What could work would be to have the A7III as the only body with a RX100 on the side for when the A7III is used for timelapses. 
The thing is, the light is best early morning and late afternoon. I will film 80% of my videos WHEN a body will be used for timelapse. What a shame to have an RX100 to film 80% of the time while the A7III shoots timelapse. 

Plus I already have the Nikon in my hands. 
So back to the main topic, I am pulling the trigger on the A7III. I am just wondering if I take the 28mm only, the 28mm + the 28-70 Kit (that is light and can serve as a 70mm for the trip. I do not buy this lens it comes with the body anyway as body only isnt in stock for weeks). Or I am thinking again at the new tamron 28-75mm F2.8 
It is the same as the 2 lens option with constant 2.8 aperture and weight the same overall weight. 

The 2 reasons I am hesitating not to take the tamron: non native lens so concern with video AF (as seen on youtube reviews) and weights still 2.5x more than the 28mm which isnt good for the gimbal. 

 

I would just buy the 28mm F2 and 85mm F1.8 (optically almost perfect for the price)

I do not see too many reasons why to use 28-70 except for OSS performance

[webrunner5]

10 hours ago, noone said:

I like my 28-70 FE kit lens and it is a lot better than some people think and if the trip calls for small(ish) and light should work.      I would see if you can try the new Tamron 2.8 first though for those extra stops at the long end (and around half a stop at 28mm).

I completely agree. It is a much better lens than you think if you get a good copy of it. Mine seems to be great. No complaints. Now my Sony FE 16-35mm f4 is not the best one out there, but it is not  bad by any means. Could and can be better.

[wolf33d]

So I pulled the trigger on the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8. 
That way I have the aperture I wanted, I do not have to change all the time between 28mm F2 and the 28-70mm Kit lens. 
With the 1.5 crop I have an effective 28-105mm 2.8 lens for less weight than the 24-105 Sony so that's great. 

I am just afraid of it being too much on the gimbal to be perfectly stable but I will see. If anything I will just return it and get the 28mm F2 as planned + the 28-70mm kit lens since you guys are saying it's not that bad. 

Also I am gonna take a lot of pictures during the day (aside from timelapse) so having a 70mm 2.8 for occasional portraits in the mountain and so on will be nice. And with the Nikon 10-20mm on the APSC body + the 28-75 I can cover a range of (35mm equivalent) 15-105mm, yet still have a dedicated timelapse camera and a dedicated FF video camera. 
So as of today I do not see a better combo matching my criteria. Still thinking about it as first trek is Yosemite in 1 week (won't have received the A7 anyway...) so first trek with A7 will be Grand Teton end of July. Still time to change my mind for the lens. 

Thanks for the advices.
I am 3K$ lighter and both the A7 and Tamron are backordered. Let's see..

[webrunner5]

3 minutes ago, wolf33d said:

So I pulled the trigger on the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8. 
That way I have the aperture I wanted, I do not have to change all the time between 28mm F2 and the 28-70mm Kit lens. 
With the 1.5 crop I have an effective 28-105mm 2.8 lens for less weight than the 24-105 Sony so that's great.

 

Yeah sounds like a good decision. Crop mode on the a7's is a damn nice feature, not counting Clear Zoom.

[wolf33d]

10 hours ago, eoslover said:

I would just buy the 28mm F2 and 85mm F1.8 (optically almost perfect for the price)

I do not see too many reasons why to use 28-70 except for OSS performance

Just saw your comment. Good advice actually. 28mm F2, 45mm F2 when crop mode used, 85mm 1.8 and 125mm 1.8 when crop mode used. 
28-125mm F1.8-2 in 2 lenses. And the weight almost equal the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 

You almost make me change my mind. I guess I would have to try in real word trekking how it goes. 
From what I remember in Cuba with the 28 + 55, I did not like changing between the 2 lenses all the time but I was still happy to have both. 
Cuba is traveling though. 

In the Dolomites I am gonna be on Via Ferratas and climbs. So changing lens will be a pain sometimes... I guess the zoom versatility wins. 
I am gonna use Peak Designs capture clips to clip both my cameras to my right and left backpack shoulder straps. Have used that in the past and works amazing for hiking. I Noticed if you hike and keep your camera in the backpack, you never take it out as you are already in a big effort and removing the 30lbs backpack and so on is a pain. 
This makes me think in an ideal word I would have an A7RIII (or A7III) for timelapses with a Sony 16-35mm, clipped to my right shoulder, and a A7S III for video on the left with the 28mm F2. And in the bag a 85mm 1.8 for those occasional portraits or far mountains/waterfalls/wildlife. A7RIII could be used for super wide video shots or b-shots unlike the D5500.

4 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Yeah sounds like a good decision. Crop mode on the a7's is a damn nice feature, not counting Clear Zoom.

Crop mode is fantastic. This is why I hope A7SIII will have 18mpx to allow crop mode. 12mpx sensor does not allow crop mode in 4k... 

Never used clear zoom with the A7RII, will give it a try with the A7III. Does it allow to zoom more than 1.5x? 

For those interested in the Tamron. Great test that shows it works on Crane 2, it is sharper than the GM especially at 75mm! and the AF in video seems actually good: 

 

[webrunner5]

1 hour ago, wolf33d said:

Crop mode is fantastic. This is why I hope A7SIII will have 18mpx to allow crop mode. 12mpx sensor does not allow crop mode in 4k... 

Never used clear zoom with the A7RII, will give it a try with the A7III. Does it allow to zoom more than 1.5x? 

 

Looks like 2x is the norm, but seems like it can do more?? I doubt anything past 2x might be iffy though?? I know on my A7s 2x looks nearly perfect, crazy good actually.

 

When [Aspect Ratio] is [3:2]

Zoom SettingJPEG Image SizeFull-frame/APS-CZoom scale

Optical zoom only (including smart zoom)L--

MFull-frameApprox. 1.5×

APS-CApprox. 1.3×

SFull-frameApprox. 2×

APS-CApprox. 2×

On:ClearImage ZoomLFull-frameApprox. 2×

APS-CApprox. 2×

MFull-frameApprox. 3×

APS-CApprox. 2.6×

SFull-frameApprox. 4×

APS-CApprox. 4×

On:Digital ZoomLFull-frameApprox. 4×

APS-CApprox. 4×

MFull-frameApprox. 6.1×

APS-CApprox. 5.2×

SFull-frameApprox. 8×

APS-CApprox. 8×

[Castorp]

A good 50mm equivalent prime. Aperture doesn’t matter as long as the lens is compact. 

 

[noone]

To set up clear zoom, (hoping the menu is similar to the old A7s),    Find the "zoom setting" tab,  choices are optical zoom only, clearimage zoom and digital zoom.

I set it to clearimage zoom.      From there in the "custom key settings" tab, I set the down button to zoom. (and left/right buttons to use the zoom).

That way, with whatever lens I am using zoom or prime, AF or MF, I can use it variably.

Clear zoom goes to 2x but if you do set it to digital zoom you get the same sort of thing and  it goes to 4x but over 2x it does start getting noticeable.

It isn't perfect but if you start with a very good lens, it can actually still be better than a lesser lens used optically.

Doesn't work for RAW but works for Jpeg and video.

Some people are using it effectively with remotes (something I am really want to try some time soon).

Good luck with whatever you end up with.

[Trek of Joy]

On 6/25/2018 at 2:27 PM, wolf33d said:

Lol. 2 bodies, 2 primes and 3 zooms. Pretty ideal for sure. Try following me in the above described trek with 30+lbs of food water and gear + a tripod + all your bodies and lenses. 
For day hikes or travel I would do the same (well 5 lenses is still too much for me but...) and in fact I am 27 and traveled to over 35 countries and lived on 4 continents so I know about it. 
This scenario is completely different though. 

Fair enough, but you didn't specify extended mountaineering. My kit would be a little different, but not much. I carry a tripod too, the small Siuri CF travel tripod. I've hiked plenty of elevation carrying most my kit, including time in the Himalayas and the Andes. It would still include a standard and UWA zoom - two lenses I always have with me when traveling. And with your scenario, I would still carry two bodies since things happen and I always carry a backup. To that point, I'd opt for the a6300/6500 if you're also getting the a73 since you can swap lenses across both bodies. The a6300 or a6500 + 10-18 is actually lighter than your Nikon setup too. I'd get the 28/2 as well, been carrying one for a couple years, love it.

Good luck.

Chris

[capitanazo]

i always use my fd vivitar 28mm f2 on my nx500, but if i have a ff camera iwould use an 35mm 

[Drew Allegre]

Well, I just purchased an a7III, and which native lens did I pick up...

The 28 f/2 of course.  

I probably would have gone with the Batis 25, but the 28 seemed like an appropriate place to start.  Size and weight (and cost) are definitely considerations for me. Agree with much of your reasoning on the 28.

[kye]

Crop mode and Clear-image zoom compared...  the clear image zoom looks pretty darn good to me.

I didn't realise that the zoom goes beyond 1.5x - that means even more flexibility!

And now with the A7IV, we can just get a 16mm F1.4 and with crop mode, clear image zoom, and automagical fractal AI interpolation modes, it's a 16-200mm lens!!

[fuzzynormal]

A fast manual 24mm on M43. (with a dumb speed booster and a regular dumb adapter)

[webrunner5]

1 hour ago, kye said:

Crop mode and Clear-image zoom compared...  the clear image zoom looks pretty darn good to me.

I didn't realise that the zoom goes beyond 1.5x - that means even more flexibility!

And now with the A7IV, we can just get a 16mm F1.4 and with crop mode, clear image zoom, and automagical fractal AI interpolation modes, it's a 16-200mm lens!!

Knowing Sony it might happen!