I honestly didnt realize how much I was signing up for when I jumped into the L-mount world. Just picked up an S5II because I loved the phase detect autofocus and the ergonomics are great but man the native lens prices are absolutely killing me right now. I spent most of my budget on the body and now im looking at like $2k for a single 50mm or 35mm from the Lumix S Pro line and I just cant justify that right now as a hobbyist who mostly just wants to take better photos of my kids and do some street photography around London when it isnt pouring rain.

Ive been scouring the forums and watching every youtube review under the sun but it feels like nobody can agree on what value actually means here. I saw a lot of people saying the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 Contemporary is the way to go because its light and cheap but then other people are shouting that the 24-70mm Art is way sharper and better built and worth the extra $400? Then theres the Samyang stuff which is super cheap but ive heard the autofocus is hit or miss on Panasonic bodies specifically which makes me nervous to drop $500 on a gamble. I just want something that works and wont break the bank but also wont make my $2000 camera feel like a toy.

Here is what I am actually looking for:

• Budget: around $1500 total for a couple of lenses max
• Use case: Mostly travel photography and some low light street stuff
• Timeline: I have a trip to Italy coming up in three weeks so I need to decide fast
• Weight: I dont want to carry a brick around my neck for 8 hours a day

Should I just stick to the Sigma i-Series primes or is there some secret sauce brand I havent looked at yet? I feel like im just going in circles looking at charts and not actually taking pictures. Anyone actually used these on an S5II and can tell me if the third party stuff actually holds up or if I am just gonna regret not saving for the native glass...