im kinda embarrassed to ask this but im totally lost looking at lenses. i just bought a lumix s5ii because i want to get into photography while i travel around the pacific northwest this summer. i love the way those big, sweeping landscapes and tall buildings look in photos, but my kit lens just doesnt fit everything in the frame. im on a pretty tight budget, maybe around 600 or 700 bucks tops, and i have no idea what these numbers mean like 14mm vs 20mm. are there any cheaper lenses for the l-mount that work well for landscapes without being huge? sorry if this is a super basic question...
Like someone mentioned, finding good glass on a budget is tricky. I actually struggled with the exact same thing last year. Honestly, check out these instead:
- Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary if you can find it used, its super versatile
- Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 which is often sold cheap I had issues with distortion on cheaper manual lenses, so stick to autofocus if you can. Good luck with the trip!
TL;DR: Stick to primes if you want corner sharpness on a budget, but watch out for barrel distortion when shooting architecture. Since you are dealing with a tight budget for your PNW trip, I would suggest looking into the Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary. It sits right around your price range if you scout for used copies. A 20mm focal length is actually quite versatile for landscape, though not as extreme as a 14mm. Just be careful with the 14mm lenses at this price point; they often suffer from significant softness at the edges of the frame, which ruins architectural shots. If you really need that super wide look for tall buildings, check out the Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 Macro. It is surprisingly lightweight and perfect for travel. The aperture is a bit slow, but for landscapes, you are likely stopping down to f/8 or f/11 anyway to keep everything sharp, so it matters less. Make sure to check your sensor profiles in post-processing because lenses this wide usually show heavy vignetting that needs correction. Be careful buying second-hand, always check the glass for micro-scratches. You might want to consider saving a little extra to grab a variable ND filter as well, which is essential for capturing those moving clouds or water in the PNW without overexposing your shots.
Dont worry about asking, we all start somewhere. The S5ii is a killer camera, but honestly, finding good ultra-wide glass on a budget for L-mount is tough. I had issues with some of the cheaper third-party primes recently because the corner sharpness was just not as good as expected for architecture shots. Unfortunately, those wider focal lengths like 14mm are usually super pricey or massive. Before you drop any cash, I have a couple of questions to help you out:
- Are you mostly shooting in bright daylight or do you plan on doing a lot of sunset and low-light work?
- Would you prefer a prime lens that stays at one zoom level, or do you really need the flexibility of a zoom lens for your travels? Let me know what you think, and I can give you a better idea of what might actually hold up for those PNW trips.