Honestly fed up with my adapted EF glass hunting on my S5II, it keeps missing focus and Im ready to switch to native. Need something for my Glacier trip next month.
- budget under $1100
- sharp corners
- light enough for hiking
What native L-mount wide lenses actually perform?
Yeah adapted glass on the S5II is a recipe for missed shots, been there. If you want native reliability without breaking the bank before your Glacier trip, you have a couple solid routes that wont fail on you in the backcountry. Here are the two I would look at:
- Sigma 16-28mm f2.8 DG DN Contemporary L-mount
- This is probably your best bet. Its light, internal zoom keeps dust out which is huge for hiking, and corners are plenty sharp stopped down. Retails around $900.
- Panasonic Lumix S 18mm f1.8 L-mount
- If you want to save cash and weight, this prime is super sharp and shares the same 67mm filter thread as the other Lumix f1.8 primes. Under $800. Both of these will stay well under your budget and save your back on long hikes. Just make sure to grab a decent weather-sealed filter to protect the front element.
For your Glacier trip, I suggest looking at the Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro. It's a great choice because it weighs only 345g, making it ideal for long hikes. Corner sharpness is excellent even wide open, which is crucial for big landscapes. It fits your budget easily. Native autofocus on the S5II is much more reliable than adapted glass, so you dont have to worry about missing shots.
Regarding what #2 said about "For your Glacier trip, I suggest looking at..." - that trip is gonna be incredible! It reminds me of when my cousin went on a similar trek and realized his tripod was missing a leg halfway up the trail. He had to prop it up with some flat stones the whole time... it was such a chaotic mess but he got some of his best shots that day. Such a wild experience tho!