So I finally made the jump from Sony over to the Lumix S5II a few months back and I am absolutely loving the colors and the phase hybrid AF is actually legit for once. I usually just stick to the 1.8 primes for my street stuff but I just landed a landscape gig for a client in Iceland next month and I am getting a bit nervous about the weather sealing and salt spray if I keep switching lenses in the field.
I need a solid all-around zoom that I can basically leave on the body for the whole trip. I was looking at a few different options:
- Lumix 24-105mm f4 Macro
- Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 Art
- Panasonic 20-60mm kit lens
The 24-105 seems great because of the OIS and the macro capability which is super handy for textures but then I saw the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 Art II just came out and now I am second guessing everything. Is the f2.8 worth the extra weight when I am hiking 10 miles a day? My budget is capped at about 1400 bucks so I might have to look at used copies if I go for the premium glass. Does anyone have real world experience with how the 24-105 holds up compared to the Sigma in terms of sharpness at the long end? Just trying to find the best balance of weight and image quality before I pull the trigger...
Honestly, if you are heading to Iceland, you might want to consider the Panasonic Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. over the faster Sigma glass. I have spent plenty of time shooting in high-latitude environments and that Dual I.S. 2 system is a literal lifesaver when the wind is gusting and you simply cannot keep a tripod steady. Being able to sync the lens stabilization with your S5II sensor gives you a huge advantage for handheld landscape shots that the Sigma just wont match. Be careful with the weight of the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II Art if you are actually hiking 10 miles a day... that extra glass for the f2.8 aperture adds up fast over a long trek. Quick tip: prioritize the weather sealing over the aperture for this specific trip. The Panasonic Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. is built like a tank and the gaskets handle salt spray better than almost any other zoom in the L-mount lineup. Also, you might find the 0.5x macro capability way more useful than you think for capturing basalt textures or ice crystals. I would suggest sticking with the f4 because you will likely be stopped down for depth of field anyway. The Sigma might be slightly sharper in the corners at 70mm, but the extra reach to 105mm is more valuable for compression in those massive Icelandic valleys.
