im losing my mind trying to figure out this lens situation. I went down a massive rabbit hole on reddit and YouTube last night looking for the ultimate walkaround prime lens for Sony e mount. I read a bunch of threads saying the 35mm f1.4 gm is literally God's gift to photography and fits every single body from my old a6000 crop sensor all the way up to an a7r v. But then I found another forum where people swore up and down that a 35 on aps-c is basically a 50mm equivalent and completely ruins the focal length magic, and that I should actually be looking at a 24mm instead. My head hurts. I only have a budget of around 800 bucks for now and I need something I can slap on my current body and hopefully keep if I ever upgrade to full frame later this year before my trip to Japan in November. My logic was to just buy one expensive glass and be done with it forever, but now it feels like a compromise either way. Is there genuinely just one single prime lens that works effortlessly across both crop and full frame Sony bodies without making huge sacrifices on one of them...
Honestly, buying a full frame lens for an a6000 right now to prep for Japan in November is a smart move, but your 800 dollar budget makes the Sony FE 35mm f1.4 GM totally out of reach unless you find a crazy used deal. That glass goes for way more new. Here is how you actually solve this without losing your mind:
- Pick up the Sony FE 35mm f1.8 instead. It fits your budget easily, performs surprisingly well on crop and full frame, and leaves you cash for travel.
- On your current a6000, it acts like a 50mm, which is a classic street photography focal length for exploring cities like Tokyo.
- When you upgrade to full frame later, you get the native 35mm wide field back without dropping another grand. No complaints about this setup at all. Save your money and enjoy the trip.
Agreeing completely with the budget reality check above. Trying to force a single lens across both sensor sizes always creates a compromise in field of view.
- Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art is a solid middle ground if you want premium glass under that price point.
- APS-C crop factor turns it into a 52mm equivalent. Just accept the crop magic changes and pick the focal length you actually like shooting right now.
@Reply #1 - good point! Prices on those high end lenses definitely make things tough with an 800 buck limit. Over the years I've fallen into the exact same gear trap you're dealing with right now, trying to find that mythical single prime that does everything. When I transitioned from crop sensors to full frame a while back, I tried forcing a full frame focal length on my older body first. Ngl, it felt super awkward for street stuff and daily walking around. The crop factor really changes how the frame feels. But honestly, once I finally made the jump to full frame, everything clicked into place and the focal length made total sense. If you are dead set on buying once and keeping it for an upcoming trip, just remember you are gonna have to compromise somewhere. Either it feels a bit too tight on your current crop body or you end up buying something strictly for crop now and selling it at a loss later. In my experience, trying to bridge the gap between two completely different sensor sizes with just one piece of glass always involves some pain. Take a breath, don't overthink the internet arguments too much, and just pick what feels right for how you like to shoot right this second.