Is there a single zoom lens that fits all Sony bodies? Im losing my mind here trying to figure this out. I was looking at the Tamron 28-200mm cause Ive read a ton of reviews saying it's the ultimate travel all-in-one, but then people on reddit keep arguing about full frame vs crop sensor and flange distances and whether it physically mounts or vignettes like crazy or what. Like, my logic was if it fits the E-mount, it just works on everything right? But apparently its not that simple depending on whether youre shooting on an A6400 or an A7IV? I need something for a trip to Japan next month and my budget is around 800 bucks max, I just want one piece of glass to pack so im not constantly swapping lenses in the street. I read that full frame lenses work on crop bodies with a crop factor, but do aps-c lenses completely fail on full frame or do they just force a crop mode? Why is this so confusing. Is there literally just one good zoom that works seamlessly across both types of Sony bodies without me needing a degree in optics to understand the compromises...
Over the years Ive packed pretty much every travel setup for Japan trips. If youre on a crop body right now, something like the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD gives you insane reach without breaking the bank. Meanwhile, if you ever jump to full frame later, the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD is amazing on an a7 series body. Just grab what fits your current camera and dont overthink the sensor math, honestly.
Take a breath, it really isnt as complicated as reddit makes it sound. Over the years Ive shot on pretty much every Sony body out there, and here is the deal with E-mount. Any full frame lens physically mounts and works on crop bodies like your a6400, it just has a 1.5x crop factor. But going the other way is where people mess up. APS-C lenses will mount on full frame cameras, but youll get massive dark corners unless you force crop mode, which basically throws away half your megapixels anyway. Since you are heading to Japan next month and want one reliable setup under 800 bucks, grab the Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD. If you are on full frame, its amazing. If you are strictly using an a6400 right now, get the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD instead so you actually get wide angles. Dont mix formats and you wont have any headaches.
Building on the earlier suggestion, are you shooting mostly on the a6400 or the A7IV for your trip? I honestly learned this the hard way during my own Tokyo vacation last year!