Just picked up an a7IV for a trip to the PNW next month and I need a solid do-it-all zoom. I was looking at the Sigma 24-70mm Art since its basically legendary but then I saw the Sony 20-70mm f4 which sounds great for hiking. I'm torn because I need that f2.8 for low light stuff but the weight of the Sigma is kind of a lot for long trails. Budget is around $1200 max so no GM glass for me.
- item Sigma 24-70mm
- item Sony 20-70mm
- item Tamron 28-75mm G2
Is the f4 really enough for general travel or am I gonna regret not having the faster aperture for portraits?
I would suggest the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 instead. You might want to consider that f4 is gonna be pretty limiting once you lose the light under that thick PNW canopy. Be careful about that Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art weight on long trails tho. f2.8 is definitely worth it for portraits, and the Tamron hits your budget perfectly.
Just saw this and honestly, the whole gear market is such a nightmare right now. It drives me crazy that we are forced to choose between a lens that weighs a ton or one that cant even handle a sunset. Like someone mentioned, the weight on trails is a huge issue, but the prices these companies charge for glass these days is basically a scam at this point.
- Why is everything so overpriced now?
- Build quality feels like it is going downhill while prices go up
- You pay over a grand and still feel like you are compromising on everything Its honestly so exhausting trying to keep up. You save for months and then realize you still cant even afford the real high end stuff without a second mortgage. Drives me insane how much they gatekeep decent apertures behind these massive price tags and then expect us to carry them up a mountain... its just a struggle.
Honestly, the PNW is gorgeous but its basically a giant rainforest this time of year so you really gotta think about weather sealing and how much you wanna haul up a mountain. I've spent years lugging heavy setups through the Olympics and honestly? My back still hates me for it. You might want to consider going with a third-party option like Tamron. Just get any of their newer zooms from the last couple years. They've really nailed the balance between weight and image quality lately, plus they usually dont break the bank like the first-party stuff. Be careful about that f4 aperture tho. If you're shooting in the deep woods under heavy canopy, it gets dark way faster than you think. I would suggest making sure whatever you pick has at least some decent weather sealing because the mist is no joke out there. You might regret the slower glass if you end up doing a lot of sunset hikes or deep forest trails where the light barely hits the ground.
- make sure the zoom ring feels solid for those wet days
- check if the weight feels okay after hanging off your neck for 4 hours
- look for something with a closer focusing distance for those macro-style forest floor shots I'd personally lean toward the third-party stuff for travel. You save so much weight and the quality is honestly 95% of the way there for most people. If you're worried about portraits, just find a fast prime to toss in your bag later. You're gonna have a blast in the PNW regardless, just keep that gear dry and let me know if you need more tips on the trails!
