I am honestly so fed up with carrying this massive gear bag everywhere and missing the actual experience of my trips. Just got back from two weeks in Portugal and I think I spent more time staring at my camera sensor while swapping glass than actually looking at the scenery. My neck is still killing me from lugging the 24-70 GM and a telephoto around Lisbon all day in the heat. It is just too much. I had this perfect moment in Sintra where the light was hitting this old doorway just right, but I had my wide angle on and by the time I fumbled around to get my longer lens out of the bag and swapped over, the sun had dipped behind a cloud and the mood was totally gone. It is so frustrating.
I need to find one lens that can just stay on my A7IV the entire time. I am heading to the Dolomites in about three weeks for a hiking trip and I refuse to carry a ten pound bag up a mountain again. I am looking for that one holy grail lens that handles landscapes but has enough reach for some compressed mountain shots or candid street stuff when we hit the little villages.
My budget is around $1,300 give or take. I have been looking at the Tamron 28-200mm because people say it is surprisingly sharp for a superzoom but I worry about the 28mm not being wide enough for big mountain vistas. Then there is the Sony 24-105mm G which is a classic but it feels kind of old now and I dont know if 105mm is enough reach for what I want. Or maybe the new Sony 20-70mm? But then I have zero zoom.
I just want to be able to hike, see something cool, and take the picture without a five-minute setup process every single time. Is there anything that actually balances weight and image quality well enough to be the only lens in the bag? I am getting to the point where I am tempted to just leave the real camera at home and use my iPhone which is a depressing thought considering how much I spent on the Sony... what are you guys actually using when you only want to carry one thing?
Building on the earlier suggestion, the Sony FE 24-105mm f4 G OSS was not as good as expected. Unfortunately, my Sony FE 20-70mm f4 G had issues with reach... kinda sucked for peaks.
Ugh, I feel that. Lugging that GM lens around is a nightmare. I actually had issues with the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS... it just felt clunky and unfortunately the results werent as good as expected for the price. Honestly, just get the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD. Its way lighter and surprisingly sharp. If 28mm is too narrow, just shoot a quick panorama. Saves your neck big time.
> I am heading to the Dolomites in about three weeks for a hiking trip and I refuse to carry a ten pound bag up a mountain again. Tbh i totally feel your pain. I had issues with my gear last year and it really ruins the vibe when you are just exhausted from the weight. Unfortunately, a lot of the mid-range travel zooms i have looked at lately were not as good as expected, especially for the price tag. Someone told me that some of those lenses in your budget range have pretty nasty distortion at the wide end, which would make those mountain peaks look all funky. Not sure if thats true for every copy tho... kinda frustrating when you are trying to find a solid balance. Quick question before i weigh in—how much total weight are you actually trying to shave off? Like, are you looking to ditch the tripod entirely too or just the extra glass?
