I've been shooting on my A7IV for a couple years now and I have mostly been a total prime lens snob the whole time. Usually I just keep a 35mm or an 85mm stuck on there and call it a day but I finally pulled the trigger on a dream trip to the Dolomites next month and reality is hitting me hard. I am starting to realize that switching lenses on a windy mountain ridge is basically asking for a sensor full of dust and I really dont want to be that person fumbling with caps while the light is peaking.

My issue is that I have basically zero experience with modern zooms because I always hated the weight and those slow variable apertures from back in the day. But for this trip I need one lens that can do it all from wide landscapes of the jagged peaks to tighter shots of the alpine huts without me needing a sherpa to carry my gear bag. My budget is sitting around 1400 dollars maybe 1500 if the lens is absolutely incredible but I really want to keep the weight down since I am gonna be hiking like ten miles a day.

I was looking at the Sony 24-70 GM II but that price tag is just insane and it feels like overkill for my first zoom. I checked out the Sigma 24-70 Art too which seems like a beast but I read some stuff about it being a bit of a dust magnet and it looks pretty chunky for long treks. Then there is the Tamron 28-75 G2 which everyone says is the value king but am I gonna regret not having that extra 4mm on the wide end for the mountains?

I even saw the 20-70 f4 G which has a super tempting range but I am worried f4 is gonna feel too limiting when the sun starts dipping and I want to catch those blue hour shots without cranking my ISO to the moon. Its honestly kind of overwhelming how many options there are for the E-mount system right now compared to when I first started out.

What is the absolute best all-around zoom you would trust for a high-stakes trip where you can only bring one piece of glass?