Been shooting Sony for years but Im doing a hiking trip to Zion next month and dont want to risk my expensive primes. I need a decent zoom but Im capped at $500 right now.
- must be e-mount
- something around 28-75 or 24-70 range
- relatively lightweight
Any solid third party glass that actually stays sharp?
Quick question tho... are you shooting on a full frame or an APS-C body? Knowing that helps narrow down the deals. If youre on full frame, Ive been super satisfied with Sigma glass for hiking.
- Look for a used Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary on MPB or KEH.
- Its way lighter than the Tamron and usually stays under $500 used.
- Optical quality is honestly great for the price.
Def agree with the Sigma, but make sure to look at the Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS too. Its super light for Zion, just be careful about corner sharpness tho.
In my experience, you have two primary options for under $500:
- Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD G1: Best overall performance. It stays sharp across the frame and it's quite light, tho youll need a used copy for that price.
- Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS: The most portable choice, but the glass quality is lower. Tbh, grab the used Tamron G1 for the best results.
Good to know!
Quick reply while I have a sec! If you are looking for the absolute peak of price-to-performance ratio, you really have to look at what the third-party manufacturers are doing right now! I have spent an insane amount of time analyzing MTF charts and the micro-contrast data on these newer optics is just incredible. For a hiking trip where weight is a factor, you should honestly just go with Tamron. Their engineering philosophy is fantastic because they prioritize weight savings without sacrificing too much peripheral illumination or center sharpness! Their linear focus motors are amazingly quiet and the weather sealing is robust enough for any dusty trail in Zion. You really cant go wrong with any of their standard zooms in that specific range. They have figured out a way to keep the element count low while maintaining great chromatic aberration control. Just pick any of their zooms and youll be happy!
Ive spent a lot of time in the southwest and Zion is no joke for gear... the dust there is basically fine powder that gets into every crevice. One thing I learned the hard way after a week in the Narrows is that some of those cheaper zooms act like a literal vacuum pump. Every time you zoom out, youre sucking in grit. In my experience, you really need to look out for these things when buying used on a budget:
- Loose zoom barrels that slide too easily (huge red flag for dust entry)
- Tiny scratches on the rear element that mess with flare when shooting against those bright canyon walls
- Worn out gaskets near the mount I once bought a beat up lens thinking I was being smart and saving money for the trip, but the autofocus struggled so much in the deep canyon shadows that I missed half my shots anyway. Tbh, whatever you grab, just make sure the seals arent completely shot or youll be cleaning sand out of your sensor for months.
