Best first lens for sony a7rii?

G

gutterball321

Well-known member
If i get the a7rii this month i will only be able to get one lens so im looking into the best option. The sony 24-70 seems like a rip off so I was thinking a tamron 24-70 2.8 to a canon mount would be the cheapest and best solution for under a grand. Is this even debatable if I dont want to spend over $1000? Are there even any other options? Does the tamron to nikon lens work good with auto focus?
 
I'm currently looking at lenses as well. What will be your primary uses for the camera? Stills? Video also? Events?
I think using non-emount lenses you will lose some things such as focus speed, and often image stabilization At least that is what I'm gathering in my research.
 
firehawk said:
I'm currently looking at lenses as well. What will be your primary uses for the camera? Stills? Video also? Events?
I think using non-emount lenses you will lose some things such as focus speed, and often image stabilization At least that is what I'm gathering in my research.
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I do both so need a hybrid camera. I would be selling a gh4 and nikon d750 for this. It looks like you are right and a canon or nikon lens would not focus great, especially in video auto focus. I see some good built 24-70 f4 lenses but that would be a worse photo than my nikon d750 with a 24-70 2.8 and 85mm 1.8. I might not get this camera because of the expensive lenses now.
 
Are you shooting 4K? Will you need full-frame, or shooting Super35?

The video-centric Sony 18-105PZ f4 is a great bargain at $599, autofocuses well for stills and video, has face-detection for video too. No adapter needed. Great zoom range. Stabilized, making the A7RII use 5-axis instead of 3-axis with adapted lenses. The A7RII corrects the foibles of this lens, too...CA and distortion.

If you want fast glass that uses the native AF capabilities, prepare to spend big bucks.

What I'd do (since I have an A7RII), is get the aforementioned 18-105 f4 lens for video and walk-around coverage, and buy a Canon 50/1.4 and a metabones for fast portraits. Remember...select APS-C and it's a 75mm f1.8 lens...perfect for portraits. It won't AF for video, but it'll autofocus for stills, and you won't need fast AF for portraits. Combined...around $1200 for both plus EF-E smart adapter.

Good luck.
 
Hi David,

I have the Sony 18-105 f/4 and like it. But I only have S35 cameras such as FS700R and A6000. So if this lens is on a FF camera like A7Rii or A7Sii does it still produce pretty good results in video HD? How about 4K (UHD) video? Stills?
 
Not AF, but you might look at Zeiss Loxia lenses. I haven't used them personally, but they certainly look intriguing. Solid build, MF ring that is actually designed for MF, de-clicked aperture, compact size...they sound like a joy to use.

And of course, there is the Batis series if you need AF.
 
i don't see the point of getting a A7rII and the cheapest glass out there....the 18-105 is great but i would just go with a 6300 or 6500 at that point...
the new sony 50 1.8 is very inexpensive and pretty good, the sony GM 24-70 is unfortunately worth the price...especially for stills...42mpix sensor shows mediocre glass mercilessly...
the 24-70 f4 zoom is ok but to me the problem with "ok" zooms is that pretty much any half decent fixed lens (like the 50 1.8) is just so much better....
i have a bunch of very inexpensive manual lenses (mostly off eBay) some less the 50$ and am always surprised how much better they look then cheap zooms but of course, no AF....
the GM 24-70 is really the only zoom that can somehow keep up with fixed lenses (especially on the A7RII) meaning stills from a multi lens shoot don't obviously jump out....which is why i still have and use it....
the sony 28 f2 is a pretty amazing lens for the money (450$) and so is the 50....and between these two (and a few steps in or back) should cover most of a 24-70 (but no zooming of course....) i guess in that case get the 18-105 as well and have it all covered...
or find a nice classic zoom (conrad, minolta,....)on eBay for less money and deal with MF....
 
Great info!
How about the sony 28-135 f/4 PZ? It's a little more than the 24-70 f/2.8 and it's slower but it's probably better for video, right? But not photos?
 
firehawk said:
Great info!
How about the sony 28-135 f/4 PZ? It's a little more than the 24-70 f/2.8 and it's slower but it's probably better for video, right? But not photos?
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i really, really like the 28-135 on the FS7 or on the A7RII for video but again, once you take the stills into LR (or capture or whatever) there is a big difference between the 24-70 and the 28-135...
i believe there is a new PZ lens coming out but i doubt it will be different....there really isn't much wrong with the 28-135, its just that the 24-70 is better optically and fixed lenses are just a different story altogether....
my go to zoom for years was the canon 24-105....it just covered everything in a great manageable package....yes it did not hold up to direct comparisons with fixed lenses but all in all the trade off was ok and having pretty much every focal length right there was too good to turn down....
but that was on lesser sensors....and honestly the canon 35, 50 and 85 were better but not THAT much....the Sony 28-135 is pretty much as good as the canon 24-105 but i prefer to have the 135 in there and the motorized zoom....but the 24-70 and 85 GM lenses paired with the A7RII sensor are just pretty unbelievable....
i guess if video is your main focus i would get the 28-135 over the 24-70 (IF you can live with the crop or just shoot full frame/sensor on the A7RII which i prefer)
there are other advantages of the 28-135: internal zoom and focus....the 24-70 is big and gets bigger....i also like the tripod collar for handheld shooting...the stabilization (in lens with in body) also works better....and 135 is a big difference to 70 on the long end....
i actually never really liked 24-70 zooms...to big and every time i want to go in for the close up, 70 just isn't really enough.....but the GM just is the first zoom i have ever used that actually replaces all the fixed lenses in that range and i have so far never looked at an image and thought i wish i would have put that (28, 35, 50) on there...so for a still shooter it is pretty amazing....and all that without really scarifying character....
 
I'm pretty sure all those pro zooms are out of the OP's $1000 budget. There are, of course, plenty of more expensive options out there.

To answer one question asked, the PZ18-105 is an APS-C/Super35 lens, and will badly vignette when trying to shoot FF. However, it can be used both in HD and 4K UHD, as long as you're shooting cropped (Super35) mode. It is a fine travel lens, not a world-beater, but can get professional results...but...it is fly-by-wire, so if you prefer to manually focus or zoom, it might be frustrating. I believe it was designed as a useful-zoom lens for video-capable APS-C/Super35 cameras.

Another thing to consider...if you're actually considering strapping one of the large pro zooms (PZ28-135 etc) onto the A7RII for stills, you might as well just shoot a pro body, and get the handling, large button access vice menus, and weather resistance. My Canon 1DX would be easier to handle with a large, fast pro zoom than a small mirrorless body. So, even though there are lots of options, pick one that is realistic for your needs.

An A7RII is a compact-body mirrorless camera...a jack of all trades, master of none.
 
gutterball321 said:
If i get the a7rii this month i will only be able to get one lens so im looking into the best option. The sony 24-70 seems like a rip off so I was thinking a tamron 24-70 2.8 to a canon mount would be the cheapest and best solution for under a grand. Is this even debatable if I dont want to spend over $1000? Are there even any other options? Does the tamron to nikon lens work good with auto focus?
Click to expand...

You can't really say the 24-70 is a rip off. If you mean the f/2.8 GM version it's an absolutely beautiful lens and worth every penny.
 
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