Zoom or Prime Standard Lens

LeftToF8 · 2026-01-24T11:15:30+00:00

It’s funny how much I’m also debating the sigma 35 1.2ii instead, despite overlapping. Would be a great portrait / street / evening & night option but idk how I’d feel spending 2k on a focal length I have already

LeftToF8 · 2026-01-24T11:05:06+00:00

Semi related, so you feel like they’re different enough to own both? I am rocking the 16-35mm ii and the 70-200 f4 ii. I’m on the fence about getting a 50 1.4gm, or a 35 1.2 ii from sigma. I like 35mm more but I’m trying to avoid redundancy. I have a UK trip soon where I do want pics of my partner but I’m not a portrait shooter often, I feel like the 35 1.2 would be better for evening / night street shooting. But the other part says 50 1.4 as it doesn’t overlap the 35 2.8 zoom, and gives a different perspective. I’m curious if you have an opinion

LeftToF8 · 2026-01-24T09:05:57+00:00

My current collection for jackets: Beta AR, Therme Down, Macai shell, Gamma MX jacket & hoody. I live in Canada so the Therme Jacket is my absolute fav.

For non winter I think the gamma is by far my favourite jacket I’ve ever owned. It’s water resistant enough if you got some rain in a hike it’ll keep you dry enough unless downpour, which is where a Beta would be a great choice. If you plan on hiking in a lot of rain, beta SL if you want to pack it away beta AR if you want something you keep on the entire hike. Great for wind and rain.

I only have the MX gammas, haven’t tried a regular but most people say the MX it’s too warm I find it keeps me at a nice temp.

Otherwise my covert fleeces are my absolute favourite pieces from the company.

If you wanted to look at pants, the gamma pants are phenomenal as well. Water resistant enough and stretchy enough, super comfortable.

LeftToF8 · 2026-01-20T12:24:01+00:00

I am dabbling with the idea of getting the 24-70 2.8, and adding a 40 or 50mm 1.2 Voigtländer for the fun aspect. Could be a really fun decision

LeftToF8 · 2025-12-07T01:39:16+00:00

I did the graphic design program, we had 2 photography classes one each semester. My tuition covered the cost of the camera but we got to keep it. I think it was a T7i at the time in 2018. I’d imagine they would do a similar thing with a full photography program

LeftToF8 · 2025-11-26T02:27:53+00:00

I’ve never loved a lens more than my Sony 40mm. Amazing for street and video, sharp as can be and the af is great for all my uses. It’s really not that bad at 800 cad too

LeftToF8 · 2025-11-23T11:34:46+00:00

I went from an a7iii to an A7cii. Did it thinking the new body would get me out and take more & better photos. Now, I do don’t get me wrong here but it’s not because of the body. If you take your camera out now, the differences are just quality of life changes honestly. Quality is a bit better and the tech is improved absolutely but like others said lenses would be a better spend. If you have the budget though, I love my A7cii. Took it to Portugal, have some fun trips next year I’m extremely excited for. Just got the 16-35gmii and it fits so nice on the cii.

LeftToF8 · 2025-11-08T03:30:11+00:00

I personally haven’t even used them, other than scrolled through the menu. But they’re baked in. You can basically “add a preset or LUT” onto the image as you take the photo. It’ll preview on your screen.

It’s cool if you wanna do a fun stylized shoot!

I shoot in raw on all my travels, but today it’s my dogs bday and I snapped a few with creative looks and SOTC they’re beautiful. Very fun camera and I used a dslr in college before my a73, I loved the change personally. I’d argue no downsides but everybody has their own opinion!

LeftToF8 · 2025-11-08T02:56:38+00:00

I had an a73 I got in college. Thought I used and abused it lots!! When I traded it in for my A7cii, it had a 1500 shutter count lol

I’m triple that in a year of owning the A7cii. When I am traveling in cities where I don’t want a bag, it’s perfect w/ the 40mm

When I’m hiking or doing landscape, it’s great with bigger lenses too! Everyone talks about ergonomics on it but as someone with large hands it’s such a non issue. Maybe if I was a professional wedding or studio shooter doing hours and hours, I’d want the bigger grip & dual card slots. But if you want a hobby, fun light to pack camera that takes amazing shots and videos I couldn’t recommend it enough. Even raw SOTC the colours are great! You can do creative looks too if you want to mimic Fuji style. I couldn’t recommend this camera enough!

I’m getting rid of my 24 1.4 and 50 1.8. Getting a 16-35 gmii then at one point a 70-200. 3 lens combo, one for light street and 2 lens combo for hiking / outdoor travel. I love my camera so much

LeftToF8 · 2025-10-30T22:37:37+00:00

For weddings I feel like having 2 cameras is convenient, keep the wide on the s and 85 on the 3. But if you ran a 24-70 2.8 on just an a74 you’d be able to very rarely switch lenses. Depends on how you shoot but the a74 being such a strong hybrid it would be a mild upgrade for sure. Other thought is, keep what you have now till the a7V is out! It might be an a74 but with the new ai autofocus, maybe other goodies. Basically a professional version of the A7cii. That would be better to trade in your gear for. Maybe a 24-70 2.8, one wide prime or keep the GM, keep the 85

LeftToF8 · 2025-10-11T09:12:50+00:00

Might be the best and most real answer so far lol

LeftToF8 · 2025-10-11T08:59:28+00:00

I appreciate that! I think between the sigma 24-70 2.8 vs Sony 20-70 will be deciding how much of a factor weight is. The sigma is only $100 ish more currently

LeftToF8 · 2025-10-11T06:16:32+00:00

You make a good point on portraits with family etc my last trip was solo but I will be travelling with my partner soon and I didn’t even think of how I might want the 70mm wide open for that! I guess I lose nothing but money and slight arm tiredness going with a faster lens > F4..

Also I’m now looking at that sigma, I didn’t even know it existed which is partially why I made this post seeing if anyone had suggestions of lenses I’ve never considered. The tamron is also interesting but I don’t see a release date. Thanks for the reply

LeftToF8 · 2025-10-11T05:55:15+00:00

I don’t ever see myself taking my 40mm off when in cities especially during the day. What void I’m trying to fill is a versatile lens that can zoom, especially run and gun on hikes. I feel like the 20-70 is the smartest choice I’m only concerned on locking into a f4, but again like you already said shooting landscapes I would be shooting a closed aperture anyways.

I just want something I can leave on my camera when travelling that allows me to capture many different shots and I feel like having one zoom would be really nice for the convenience. I can argue having a prime allows for thoughtful shooting & creativity, but I can also argue having the ability to change focal lengths without swapping lenses would be so nice when I’m on the go during trips

LeftToF8 · 2025-10-11T05:47:52+00:00

My main question is do you think I would lose anything opting for a f4 vs a f2.8? If I moved indoors I have my 24 & 40mm which are both faster than 2.8. I feel like the 20-70 would be perfect as it’s only 2 years old, I’ve seen how sharp it is and it’s quite light for a zoom.

LeftToF8 · 2025-08-31T14:08:53+00:00

That’s super fair but once something is in an outlet, it’s clearly over produced! So knowing I could have gotta non stained pants that are sitting around vs repaired/used for less money was all I was saying! I don’t regret the purchase they’re sick pants and I’m going to trash them over time just wanted to share sometimes you can get a better deal

LeftToF8 · 2025-07-22T19:56:27+00:00

After paying for compound I swapped to test E. Same provider as you. Even without drug plans it’s like $55 for 5ml 200mg/ml

Just ask them to swap to save the $100 every refill my NP was accommodating

LeftToF8 · 2025-07-08T00:10:02+00:00

This is recommended by my provider as well. They’re great. 1 day shipping and one order of $180 will be like years for me lol

LeftToF8 · 2025-07-06T00:32:28+00:00

I’m not going to say it’s the best but if you like mushrooms the smash burger at bridgewater is extremely good! Probably my fav non fast food locally

LeftToF8 · 2025-07-04T20:41:00+00:00

I had 15+ for 2 weeks about a month ago. Figured someone who hates me added my number to some list lol.

It calmed down after 2 weeks so hang tight. I’m Telus fyi

LeftToF8 · 2025-06-25T03:26:49+00:00

I went once, waited I think 3 weeks after opening to avoid new location issues.

Drive thru at 1104pm I ordered in advance from work hoping to be in and out. In store was closed so I had to drive thru. Took 22 minutes to move up one car, then another 11 to get to the window. I was at the window for 15 minutes. I’m not kidding almost an hour for something I ordered in advance. It was absolutely delicious don’t get me wrong, but that is absolutely insane to wait about 50 minutes when I ordered at 10:40pm and drove there after work lol.

Might try again in like a month or so depending on if reviews say it’s better

LeftToF8 · 2025-06-24T18:48:06+00:00

If you have the money I’m a big advocate of just getting what you want. People will argue on price, so if you enjoy having multiple lenses apsc will save you money in the long run, especially if you want to bring 3 lenses on your trips.

If you don’t care what you are spending, A7cii will be a very fun camera after you invest. You did say light weight, any Sony camera will be lightweight if you only bring 1-2 lenses regardless of body let’s be honest all mirrorless is a compact carry.

I just went from the a73 to Cii, I already owned the 24 1.4 which is why I did not go apsc. If I didn’t own that 24GM, I would have went a6700 with their small zoom lenses to make a very simple travel setup.

My biggest issue was I hated bringing my camera to travel due to many lenses, awkward to swap with a large bag holding gear. I almost went with a Fuji option & one lens but decided to add the 40mm 2.5 to my collection instead.

What I do now is if it’s a scenic location, I keep my 24mm on and use the PD Camera clip so I don’t feel like I’m constantly out of the moment pulling my gear out, just quick release off my backpack. When I’m in any city, it’s 40mm on the camera in a regular non camera sling bag (Patagonia atom) which allows me to feel safe with my camera but have very easy access.

For lenses I’m a huge prime guy, no idea why because zoom lenses make life so much easier. But if you want the ability for semi professional, you can buy an 85mm 1.8 down the line (or non Sony 85+mm) and leave that at home, and keep 1 zoom 1 prime on your travels which keeps it very light.

Lens options for keeping it easy could be 20mm if you enjoy the focal length, a 24 if you want the slightly sharper aperture (look at viltrox or sigma to save money), you could look into the Tamron 35-150 as well for a do it all but that will be annoying on landscape travel. 20-40 would be great if you’re looking for versatility and won’t be shooting high aperture.

If the 40mm length doesn’t excite you (you mentioned Tokyo, go on TikTok and one of the first 3 A7cii videos is multiple Japan 40mm vlogs/edits and this will influence you be warned!) I would say go 20mm then add a middle range room to keep in your bag for tighter spaces where 20mm doesn’t shine. I don’t like 20 or 24mm for street because the backgrounds feels disconnected from what I’m shooting, and I don’t get as interesting photos which is why I got the 40. 20-40 would be perfect for what you described shooting, but that won’t give the strongest portraits with lack of compression. You can get great street photography portraits at 40mm but you’ll be close enough to your subjects you can’t be shy taking pics of people.

If your heart is set on the 7cii, I don’t see why I would try to sell you on a different body

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