old good A-mounts or new E-all-in-one

Ok, Dyxum experts has given me several good advices past 15 years.
No I need another.. feel free to include subjective feelings, but still give tecnincal good advice.

Question:

Keep my setup as is or change to one All-in one lens (Tamron 28-200)?
(without spending more money)

current setup:

Secondhand A7Rm2 (newly purchased)
La-EA4 a to Emount adapter

https://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Tokina-17mm-F3.5-AT-X-17-AF-PRO-_lens164.html
https://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Minolta-AF-50mm-F1.7_lens17.html
https://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Sigma-85mm-F1.4-EX-DG-HSM_lens563.html
https://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Sigma-105mm-F2.8-EX-DG-OS-HSM_lens612.html
https://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Minolta-AF-28-135mm-F4-4.5_lens38.html

My considerations:

My lenses have great individual positives, but my 28-135 walkaround hase some negatives..
First the 1,5meter min focus distance is often causing some annoying situations. I also feel the resolution and sharpness from this 30-35 year old lens is considerably lower than, say a Tamron 28-200 2.8-5.6. The aperture is equvalent at the long end, but slower on 28mm.

But when I really need low light performance, I have my 50mm or 85mm.

I have thought of just finding a F2.8 28/24-70/80mm lens for A-mount on secondhand markets. reccomendations appreciated.
There are both a Sony SAL2875 and a Tokina ATX 280AF PRO for sale locally at very low prizes.

What I don't have in my current setup is good phase detection AF speed, and reach above 135mm.
also speed of my 28-135 would sometimes limit my creativity.

sample images from my instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ahaveland/

I can see how the E-mount 28-200mm can replace the Minolta 28-135mm , but I would keep the prime lenses as they have uses that neither zoom can replace .

If your budget allowed it you might want to look at the Sony E mount 24-105mm , rather than the 28-200mm , as it's apparently a very good lens .

I have a Sony 24-70mm f/4 on my a7Riv , but so far I'm not convinced if I should keep it .
The Canon 24-70mm f/4 L lens I have is giving a much better performance .

I'm not sure if I've helped you though , chucking a few more lenses into the mix !

I have the Minolta 28-135 F4-4.5, Sony 28-75 F2.8 SAM, Sony FE 24-105 F4 G OSS, and Tamron 28-200 F2.8-5.6 RXD.

I really like having 24 mm for indoor events. The OSS on the 24-105 G is also very helpful.

I've had a lot of blurry shots with the 28-200 RXD. I think I've updated the firmware since I last used it.

You have to decide how many lenses you want.

One lens is nice -- I like my 24-200mm, but the 28-300mm ones are a good alternative.

Two lenses? Also easy. A 17-35mm and a 28-300mm.

Three lenses? A 17-35mm, 35-135mm, and a 135-400mm.

Four? Stick with what you got.

This all assumes you only shoot in bright light -- or always bring a flash or tripod.


Edited by XKAES - 16 December 2021 at 18:01

Fivepin wrote: Hey Addy, I don't think the laea3 or 5 work on the a7rmii...I could be wrong...but I think the a7rmiii was the first to use phase auto detection with those adapters...

α7R III works with those adapters, however you get AF only on lenses with builtin motors and even then there might be slightly more erratic results compared to the newer cameras, which fully support LE-EA5.

Thanks for many good advice here.
I have not checked the details of which lenses/body/adapters would give me best AF.
However I already have LA-EA4 with built in focus motor. But this use the contrast points I guess.

I also appreciate some of your questions, like amount of lenses to carry around.. And to keep changing lenses or not..

I need to do some thinking..

Will keep you posted, and please keep the advices coming :-)

I can only offer some traditionally basic ways to think about your situation by asking a few questions (things to consider). Some have been addressed above in a slightly different way.

1. 200 mm need - Do you have need for that focal length, are there shots you're not taking that you would take if you had that focal length? For me, certainly not you, the answer is overwhelming "no", i.e, I have a 70-300 lens that I have not used for fifty shots in 20,000 shots.

2. sharpness vs. ease of use - Sharpness, the primes (but you must carry several and will be switching); ease of use, the 28-200 (but won't be as sharp, typically). Note: I am not familiar with the 28-200, perhaps it is quite sharp relative to the primes but that has never happened to me even when comparing very old Minolta primes to very new zooms. That said, the qualitative sharpness advantage of my primes has almost been eliminated by the Sony 16-35 and 24-70, such that I do not use my primes anymore. Perhaps the 28-200 renders sharpness a non-issue to you - I don't know, only you can decide.

3. If you can, consider renting a 28-200 or borrowing one and shoot for a day with it - that should tell you a lot.

4. Here are some reviews of the 28-200.