I got the 28-200mm in early 2023 and I've really liked it so far. Definitely not as sharp as a lot of other lenses, but it's really solid for the price and, most importantly, the portability. Can't think of a better lens to get pack weight down and carry anywhere with me. One thing I have noticed is I mess up the focus a lot more often with it than other lenses I've used, but setting a 2s timer religiously has mostly solved that problem. My favorite photo of 2023 was one I shot just a few weeks ago during a windy snowstorm and it came out sharp. With the 55/f1.8 (sharpest lens I've used on a Sony system) I found myself wanting to soften the 'perfectly' sharp photos 'cause they looked unnaturally crisp, but I'd say the 28-200mm isn't sharp enough for me to want to do this often. I also think the 28-200mm (or my copy of it, at least) is sharper around 50-160mm than at 28mm or 200mm, and I try to avoid going above f/13 (ideally f/8-f/11) as I've been pretty disappointed in sharpness at f/16 and whatnot. Additionally, for me, the 28mm isn't wide enough at times, and funnily enough it's had me considering the 20mm f/1.8 you mentioned as another compact, lightweight lens to complete the range. I've heard people say it's downright impressive.
Thanks for the great comment Reid! I definitely agree with you, for what it offers at the price point, you can't go wrong. Interesting you've had the focusing and sharpness issues - if you haven't already, try updating it off the Tamron website, it's helped me! And as for the 20mm f1.8 G, it's fantastic, I can't fault it. If you're ok with using a wide prime instead of a 16-35 I recommend it any day! All the best :)
Great to get a breakdown of all your gear!
Glad you liked it mate 😃
I got the 28-200mm in early 2023 and I've really liked it so far. Definitely not as sharp as a lot of other lenses, but it's really solid for the price and, most importantly, the portability. Can't think of a better lens to get pack weight down and carry anywhere with me.
One thing I have noticed is I mess up the focus a lot more often with it than other lenses I've used, but setting a 2s timer religiously has mostly solved that problem. My favorite photo of 2023 was one I shot just a few weeks ago during a windy snowstorm and it came out sharp.
With the 55/f1.8 (sharpest lens I've used on a Sony system) I found myself wanting to soften the 'perfectly' sharp photos 'cause they looked unnaturally crisp, but I'd say the 28-200mm isn't sharp enough for me to want to do this often.
I also think the 28-200mm (or my copy of it, at least) is sharper around 50-160mm than at 28mm or 200mm, and I try to avoid going above f/13 (ideally f/8-f/11) as I've been pretty disappointed in sharpness at f/16 and whatnot.
Additionally, for me, the 28mm isn't wide enough at times, and funnily enough it's had me considering the 20mm f/1.8 you mentioned as another compact, lightweight lens to complete the range. I've heard people say it's downright impressive.
Thanks for the great comment Reid! I definitely agree with you, for what it offers at the price point, you can't go wrong.
Interesting you've had the focusing and sharpness issues - if you haven't already, try updating it off the Tamron website, it's helped me!
And as for the 20mm f1.8 G, it's fantastic, I can't fault it. If you're ok with using a wide prime instead of a 16-35 I recommend it any day! All the best :)