To kick things off: this lens is my absolute favourite for both daily use and travel.
I acquired this lens on June 22, 2023, and my affection for it has only grown since it became a permanent fixture on my camera. Its compact and lightweight design complements my Sony α7R III perfectly. Thanks to its diminutive size, it swiftly emerges from my Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L when needed, and it seamlessly slips back in just as easily.
While I do occasionally swap it out for my Sony FE 55mm F1.8, most of the time, it’s the trusty 24mm lens that graces my camera.
summer 2023 marked my planned week-long trip to Ibiza, and throughout the journey, this wide lens remained my absolute favorite. Reiterating what I mentioned in the previous paragraph, its compact profile and lightweight design were truly invaluable. This lens’s discreet form factor meant that it didn’t protrude conspicuously from my camera, allowing me to blend in effortlessly without appearing like a tourist carrying a bulky, professional-looking camera with long, oversized lenses. It proved to be the perfect companion whether I was dining at a restaurant, lounging on the beach, or simply strolling through the streets.
There’s a minor aspect I’ve noticed about this focal length that doesn’t quite align with my preferences. At 24mm, the field of view is a bit too wide when shooting up-close subjects. While this lens proves versatile for capturing food photographs during vacations, under the right conditions, I find a 35mm lens to be more preferable. This is particularly true for half-body portraits, as the 24mm tends to exaggerate objects in the foreground due to its perspective distortion.
Nevertheless, when I combine this lens with the Sony α7 IV and employ the SteadyShot stabilization feature set to Active mode, which introduces a crop factor of approximately 1.14, it effectively transforms into an almost 28mm equivalent. This offers a balance between width and tightness that I find quite pleasing. The video below was captured handheld from a moving truck (albeit at a slow pace) using Active SteadyShot, and in my opinion, the outcome was well worth preserving as a cherished memory!
This lens not only boasts a compact design and excellent ergonomics but also features a physical aperture ring on its body. Personally, I have a strong affinity for this ring because it enables me to swiftly and precisely set the desired aperture value, a conscious choice I prefer over using the scrolling wheel on the camera body.
During non-holiday periods and when I have leisurely moments to spare, the trusty 24mm lens remains my go-to choice for attaching to the camera. However, when it comes to portrait photography, I still favor the 55mm. For capturing general subjects such as flowers or documenting objects, my preference continues to lean towards the 35mm lens. This is because, in certain scenarios, I do find the 24mm to be a tad too wide for my liking.
In conclusion, this lens is a superb all-around choice thanks to its compact size and lightweight build, making it ideal for discreet and versatile photography. It excels in confined spaces, such as when dining at a restaurant or during train journeys. While it can perform adequately in the limited space of an airplane seat, I would have favored a 20mm lens in that scenario. When traveling for holidays, I lean towards keeping this lens mounted on my camera due to its adaptability across various environments, be it for landscape, street, or food photography.
Eriksvej, Roskilde.
