[stoppingdown]

As you can learn from my other thread, I'm still in trouble with the SEL1670Z (in short: broken, repaired, but apparently more decentered than before after repair). If the problem is confirmed I'll send it back to the repair shop, but I fear a long story with an uncertain end. I'm at the beginning of the season with my highest percentage of landscape shots and many are in that focal range. At the moment I'm not thinking of a zoom replacement because a) too expensive now, including the fact that I've already spent money on the repair b) I don't like any of the available alternatives, so I'd prefer to hold on until some new model is released.

A cheaper alternative could be a prime. I have a Samyang 35mm ƒ/2.8prime, fine for landscape; from 70mm onward the range is covered by the SEL70200G. I still have a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 with adapter — I kept it mostly for macros and focusing helicoid, but of course it's excellent for landscape. Manual focusing is not a big deal with landscape. This could be a temporary B-plan and period.

But I could evaluate buying an E-mount prime. What I've seen so far:

• Sigma 60mm-F/2.8 DN: old, but sharp in all the reviews I read. Out of production, but I see it on eBay around 150€. 190g.
  
• Sigma 56 mm-F/1.4 © AF DC DN might be interesting, but 400 € is out of my budget now. ƒ/1.4 might be also interesting for other stuff, but I don't know how it performs wide open — some ƒ/1.4. lenses start to be decent only stopped down and thus not so meaningful — ok, I've read the OL review and it's excellent. 280g.
  
• Samyang AF 75mm F1.8 FE is about 300€, still a bit too expensive and is slightly beyond the upper range. 230g.
  

I'm not aware of others. I'd be oriented towards the 60mm: no performance surprises, sharp, cheap and light. I think it would work well cropped for 70mm FOV equivalence. My only doubt is to find a reputable seller.

Ideas?

[toni-a]

50 - 70mm that's practically the same thing, you don't need a third prime, if you are fine with Nikon plus adapter that's excellent, otherwise for a 50mm prime in Sony land you have so many options, in your shoes I would go to the 50mmf1.8 OSS

[Rover]

Samyang 45mm?

[joachim]

If you have a 35 equivalent and a telezoom starting at 70 equivalent, I would not buy anything to fill that gap for landscape.   In the film days I used a Contax G set-up with 4 primes.   If I wanted it light I took a 35mm.  If I could take two lenses, I took a 35mm and a 90mm.  In case of 3 lenses I added a 21mm to the 35mm and the 90mm.  The 45mm didn't see much use and in particular not for landscape.  In my view a standard lens is most useful for people, in particular small children.

These days I use an mFT set up with a 12mm, 25mm and a 90mm.  The 12 is mostly landscapes, since I moved more into people I got a 25mm instead of a 17mm.  For landscape I miss a 17mm.   In my view a standard lens is close to useless for landscape work. 

My opinion on this.

[wim]

Since you state you already have a 35, a 50, be it manual, and a 70-200, why bother looking for a lens between 35 and 70 mm, especially as it is meant for landscapes?

Basically, you are covered in steps of 1.4 linear from 35 to 70 as it stands, and as a mostly prime shooter myself I would not see the need for an additional lens in that range in that case.

There are only two lenses I would personally consider, if you really want to buy another lens, as you do seem to feel an urge to do so. One option would be to buy an AF 50 mm of good quality, which means you would be covered for spontaneous work as well in that range, or alternatively, a much wider lens.

A 24 mm would give you another 1.4x step, downwards, although personally I would go for a much wider option, 20 mm or even lower. I am not aware of current prices but Samyang does offer good, well constructed lenses in the 14 mm range, which is something I would likely get. I find that UWA lenses are great for landscapes with a different viewpoint: get up close, with an interesting foreground object, and let the rest of the landscape fall away nicely with a wide view of it. Works for me.

So, in short, either get a 50 mm AF for the faster moving subjects, or if the Nikon suffices, a WA, like a 24 mm, or even an UWA, 20 mm or less, if you feel brave enough.

HTH, kind regards, WIm