📣Question! What do you value in a Camera / Lens Review nowadays? What of your needs have changed since the last few years? Lemme know!

As a long-time viewer, I value your reviews because I trust your expertise, but honestly mostly because your delivery is delightful and I always get a good giggle. The positive energy in your videos is infectious!

What do I want from a lens review? Your honesty, Jason! And your enthusiasm for the subject! F4 is not great for low light - most reviewers are suggesting to crank up the ISO to compensate. I picked up the $400 cheaper, lighter , smaller 20-40 f2.8 Tamron and am quite happy with it . Yes, it would be nice if it had gone up to 50mm but I would not want to sacrifice its petite size on my A7C ( or A6500) . I bought it to pair with my amazing Tamron 28-200 for travel but could also see using it along with my Sony 85 f1.8 - now that's a cute pairing and all the lenses take 67mm filters.The new Sony takes a 72 mm filter so it it is going to be a chonky boi! Hmm, can't find a Canadian dollar price for this - I am guessing it will be around $1499 ( plus tax) for an F4 lens..... My Tamron 20- 40 f2.8 cost $949.00 CAD ( plus tax). Oh, and the Tamron has a closer minimum focus difference!

Catalyst Browse stabilization does work with third party lenses. I use Sigma 28-70 and Tamron 35-150 and it works like a charm. It doesn’t work with fully manual lenses though

I appreciate this. As I age, some of my key issues are (1) price, (2) weight, (3) versatility and (4) image quality for still pictures. You covered these topics well.

Hey Jason. I'm a long time hobbiest photographer. Only recently came across your channel because I'm coming back into the hobby and gravitated towards your channel because of your personality. Your delivery and honesty is what I can relate to most. I also like to minimize gear, both in quantity and how much I bring with me, so I like your approach to compact travel. I used to be a gear hoarder and bring everything with me on trips. To quote another long time photographer, the best camera you have is the one you have with you. And so having a small and compact setup with solid quality is what I have been after.

I’ve followed you since my days with the A6000 and i am now using an a7c with 28-70 sigma and Sony 24mm GM. Hearing you talk about form over function and compactness for travel is what I am looking for most now. I am not a professional and only a hobbyist where traveling is my top priority and although I do still enjoy those pixel peeping comparison videos, I find that the recommendations and opinions of some camera KZfaqrs doesn’t necessarily match my priorities since many of them have their target audience as fellow professionals.

I have the Tamron 20-40mm and 28-75mm and the Gyro metadata works with no issues in Catalyst Browse. Great video and travel safe.

I have enjoyed using, as my primary lens, the Tamron 28-200 complimented by the 24mm 1.4 and the 16-35 f4. All are quite compact and easy to carry.

Hi Jason, i am a old subscriber and hobbyist. I get WAY more fun looking at phototrips or adventures videos than reviews nowadays... i guess i went full circle on what i need, or the format of reviews thats just getting old, idk. To top things off, i got into the film train 4 years ago and i love it so much! Sharpness is now less important, but feel and emotions way more... that being all said, i have been waiting for this focal lenght really long for travel, it s a landscape dream imo. thank you for this review, loved this one, bring us adventures video, things you see, you eat, some behind the scene, narations etc. keep it going, ill be there for a long time. cheers :)

Real world use and experience is exactly what I'd love to see a ton of! I'll read specs on my own.

The most complete review in lenses, love the part where you compare 20,24,28mm

Your personality is fun. I enjoy watching your videos. I love that you focus mainly on Sony. Keep making content that makes you happy as this will come across on screen and those who are drawn to it will watch and appreciate the work you do no matter what. As you’ve said in a previous video and this one, there are other Cameratubers out there who will cover the other stuff. There’s something for everyone out there. You do you and I’ll appreciate it either way.

Been a view for like 4yrs and most of the time I just view whatever you post cause of your personality, you are your most selling point for me. Photography is my hobby so going too technical on lenses might not be for me. I travel a lot so your new angle on small lenses for travel sounds amazing.

Jason Vong is the master of camera settings videos. He is often mentioned by other KZfaqrs for his mastery of this. Awesome videos

Hi Jason, another fun and informative video. I would say I'm an occasional viewer of your channel as I already watch a lot of in-studio camera stuff (I like this content but there's so much... repetition and hair splitting). But I love it when a creator (and digital nomad) gets out into the world to test and use the gear and I'm super excited to follow your upcoming travels!

I think you'll have a lot of success with your new KZfaq direction. People really don't need any more technical lens reviews.

Me in the first 30 seconds of this video: *has *has *has 🤣I enjoyed the video, Jason - that's what counts!

Sony 20 1.8 is a must in your lens collection whatever you have

As ex-nikon z6ii with 24-70 f4 user I am happy! I wanted something compact as nikon's kit in sony system. TG they made it! Being A7IV and A7C user I am happy and no doubt will grab it as it come into retail! Awesome lens!

I really enjoyed this new style of video

Hi Jason! been a long time subscriber for years now. (might even be one of the early/first subscribers) Happy to see your videos and content. I'm a hobbyist and I enjoy watching your contents as you being genuine and helpful in various aspects of photography, videography, and travel. Keep it up! Cheers!

Honestly, when it comes to reviews, I love the truth of your opinion. Also, specs are good to inform people as well whether it's a camera or a lens it's still information to give. I love the pros and cons when it comes to reviews because it gives me a reason to listen to your opinion and point out something you don't like that maybe others may like or vice versa

I am pretty interested in this lens. 20 on the wide end instead of 105 on the long end (for my 24-105/4). Not a bad upgrade for me personally. I think people may underestimate the difference between 20 and 24. Small changes on the wide end are way more significant than the long end. That 4mm is huge, at least for my shooting situation (NYC).

Fact: you've found your niche and you deliver excellent, competent, fun content. I know when I come for a review (of anything) that you're going to provide something of value, which helps me (and other users) decide which products warrant my/our attention and/or funds. A good combination of tech specs and real-world use (with great photos) is my ideal mix when I watch a review. A bit of fun helps, but I don't require too much performing. The content is well-conceived, clearly delivered and extremely relevant. Keep up the great journey and all the hard work that goes into this channel.

I value your personality, your enthusiasm, and you being you.

For lens reviews I would love to see the lens used on a full frame and apsc camera. Either taken on stuff like the A7IV and the a6400 or other equivalent body’s. As a apsc shooter, I never really know how the image will come out on a cropped sensor and including some example shots with one would help us out a lot. I also appreciate the real world examples you do. When you’re out and about letting us see how the lens stacks up in different environments

It's up for debate, but I have been using my phone's ultrawide to compliment the Tamron 28-200 when I want to travel very light. This gets me a wide range for almost everything and the 2.8 for low light.

I like how you offer alternatives to Sony whilst being truthful about how Sony may have it's undeniable advantage in certain aspects. Good job on being a fair reviewer. Also, DYING for the Sony 16-35 GM2 to arrive 🤤

Hey Jason, been following you forever since I discovered your channel when I first got my a7iii. Grateful for the many videos.

And this is why we love you Jason! Keep them great content coming!

Hi Jason! Long time viewer. I think the the thing I value most about new gear and lens reviews, is the best and worst use cases for the new product. I think that really helps me decide if that product is something I would use or not. Hope you are having fun in 🇯🇵!!

I have the 18-105 F4 G for my a6400 and absolutely love it

For me, I'm just 1-2 years following you. What I like in your channel and how you review gear is usability in hybrid mode. You share your experience really well and what practical usage you get from it. I use DP Review videos for the tech details.

Excited and happy for you choosing to do something different based on your actual work. Without the AF test, I hope that you can find extra excuses to pop into the frame from below - it’s your trademark!

Jason! I love the song of Vong! Thanx for ur help! 💛

A camera review is better when you have a creative story along with it. Such as the Switzerland trip video. It was fun and educating. It also welcomes other viewers that are not all about cameras. Great job man!!

What's most important to me is image quality and real life usage. How versatile is the lens for everyday use?

0:20 True we have changed. we have grown older. some become parents. you are one of the people who inspired me to actually get into photography just around when you did a comparison of A6000 and A6100. since then, i have grown from beginner to amateur, having started with A6400 and currently shooting with A7R III.

This seems like an amazing lens and pair with the 70-200 F4 seem like an amazing combo. At this moment, I value how compact for travel gear is. when I was younger I wanted to have a lot of gear to impress my clients. Now I just want to carry the minimum gear to get the job done.

answer: someone smarter/better at photog than me but with similar photography goals to weigh the competing pros and cons in a sensible way that helps me decide what to buy and, more importantly, what's not worth buying

jason i have been watching you for a year and i just realized i haven't subscribed to you after all those months!! love u brother thank you for helping me a lot.

Being a Sony user, I don’t care for comparisons to other brands, because I am not going to ditch Sony. What I do like is your real world usage experience and “should I buy this” discussions.

I’d love if you’d start with an image you achieved with a certain camera or lens and then explain how that particular piece of gear made it easier or made it possible to get that shot. We need a lot more reviewers who remember that the gear is here to help us achieve results. Let’s start with the results!

Gonna start traveling again so looking for more travel friendly focused gear to update to. Thanks again Jason!

I always enjoy videos covering situations, eg what combination of camera and lens for a night walk around travel shoot, and what shooting tips to use to improve and overcome the inherent challenges. As for this 2070F4 lens, I find it quite compelling for a travel lens. F2.8 is nice but when I recently travelled in a group, most times I was shooting at F4 or higher to 1) capture the background (why else would we travel right?) and 2) to keep the faces of my travel group in focus.

If they replaced the 24-105 with a 20-105 Oss, that would just be the dream! I know the technical difficulties in doing that but hey we can all dream. 😅

Sometimes, I just wish they release more Sony lenses so I can watch more of your videos man.

longtime viewer,, and i will follow you and your new concept for videos..

Usability, real world results, and value! For the price and smaller size, plus f/2.8 I'd probably go with the Tamron 20-40 instead of this but it is a tempting option for sure! This lens with the 35 1.8 would be a killer combo

This lens looks really cool, but I’m probably gonna wait for the 24-105 GII. If they can make that one a little less chunky than the current version, it’d be a perfect combo with the A7C (at least for me.)

I've been watching for like 3 years. At first just deciding what to buy, bought the A6400 then A7IV. I saw your A7IV setup video like 4 times, I have 2 primes 85mm f1.8, 35mm f1.4 GM and 1 zoom 70-200 f2.8 GM MKII. I brought the 35mm and 70-200mm to a trip around Europe and only used the 70-200 once, I hated having all that weight around and then switching to it on crowded places, rain, etc. I definitely think form factor is more important, as you mention, you rarely use f1.4 on the streets or landscape, so all that price/features are not used. Going to Brazil soon and I'll take my A6400 with kit lens for safety reasons mostly and I wish I had the 20mm f2.8 for it to make it super compact, hopefully I can buy it there or for my next trip. Edit: I'd buy a new 16-35 GM MKII in a second!

When I started following you, I didn’t have kids, and now I have 4 😳 I care about small and light setups with super quick and simple workflows to get from shooting to sharing with friends and family . Can you tell me what is the best video settings for my a6600 and how on earth I can get the full size videos off my SD into my iPad with the iPad SD dongle?? Why does Sony make this so hard?

I think your new style brings value and a different perspective. Jason Vong for on the go real world travel perspective and feel for gear. Makes it more distinctive as you are not in a controled setting and must shot it on the go with limitations and constraints, what many of us do. The others have other bases covered like, Manny Ortiz and Julia Trotti are more on portrature work reviews, while Jarod is scientific numbers aspects on performance. Dustin Abbot is long format videos with the in depth look tying everything covering everything. And Kai W is just wacky AF whenever he reviews stuff.

catalyst browse will work as long as the lens communicates the final length regardless of brand. I think some stabilized lenses are not compatible as well.

JV... Follow your passion, and don't overthink it. You'll lose some followers and gain new ones. It's just the nature of the your biz. You will never go wrong following your passion and building on your strengths. Thanks for all you do. Have fun and keep it up!

Jason, you are an exception vlogger, dude. I look forward to every one of your videos and hope you continue to do what you do for many more years. I have a business trip to India coming up and debating my kit as we speak. Either going with my Sony a7iii w/Sony 24/1.4. Or going super light with my Lumix micro 4/3 and 12-35/2.8. Either way, my plan is one body and one lens. Thoughts?

been watching for a year+!! your videos are really helpful decide what items to buy, for example my big question about this new 20-70mm is how it compares to the 24-70 f2.8, i think these questions are common amongst us consumers so thanks!!! Please continue to help answering these questions for us, but also on the other side I am very interested in your experience travelling and being a digital nomad, I really hope to one day try digital nomadism as well!!! Thanks Jason!!

As a wedding, portrait, and events photographer, real world/in the field reviews provide me the most value, to be honest. Pixel peeping is only important to pixel peepers and product/commercial photographers. I want to know how a product can make my life easier, or provide more bang for the buck.

I got this lense recently. Its a great one. Sharp, yes f4 could be an issue. Soon will switch to a7siii. Better than a7iv

Hi Jason the Stabilization with gyroscopic data also works with third party lenses. The only thing you need to do, is to deactivate in-body stabilization. Works with my Sigma and Tamron

My thoughts. Sony only made this lens to capture the market of buyers who want to stay with native lenses but don’t have the extra $$ for them. So they made a cheaper version on their 24-70mm and took away the faster aperture but gave a little have a little more width to combat with Sigma and Tamron at the same price point. To me I think this is a totally unneeded lens. If I wanted to stay with native lens I would get the 24-105mm to me reach is more important that width. I would stick with wide primes if you want width.

I've been following you for about 4 years and you definitely have helped me alot with your tutorials and reviews. I would say now I'm very interested in seeing more videos about how to travel with different setups...and also vlog style videos using your gear. That to me is the most interesting seeing how you set up your gear and what's the most compact way of doing it.

amazing shots. This makes me miss japan so much.

GM II is a better option for travelling (just low light upgrade justifies the weight extra)

I took 2 shots on this lens and it immediately destroyed my 1635 f4pz. Not sure if i got a bad cooy but that lens was one of my least favorite. This is the perfect all around lens. On the 1st day i practiced in moderate (not too low or too bright) light and it held up very well. This quickly has become one of my favorite lenses.

I wish Tamron would update the 17-28mm! 20-40 was nice but a little extra width would be nice! Side note, I noticed some Super Mario Land in there, lucky! I can't wait for the Orlando one to open by me!!!

I would love to see a video about how you pack for travel as digital nomads. Personally I find it challenging to travel with camera gear while still remaining one-bag / carry-on.

I am like you! I want to travel as light as possible especially now that it's a diaper bag along with a camera bag. I love my A7C because it is lighter and does not need as much room in my bag. I am carrying a tripod, Crane M3, B1M mic and 3 Sony lenses: 28-60 F4-5.6, 20 1.8, and 24-70 GMII. I find that I have the 24-70 on more because it is versatile for both photography and videography. I can also use it for video but I end up hand holding it with my camera strap to help stabilize my shots as much as possible. It works! Gimble work on the 28-60 is just not wide enough at times, but it is perfect for the gimble. The DJI RS 3 Mini has my eye now as it can handle the 24-70 GMII as opposed the Crane M3. I also wonder about a future A7C II... There is always going to be higher spec camera or lens, but in the end it just has to work to the user's situation. I do like your suggested new approach to your reviews! There will be others that go in to the details about quick focus and pixel peeping. If the lens offers something that is truly different, then I would focus on that. The usability and the practicality of the lens (like if you are traveling or shoot weddings) is also a great point. Then combing your enthusiasm and examples in the moment make your videos enjoyable to watch!

Great video and tons of info about real world use. I find watching videos about camera or lens reviews in a real world usage much enjoyable. In depth specs info gets boring now. I would suggest that unique features or severe flaws of the product are always presented like you did in this video. I’ve been watching this channel for I don’t know how long and always enjoyed the positive energy. Keep it up! 👍🔥💯

I came for the review of the 20-70mm but stayed for the tangential talks on the DJI RS 3 Mini, comparisons with 24mm and 28mm focal lengths, active stab, and Super Nintendo World!

For your videos I just love to se Viv on screen. 👀👀👀😁😁😁😝😝😝

I’m with you, the best gear for me is a compromise of light and travelable and very high quality, I’m not a studio shooter on the whole so I always hope for progress line this. As for the lens you review, I’d live one and it’s interesting the way we tend to set our travel lenses as wide as they can go. This is a very special lens (though I noted that Panasonic’s kit lens also starts at 20mm). I suspect this will become the norm and wouldn’t be too surprised to see a 2.8 version at some point in time.

I do value it just like you did, bit technical, but more pieces of opinion with real case scenarios and based on your opinions, and I'd love to see more vlogs and adventures, I do actually care more about them more than the full reviews. Also thanks! I am going to Tokyo in one week, for my first time as my vacation days of office, for 15 days, and I'm taking my new a6400 and 35mm, hopefully I'll be able to buy a new lens in Tokyo hehe. Thanks Jason!

The wide end is where its at, this makes it an interesting focal range at first thought. At second thought, because the wide end is so important, combining a 24-xx or 28-xx with a 12-24 or 16-35 may make a lot more sense, and for anyone with a 100-400 instead of 70-200 on the long end, xx-105 again remains the better fit.

Are you ditching your Crane M3 for the RS3 mini?

Yes, love this type of real world review!! Camera and lens technologies are so amazing now, you really can't go wrong with any brand. Just need to understand what we really need in our kit that suits us best and this type of review will help people achieve that. I am currently trying to decide on my setup for my HK/Japan trip this May. Like you, I want to go compact with as high quality as possible! I was planning to bring my A7IV with the Sigma 28-70 & the 16-28 for wide shots. But I recently got a killer deal on the 24-70 GMII so I had to buy it!! Now I can just bring the 24-70. If the A7C mk2 releases before I go to Japan, I might be tempted to get it but I think it'll be too head heavy if I park the 24-70 on it. Can't wait for your travel adventure series!

Really hoping for the release of the A7CII with 4k 60/120, now it can either be uncropped or give us the new flip screen but definitely the new menu

Haha A7CII . The travel camera we’re all dying for

Hey Jason! Been watching your content since you had 20k subs and have watched you grow tremendously. I can't wait to watch your upcoming videos for traveling. I enjoy your travel B-roll and always ask myself how do I get the same shots? I definitely enjoy watching BTS and breakdowns in that area. For me, I'm also wondering about the actual usability and not just the specs or picture quality. I think the quality of anything these last few years is going to be incredible no matter what, so its just about the storytelling, the shooting technique, and the edit at the end of the day. Thanks for all you do!

I have been shooting with the new Sony 20-70 G lens for a week now and it will not stay off my Sony A7IV! I absolutely love this lens! So many features and awesome IQ for the price. I did have the Tamron 20-40, but it just didn’t do it for me.

Great review as always. I like the format, the best of both worlds. Focus on one lens and refer to others in passing as you think of it. Enough for me to know what I need to know. Thanks

The more I can’t afford it the more interested in the review so I can fuel my dreams of owning epic equipment.

This or 24-50 f.28

Love the format, and appreciate the review. My current lens is a 24-240 Sony lens. That has a 5.6 and larger minimum aperture, so this lens is an interesting improvement on the wide side and on the F4 end. I will hang on to the 24-240 for the times when I expect to need the 240, but lately, I have needed more wide and less long lenses. Love your reviews on the Sony equipment. I love my A7IV, do not see the need to upgrade to the A7V. I do not do video, except short bursts of my grandson. Thanks again, peace out.

This 20-40 f4 lens is just genious. I'm coming from Sony APS-C and my 16-55 f2.8 (equivalent to 24-83 f4.2 on FF) was for me the best always-on travel/ hiking lens so far. But the 16mm was often not wide enough. Now Sony manages to replace this APS-C combo with even significantly more wide angle in a similar weight and form factor on full-frame which is absolutely amazing. Sure, "only" F4, but that's equivalent to f2.8 on APS-C and that was for me always perfectly fine for a travel/ landscape lens. Small weight just counts when you are traveling/ hiking. The price is the only downside of this lens. Here in Europe Sony wants to have 1.300€ (which is 1.380 USD or 2.150 AUD) unfortunately, which is much more expensive than in the US. That's too much. I will wait until it is on sale sometime.

Awesome zoom range but as someone who still used a kit lense, I'd love to finally see what f2.8 is all about 😕

Lens of this size and weight is not my first choice for Travel. Get Tamron 20-40 f2.8, Its brighter-Cheaper-Lighter. Being F4 in this price is something no brainer, its 1300 USD in my country, Tamron 20-40 is 700USD.

The only thing I care about with lens reviews is the image quality and sample images.

Does new G lens has better quality than old G lens ? Example does image quality of 20- 70 F4 G lens better than 24-105g lens ?? Or the difference is just focal range

Can I use active mode (image stabilization) with FX30 too? Sony homepage wrote can use with a series only not write for cinema camera.

17:24... what was this ? An attempt at... no, I just can't identify that move ! 🤣

Talking about range, have you tried the 24-105 F4 G? That is an incredibly versatile and sharp lens. For daytime shooting, I much prefer it to my 24-70 GM. Some of my favorite landscape photos I have taken were at longer focal lengths, often using my 70-200 F4 G if landscape shots have a subject like a building or vehicle in the frame.

This thing is basically 16-55mm f2.8 G (apsc lens) but for full frame coverage. And it is much wider. (16mm apsc is 24mm full frame) (f2.8 apsc is f4.2 full frame). So if you have the 16-55G or have tested that lens,the image quality, the toneh quality should be exactly the same)

Question. Should I pick the Sony 20-70/4 or the 24-70/2.8GM2 / Tamron 35-150/2-2.8 as my travel zoom? I am a street/urban photography enthusiast with a few country and city trips planned in Japan and Europe in the next few months. My current prime set up includes the 14/1.8GM, 24/1.4G, 40/2.5 and Sigma 85/1.4. I’m trying to decide on a lens that I can keep on my camera from sunrise - blue hour and leave my primes for night time scenarios. Thanks!

Love the video. I might get it. You are the only one talking about the cons.

It feels very suitable for my channel content, I should buy one.

hope sony make rx-100 8 and rx-10 5 come with 1.5 inch cmos.

Mod you see new Tamron 17-50 f4 for Sony fe? What would you chose?

Hey Jason, no need to apologize! Personally, I much prefer videos with your stories actually using the gear, so I'm looking forward to the new docu/series? :) Now, for reviews, comparisons are ok, but pixel peeping isn't everything, I'm much more interested in knowing how it is to use some new item, and if it delivers the quality relative to its price. Cheers!