Hello!

[Mommemories]

I have enjoyed taking pics for my family for 40 yrs of general life and travel. I last used a Nikon D5100 but never learned how to properly operate it and never had any lens other than the one it came with in the box. Now that I have time to learn how to fully use a good camera, I just received my 1st ‘grown-up’ ‘grow-into’ big girl model - Sony a7r5. I have not yet bought any glass since I am trying to decide the best purchase for my 1st lens. I need something to give me the widest range of usage to learn as much as I can bc in 6 months we are going on vacation and I have great expectations of capturing wonderful memories.

 

[Jeff A]

Welcome top the forum Leighann. Are you thinking one lens or more than one? There is a thread re-running on the forum right now that you should watch if you're not already doing so. Someone asked about other's three favorite lenses. Congratulations on the A7RV purchase.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome!

 

[Tim Mayo]

Welcome Leighann and thank you for joining up here. Congrats on your new a7R V too! There are so many great lenses to choose from it can be pretty overwhelming. What do you enjoy shooting?

 

[Clix Pix]

Hi, and welcome! Wow, you're making a quantum leap from the Nikon D5100 to the Sony A7R V!!! Lots to learn, both in terms of photography itself (moving beyond snapshots) and the technical innards/workings of the A7R V, since it is a very sophisticated camera . When I first got my A7R IV three years ago it took me several days to work my way through things on the menu and even at that I was still tweaking things a while later -- this, even though I was coming from years of shooting experience, including with gear such as the Nikon D3 and also a couple of Sonys (RX10 IV, RX100 VII). The A7R V was much quicker and easier, thanks to the new menu system! Whew!

Thankfully there is help out here on the Internet, especially with early guides such as Colby Brown's excellent one, and in a month or two there will be at least two or three eBooks which cover things in even greater detail. Check out the Friedman Archives, as Gary is working on a new ebook guide for the A7R V. I can't recall the name of the author of the other really good ebook that I have for the A7R IV, but most likely he's got a version for the A7R V coming out as well.

Lenses..... Well, yes, the first step is indeed to know what you like to shoot and how you like to shoot it. In my case, it was a no-brainer the day I bought my A7R IV: two macro lenses and the fabulous, fast 135mm f/1.8 came home with me that day. About a month later I purchased the 200-600mm since I like to shoot wildlife especially water birds, and have the opportunity to do so right off my deck.

Basically, I had already narrowed down my typical preferences for subjects so that the first few lenses I purchased were specifically to align with that. As time went on I gradually added more lenses as a situation arose and I would be standing there with the camera thinking "I need a [fill in the blank] for this kind of scene," and even if not right away, would eventually would get an appropriate lens to fill that gap.

At the time I was buying the A7R IV I would have loved to have bought Sony's 24-70mm GM, as that is a very versatile range with close-focusing, too, and the Nikon version had always been a favorite. Unfortunately, reviews were lukewarm on this Sony lens so I held off. Ah, but the other day when buying my A7R V I was so happy to also be able to at long last get what I've wanted: Sony's new 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II. I've waited three years for this! It is a gorgeous lens with a wonderful range that works well for me, and I know that I will be using it very, very frequently.

Anyway, take into consideration what you like to shoot or would like to shoot: Landscapes? Closeups? Macros? Portraits? Pets? Wildlife? Gritty street scenes? Nature? People (both candid shots and formal shots)? You mention travel -- well, that can encompass using one overall multi-range zoom lens ("superzoom") or using a mid-range zoom for general shots and a fast relatively wide-angle prime lens for those interior shots taken at cathedrals and museums, etc.

I haven't traveled since before the onset of the pandemic so haven't had an opportunity to take any of my current gear anywhere with me. Actually, I think if I were traveling for any time, especially overseas, I'd want to minimize what I was taking and simply use the Sony RX10 IV, which is an amazing "Superzoom" camera with a terrific Zeiss fixed lens with the surprising range of 24-600mm (on a 1" sensor, so this is 35mm equivalent). it's a great little travel camera which is the size of a small DSLR while being mirrorless and having all the advantages of a mirrorless camera. Even though I've got full-frame interchangeable lens cameras, I still reach for that RX10 from time to time.

Getting back to you: right now on the home front you want and need a new lens to put on your beautiful new A7R V! I'd start with something like the 24-70mm or the longer 24-105, which will offer versatility in range and will give you loads of fun in shooting your chosen subjects. If you're curious about exploring the world that is around us in a closer, more intimate way, go for the macro approach, and for that I highly recommend Sony's 90mm macro. That lens and my A7R IV were hand-in-glove with each other over the past three years, pretty constant companions. So far I've only introduced the 90mm to the A7R V once and as a pair they've shot a few images but I really haven't had time to put these two truly through itheir paces. They'll be spending a lot of time together in the future....

The A7R V is a fantastic camera with incredible features and resolving power; please don't diminish that by slapping an inexpensive lens or two on it. In this situation, quality really does matter. Give this wonderful camera the excellently crafted, sophisticated lenses she deserves and the A7R V will really make them and your images shine....