Is the 24-70mm f/2.8 or a similar general zoom lens a must-have for every photographer?

posted Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at 7:00 AM EDT

There are certain lenses which are staples of many professional photographers' kits. Alongside the 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom, which nearly all manufacturers produce, there's also the 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom. The 24-70mm f/2.8 is great for landscape photographers, street shooters, event photographers, portrait photographers and much more. It's a versatile lens. Personally, there's no lens I've owned which has been more often used than my 24-70mm f/2.8. For Manny Ortiz, he argues every photographer should have a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens -- or at least a general zoom lens.

Granted, they're not often inexpensive pieces of glass. The Sony G Master version Ortiz uses costs around $2,200 USD, for example. With that said, you don't have to go with a brand like Canon, Nikon or Sony to get a great 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Tamron's recent SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 lens is very good and costs $1,200. Sigma's 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens is currently on sale for $1,200 as well.

What makes a 24-70mm f/2.8 special? Its versatility is one of its biggest strengths. While prime lenses are often lighter than zooms and deliver excellent image quality, they are limiting due to their fixed focal length. It can be tricky to find the right tool for the job. If you can make a prime lens work, great, but when you can't simply zoom with your feet, being able to zoom with your lens is incredibly useful out in the field. For more reasons why a 24-70mm f/2.8 or general zoom lens is a must-have, watch Ortiz's video below.