The Default Pro Zoom Is No Longer the Default Answer

The 24-70mm f/2.8 is the photography equivalent of a default answer: nobody gets fired for buying one, but nobody questions it either. This piece finally asks whether that's still the right call. For working photographers, the real question is opportunity cost. That 24-70 budget now competes with faster primes, lighter f/4 zooms with stabilisation, and 28-75mm third-party alternatives that cost half as much and deliver 90% of the output. If your jobs are events or weddings in tight venues, the range argument still holds. If you're shooting editorial or commercial with controlled lighting, you've been buying the wrong lens out of habit.