Love the speed of a trinity lens, but hate the size? If you tend to shoot at the widest end of your wide-angle lenses, Sony might have the perfect solution for you: the Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G.
This is the companion lens to the recently released Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G. In both cases, Sony has taken the two most popular trinity lenses (the 16-35mm and 24-70mm) and focused on the widest end in order to maintain the speed but drastically reduce the size – and cost.
In the case of the Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G, that results in a lens that measures just 91mm in length, weighs 409g and costs £1,250 (US and Australian pricing to be confirmed).
Compare that to the full-fat Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II – measuring 111.5 mm, weighing 547g and costing $2,299 / £2,299 – you can see that there are immediate advantages to this new "mini trinity" full-frame lens strategy (not least that Sony now claims to make the smallest and lightest f/2.8 standard and wide-angle zooms).
The optical formula features three aspherical elements (to minimize aberrations), three extra-low dispersion elements (to suppress chromatic aberration), and an extra-low dispersion aspherical element (to simultaneously correct chromatic and spherical aberration).
It boasts 11 aperture blades, for smooth circular bokeh, and the lens is weather-sealed, with a fluorine coating on the front element. It also features the same 67mm filter thread as the 24-50mm, making them an excellent tag team.
The 16-35mm possesses distinct focus, zoom and aperture rings – the latter of which can be de-clicked for use in video, where the lens supports focus breathing compensation. It is also fully compatible with the 120fps burst speed of the Sony A9 III.
The lens has a minimum focus distance of 0.18m at the widest end in autofocus mode, and 0.17m when focusing manually. It offers a maximum magnification of x0.20 in auto and x0.23 in manual focus.
"This is a little lens that delivers a big punch," said my colleague Matthew Richards in his Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G review, which contains sample images and full lab tests.
"Sharpness is very impressive and there’s only minimal color fringing, although there’s an increasingly typical heavy reliance on in-camera correction for distortion. Ultimately, image quality is excellent and I like that the lens is compact and lightweight enough to take anywhere and everywhere."
The Sony FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G is set to ship this month and will cost $1,199.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199.
Take a look at the best Sony lenses, which includes some of the best Sony wide-angle lenses.
