- This is the Sony 16 to 25 millimeter f/2.8 G-series lens,
a versatile, fast, compact zoom
for anyone looking for a travel, landscape or vlogging lens.
I've had the opportunity to test out this lens
for a couple of weeks.
And in this video I'll dive into the key features
and I'll show you how I've been using it.
Before we do that,
let's get into the basics of what this lens has to offer.
The first thing you might notice is the size,
and for an f/2.8 zoom lens, it's very compact.
It weighs in at only 409 grams or just under a pound.
Paired up with my Alpha 7CR,
It just feels nice and balanced in my hands.
That f/2.8 aperture is comprised of 11 blades,
which helped to create beautiful Bokeh that Sony G
and G Master lenses are known for.
Inside of the lens, there's 16 elements in 13 groups,
which yields an image quality
comparable to the original 16 to 35 f/2.8 G Master.
Those lens elements are moved around by two linear motors.
That gives you fast, quiet, low-vibration focusing
that is great for shooting videos
or for use when you're tracking moving subjects.
You can even use this lens with the Alpha 9 IIIs
120 frame-per-second burst or use it to track
when you're using its 4K 120p video mode.
I'll test the video features for you shortly.
Now, while this isn't a macro lens,
it does have a fantastic closeup focusing performance.
Here's the minimum focusing distance at 16 millimeters.
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This is the minimum focusing distance at 25 millimeters.
As you could see, the lens can get really close
to whatever it is that you're shooting,
and it can still get things sharp and in focus.
Speaking of the minimum focusing distance of this lens,
we're going to go off topic for a bit
and talk about the focus breathing performance of this lens.
As I was testing out how close I could get to things
and get things in focus,
I happened to test out the focus breathing on this lens.
And I was impressed.
Check out this demo so you could see what I'm talking about.
This is at 16 millimeters and keep in mind
that this is with focus breathing compensation turned off.
To my eyes it does an amazing job
keeping things under control.
Now, here it is at 25 millimeters,
and again, the performance here is excellent.
For my needs, this looks good and for even better results,
you can of course turn on focus breathing compensation
if you're using a compatible Alpha Series camera.
Here's what it looks like at those same focal lengths
with breathing compensation turned on.
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Now, let's take a look at the outside of the lens.
The design gives you a lot of controls
compared to other lenses in this category.
Of course, there is a zoom and a focus ring,
and you'll also notice that it has an aperture ring
that could be de-clicked as well as a focus mode switch
and a customizable focus hole button.
The 16 to 25 millimeter f/2.8 G lens
is also dust and moisture resistant,
and it has a fluorine front element
that helps to repel things like water and dirt.
You'll notice as well that when I zoom in
from 16 millimeters to 25 millimeters,
that the lens doesn't extend all that much.
Sony did a great job making sure
that this lens was balanced well.
So much so that you could have this on a gimbal
and you could zoom throughout the range
without throwing off the balance of the gimbal.
I think this is going to be something
that video shooters are going to love.
Here we are now with the Alpha 9 III
set to 4K 120p on a gimbal
and again, you'll see that the tracking performance,
even at f/2.8, is excellent.
This lens pairs up nicely with any Alpha Series camera,
but I've fallen in love with how nice it feels
on the compact Alpha 7CR.
It's truly a match made in heaven
and it could easily become a great option
as an everyday carry lens.
Pricing and availability will be linked
in the description of this video
and if you have any other questions about it,
let me know in the comment section.
Also, Sony recently announced another lens
that pairs up really nicely with this one.
The 24 to 50 millimeter f/2.8 G.
I made a video about this combination
that you could check out right away.
Click on the video that you see here on the screen
and I'll see you over there.
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