Sony Brand Ambassador Allison Anderson has been making content for over a decade, and in that time, she’s tried a lot of camera gear. “I’ve had years to figure out what I like, what’s practical and what gets me the images I want,” she explains. “I also travel a lot, so I’ve had to get really selective about the gear I bring with me while still making sure I have a variety of gear on hand to shoot anything that comes up.” In this video, Anderson dives into three lenses that she says have become essential for her – the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II and Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. With these in her bag, she says she feels confident she can shoot anything that comes her way.

The "All-Around" Lens – Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II

Anderson starts off by discussing the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II lens, which she calls the all-around lens. “If I was heading out to shoot something and I had no idea what I would be shooting, this is the lens I would bring with me. 24mm is wide enough to capture the environment around you, it’s great for landscapes, shooting indoors.” It’s also the focal length Anderson is using while filming the video.

She continues, “And at 70mm you get enough zoom to start capturing details, to isolate a subject. Especially with the 2.8 aperture on this lens, you start getting that creamy blurred background and some nice lens compression. I filmed entire travel videos with just this focal range. It’s so versatile.”

If you’re buying your first camera and lens and not entirely sure what you’re going to be shooting, she recommends this focal range because you can shoot a little bit of everything with it.

The Wide-View "Go-To" Lens – Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II

Next up in Anderson’s camera bag is the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II, which she calls her go-to lens for when she’s filming herself speaking to the camera when she’s on the go traveling. “It’s nice for ultra-wide views of landscapes or interiors. It’s also handy when you’re trying to capture something really tall or you’re in a confined space.”

When she’s traveling to places with narrow gorges or long waterfalls, this focal length helps her get wide enough to capture the entire environment in frame.

The "Wow" Lens – Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II

The third essential lens in Anderson’s kit is the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II, or as she calls it, the “wow” lens. “The images I get with this are just spectacular. I would say it’s probably my favorite lens to shoot with out of every lens I own. There’s something about this focal range that is so pleasing to the human eye. Any time I have the opportunity to shoot a subject with this lens it’s my top choice. The compressed backgrounds make everything feel more grand. 

One of the many reasons it’s her favorite lens is because it captures details you wouldn’t see with your own eyes, especially for landscapes. “You can look out in the distance and see a mountain range, but this highlights the details in the trees, in the fog, in the texture of the mountain. And this lens has three modes of optical image stabilization which is so useful for video or handheld shooting when I’m moving. I tend to shoot a lot from boats, so having stabilization in the lens is really helpful.”

Why The G Master II Trio?

What is so essential about this trio? Anderson says that when she has the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II and Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II in her bag, she’s able to shoot anywhere from 16mm to 200mm at an aperture of 2.8. This covers most anything she would come across, including shooting in low light. “This trio of focal lengths is commonly referred to as the holy trinity by photographers because of how much capability you get with these three lenses in your kit. I’ve tried a lot of different lens selections for my camera bag, and without fail, this combination makes me feel the most confident when I’m headed out to shoot something new.”

See more videos like this one on the Alpha Universe YouTube Channel.