Our What’s In My Bag series reveals some of the most popular pieces of gear among photographers – and a lens that we continue to see often is the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master (Buy Now). Offering an ultra-wide angle of view, the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master makes it possible to emphasize distance and create dynamic perspectives that are beyond the scope of the human eye. Keep reading as we explore why this lens makes it inside the kits of so many of our favorite photographers.
Photographers Who Love The 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master
Todd Frame
“The 12-24mm is an incredible ultra wide lens that is perfect for shooting the grand landscape, and my favorite lens for photographing whales. It’s a great lens when you have a big subject at close distance.”
Photo by Todd Frame. Alpha 7R V. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/400-sec., f/8, ISO 100
Read more in What's In My Bag: 2 Cameras & 5 Zooms For Landscape & Wildlife Photography.
Lori Grace Bailey
“When I need to get up close and shoot wide, the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master is one of my go-to lenses. The extreme part of weather photography sometimes involves being extremely close to damaging tornadoes, lightning and hail. It’s imperative I capture as much detail as wide as possible to accurately define the intensity of everything going on. The image below was captured using the 12-24mm f/2.8 GM. At this point, the gust front from the storm was quickly approaching but I was able to capture a solitary lightning bolt on the leading edge. This is a prime example of precisely why the 12-24mm stays in my kit. Get close, shoot wide.”
Photo by Lori Grace Bailey. Alpha 7R III. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 2-sec., f/8, ISO 500
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Thrill-Seeker’s Kit For Extreme Weather & Extraordinary Skies.
Denis Kuhnert
“To be able to go to 12mm gives me so many possibilities. Most of the time I use this lens to create a sense of height. I use the distortion to make people appear higher than they are. I loved using it in some fashion shoots as well, it gives a cool look.”
Photo by Denis “Kooné” Kuhnert. Alpha 9 II. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/1000-sec., f/2.8, ISO 320
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Photography Kit Made For Breaking The Rules.
Jordan Jimenez
“The 12-24mm is such a unique lens in the sense that I can create with such unique perspectives because of how wide the lens is at 12mm while still having the flexibility to get a little bit tighter at 24mm. I use this lens for my videos and vlogs, but it’s also a beautiful lens for setting the scene, getting environmental shots, or even just making my subjects look so much larger than life.”
Read more in March Photo Madness Continues: 7 G Master Lenses For On-The-Court Action.
Kesha Lambert
“I use the 12-24mm GM to create dramatic portraits of the bride in her wedding dress with her bridesmaids. I also use this lens for dance floor action photos.”
Photo by Kesha Lambert. Alpha 9 II. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/3.5, ISO 4000
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Sony A7R V, A1 & G Master Kit For Wedding Photography.
Rachel Jones Ross
“This is a dream lens for photographing grand vistas like the Canadian Rockies. It’s also an incredibly sharp lens with no coma in the corners, making it a dream lens for aurora chasers.”
Photo by Rachel Jones Ross. Alpha 7S III. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master.
Read more in What’s In My Bag: How This Adventurer And Nightwatcher Gets Ready For Prime Aurora Time.
Nick Gruen
“I used to use the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master but moved over to the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master when it became available. I love how Sony keeps it simple and offers a setup that allows users to not need 10 lenses to get the job done. It also made more sense for me to switch to the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master with its minimal linear distortion and low light capability, which is a must for shooting wide in underwater or astro work.”
Photo by Nick Gruen. Alpha 1. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/640-sec., f/4.5, ISO 250
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Boundary-Pushing Outdoor & Commercial Photography Kit.
Michael Simmons
“My go-to wide angle lens. I just love this lens – it gets me really up and personal with my subject but also gives me that 24mm to get a little bit closer to the scene. The 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master is very sharp, and the f/2.8 allows me to use the lens in low light conditions.”
Photo by Michael Simmons. Alpha 7R V. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. Foreground: 1/6-sec., f/8, ISO 400. Sky: 360-sec., f/3.2, ISO 400
Read more in What’s In My Bag: An Alpha 7R V Kit For Creative Landscapes & Astroscapes.
Matt Kloskowski
“I use this lens mostly for landscapes, but also sometimes cityscapes where I need to fit a lot in the photo. I’ll only pull this out if I have a really impactful foreground right in front of me and I want to make sure it’s a big part of the photo while still showing off the background too.”
Photo by Matt Kloskowski. Alpha 7R III. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 3.2-sec., f/16, ISO 250
Read more in What's In My Bag: A Nature Photographer's Kit That's All About The Need For Speed.
David Horn
“I use the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master for stadium general views to get across the sense of scale and inside changing rooms where room is tight.”
Photo by David Horn. Alpha 1. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/640-sec., f/4.5, ISO 125
Read more in What's In My Bag: A Alpha Sports Kit For Premier League Action.
Jess Santos
“This is and will forever be my go-to lens for landscape and astrophotography. It rarely leaves my camera and never leaves my bag. I can’t say enough good things about this lens. At 12mm I can capture everything I need to capture within a single frame, and using the wide angle to my advantage allows me to stretch and maximize foreground elements to create an image with more dimension and depth. The f/2.8 aperture makes this one of the best lenses around for night photography, especially while shooting blue hour blends.”
Photo by Jess Santos. Alpha 7R IV. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/20-sec., f/16, ISO 1600
Read more in What’s In My Bag: An Adventurer’s Kit For Dreamy Landscapes, Astroscapes & Timelapses.
Steve Hamm
“This is by far my favorite lens. It is always attached to my Alpha 7R IV. I am able to get within inches of my subject. The curvature of the glass is perfect for adding depth and distortion to the subject. 24mm is ideal for bringing the background closer in the scene. It is also fast. I am able to capture the tons of light from the Milky Way. It is on the heavy side at 2 lbs. But it isn't enough to notice while backpacking. You will always find this lens in my bag, with no exceptions.”
Photo by Steve Hamm. Composite: Foreground: Alpha 7R III. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 2.5-sec, f/8, ISO 100. Sky: Tracked Alpha 7R III. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 10-min., f/2.8, ISO 640
Read more in What’s In My Bag: 2 Cameras & 3 Zooms To Capture Expansive Landscapes & Astroscapes.
Jermaine Horton
“If you are looking for a wide lens, this is it and part of the trinity with the zoom lineup and a key one. When I need a super wide angle shot, especially when there is great architecture and surrounding textures, this lens is everything. It’s not a lens that always comes out but when it does it truly separates itself.”
Photo by Jermaine Horton. Alpha 9 II. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/2.8, ISO 1000
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Complete Photo Kit For Capturing Weddings, Portraits & Sports.
Justin Niu
“One of the lenses I find absolutely essential when photographing architecture is the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. When I travel, I often find situations where I am physically limited by my location and I cannot get the whole structure into the same shot. These structures are often grand and enormous which makes it challenging to photograph all in one shot. This is where the ultra-wide angle capability of the 12-24mm f/2.8 shines.”
Photo by Justin Niu. Alpha 7R V. Sony12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/80-sec., ISO 3200
Read more in What’s In My Bag: 2 Alpha Cameras & 4 G Master Lenses For Traveling The World.
Drew Hallé
“This lens was my last addition to my kit and it is a great focal range for concerts. The wide range is perfect to capture the environment and get the entire crowd in one shot. I also love the result when shooting close up to the subject as you can still get a full body shot and have a lot of the background being shown still.”
Photo by Drew Hallé. Alpha 7 IV. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/2.8, ISO 1000
Read more in What’s In My Bag: Two Cameras & Three Zooms For Dynamic Music Photography.
Craig Elson
“For my landscape work, my shooting style has evolved over the years to where I now find myself working at very wide angles. As such, the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master is now my “go to” lens for landscapes. I chose the f/2.8 version of this lens to be able to handle my astrophotography pursuits as well. This lens pretty much lives on my Alpha 7R V these days.”
Photo by Craig Elson. Alpha 7R V. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/6-sec., f/11, ISO 800
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Fully-Loaded, Two-In-One Kit For Landscape & Wildlife Photography.
Criz Quinn
“Landscape photography requires a lot of wide-angle shots and this lens has been perfect for my needs. It works well for all the conditions I’ve needed it in, and I have also used it for Milky Way shots in the past. I love how sharp the photos are from this lens and even at such a wide angle, the distortion is not bad at all. This shot from a magenta dream of a sunrise in Patagonia was taken using this lens.”
Photo by Criz Quinn. Alpha 1. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 3-sec., f/5, ISO 400
Read more in What’s In My Bag: 2 Cameras & 4 Zoom Lenses Make A Dream Kit For Travel.
İlhan Eroğlu
“An object closer to the camera can appear much larger than an object farther away or the scenery behind it. This lens is so sharp, it is also the perfect lens for astrophotography and you can also get amazing results in street and architecture photography. A technique I like using with this lens is ‘focus-stacking’ which is getting close up to a subject and using multiple images with different focus points to get the whole image from front to back in focus. (Now this technique can be automatically done by Alpha 7R V).”
Photo by İlhan Eroğlu. Alpha 7R IV. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/40-sec., f/16, ISO 200
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Alpha + G Master Trio For Pro-Level Landscape Photography,
Mike Meyers
“When I first started shooting, I shot wide almost exclusively. And while I’ve migrated into longer focal lengths over the past few years, I will always have this lens with me. The G Master version was a significant upgrade from the f4 that used to be in my bag, and I’m really glad I made the switch. The sharpness is off the charts, end to end, even at 12mm and f/2.8, and I love the sunbursts it gets at the higher apertures – super clean. It’s a must for landscape and cityscape shots. In the city when you’re sometimes forced to operate in closed quarters and don’t have the freedom to back off a scene and fit it all into frame, this lens is super handy. I also love it for capturing strong foreground elements in landscapes and still fitting in a compelling scene behind it.”
Photo by Mike Meyers. Alpha 7R IV. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 6-sec., f/16, ISO 160
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A Complete Alpha Kit For Capturing A Little Bit Of Everything.
Oscar Lindsey
“This lens is the most recent addition to my kit and will always make its way into my camera bag when heading out into London to shoot. Being able to shoot at 12mm opens up so many possibilities when shooting within such tight urban spaces and really allows you to pack as much into the frame as possible. The ultra-wide perspective has allowed me to discover new perspectives within locations that I’ve shot at so many times and this is exciting for me!”
Photo by Oscar Lindsey. Alpha 7 III. 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 2.5-sec., f/2.8, ISO 80
Read more in What’s In My Bag: A G Master Trinity Plus One For Creative Night Photography & More.
For the best in wide-angle zooms, purchase the 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master.
