The latest addition to the Sony G-series lineup of lenses is the new Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G. It’s a wide-angle, compact zoom lens that offers photographers and videographers an exciting range to capture everything from landscapes and architecture to portraits and vlogs. YouTube creator and professional photographer Miguel Quiles had the opportunity to test out the lens and, in the video below, he dives into the key features and shows how he’s putting the lens to use. See more about the Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G lens HERE.

“This lens pairs up nicely with any Alpha series camera, but I’ve fallen in love with how nice it feels on the Alpha 7CR. It’s truly a match made in heaven and can easily become a great option as an everyday carry lens.” – Sony Artisan Miguel Quiles

Compact Form Factor

Quiles says that the first thing you’ll probably notice on the new Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G lens is its small form factor. Its size, especially when paired with one of Sony’s compact cameras, makes it a great walkaround lens that you can take anywhere. “It’s very compact,” he explains. “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.”

High Image Quality & Fast Focusing

The 16-25mm’s f/2.8 aperture consists of 11 blades that provides the kind of smooth bokeh that’s a signature of the Sony G-series and G Master lenses. The16-24mm f/2.8 G is constructed with 16 elements in 13 groups, which Quiles explains yields image quality that he describes as being comparable to the original Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. The elements are moved by two linear motors, giving you extremely fast and quiet focusing that is great for shooting videos or tracking moving subjects. “You can even use this lens with the Alpha 9 III’s 120 frame-per-second burst, or use it to track when you’re using its 4K120p video mode.”

Close-Up Performance And Focus Breathing

Quiles tested the lens’ close-up focusing performance with impressive results, especially considering that the 16-25mm f/s.8 G isn’t a macro lens. He also evaluated the focus breathing with focus breathing compensation turned off and on, and he shows that it does an amazing job keeping things under control. “For my needs [focus breathing compensation turned off] looks good, and for even better results you can of course turn on focus breathing compensation,” he says.

A Well-Balanced Design With Creative Control 

The construction and design of the lens gives creators a lot of control compared to other similar lenses. The Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G offers a zoom and focus ring, declickable aperture ring, a focus mode switch and a customizable focus hold button. In addition to the actual controls on the lens, the zoom’s balance provides creators with even more control. “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 can have this on a gimbal and 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.”

“This lens pairs up nicely with any Alpha series camera,” Quiles says, “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 can easily become a great option as an everyday carry lens.”

Learn more about the Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G lens HERE.