16-25MM F/2.8 G IS SONY’S NEW ‘MINI TRINITY’ LENS

Sony has announced the FE 1625mm f/2.8 G, the companion lens to the recently released Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G (see this issue’s review). In both cases, Sony has taken popular trinity lenses – the 1635mm and 24-70mm – and preserved their widest focal length while trimming the long end of the zoom range in order to maintain the speed but drastically reduce the size – and cost.

In the case of the Sony FE 1625mm f/2.8 G, that results in a lens that measures just 91mm in length, weighs 409g and costs £1,249 / $1,199. Compare that to the full-fat Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II – which measures 111.5mm, weighs 547g and costs £2,299 / $2,299 – and 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 lens’s optical formula features three aspherical elements (to minimise 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 the duo an excellent tag team for photographers looking to cover the 16-50mm range.

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’s 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.