I was lucky enough to spend some time shooting with the brand new Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master Lens during a short trip to Italy. I used the lens with Sony’s newest full-frame mirrorless Alpha, the Sony A9.
During the same trip, we also got to use the new 12-24mm f/4 G lens, but, the 16-35mm f/2.8 is a much more versatile option and would make a good walk around lens for anybody with a full-frame Sony camera.
The trip consisted of a visit to the Italian lakes, with our hotel overlooking the gorgeous Lago Di Maggiore, about an hour or so’s drive away from Milan. We took a boat trip over to Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) and I got to use the 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master lens around the impressive Palazzo and its magnificent gardens.
This lens suits a good range of subjects, with the wider angles being ideal for landscape and architecture shots, and the 35mm end being good for creating a natural point of view.
The fact that the lens has a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 also makes it useful for creating shallow depth of field effects, something which you can see particularly highlighted in the image gallery when shooting some of the beautiful floral subjects the garden provided.
Later we took another short boat ride to the Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s Island), where I got a couple of shots before swapping to the wider 12-24mm f/4 lens. I was able to use the 16-35mm f/2.8 GM again later in the day when we visited the Ristorante Piccolo Lago, situated alongside the still waters of Lago Di Mergozzo. Here again it was useful for capturing some lovely waterscapes, as well as some general shots around the restaurant.
Unsurprisingly for a G Master lens, I was very impressed by the pictures that the 16-35mm f/2.8 lens was capable of taking. You could conceivably use it as your only lens if you were travelling light, or pair it with a 24-70mm lens for added flexibility.
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