One of the biggest challenges for new photographers is to decide which lenses to buy first.
The Sony Holy Trinity of lenses are the three main zoom lenses offered by Sony. The Sony Holy Trinity lenses cover almost all of the most used focal lengths and represent the best place to start for a new photographer. The Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens should be your first buy, but the other two aren’t far behind.
Now, let’s answer “What is the Holy Trinity of lenses?” so you can buy your next lens!
1. Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens—The Wide Angle Holy Trinity Lens
Why Buy The Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens?
- This lens makes a great choice for travel photographers who are more interested in landscape and architecture photography
- You don’t have to worry about taking this lens outdoors for a landscape shoot thanks to its dust and moisture resistant build
- The bright f/2.8 aperture and 11 bladed diaphragm create stunning bokeh, so you can isolate your subjects
- This lens allows you to shoot on a variety of wide-angle focal lengths and even goes up to 35 mm for creative portraits and street photography
Sony trinity lenses offer you some of the best clarity and utility out of all of Sony’s catalog of lenses.
The Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM lens is arguably one of the most interesting wide angle zoom lenses to be counted as a Holy Trinity lens for any brand.
It’s interesting because Sony made the decision to extend the focal length up to 35 mm rather than stopping at 24 mm where the next lens starts.
This means that this lens is much more useful than your average wide angle lens. Not only is this lens a great choice for landscape photography and architecture photography, but you can use that 35mm focal length for street photography and even portraits.
There’s a good argument to make that the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM lens is actually a great everyday lens thanks to that 35mm top end.
The rest of the features of this lens make it all the stronger. This is a high performance lens built to Sony’s GM professional standards.
Videographers are going to love features like the quiet autofocus as well as the focus hold. The wide angle utility of the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM lens mixed with the 35 mm focal length make this likely the right choice for a first lens for videographers.
The bright aperture allows you to isolate your subject from the background, work in low light conditions, and even get your feet wet with some basic astrophotography.
When it comes to the Sony Holy Trinity, the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM lens is easily one of the best options. It’s nearly tied with the overall best pick—the 24 to 70 mm lens.
What you’ll love about the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens
- The focus hold button lets you keep your focus while adjusting your composition and saves you plenty of time while shooting
- The autofocus is fast and quiet thanks to the Direct Drive Super Sonic Wave AF Motors
- This lens features two Extra-Low Dispersion Elements, three Aspherical, Two XA Elements, and several coatings to help you capture clear images
What you won’t love about the Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM Lens
- You’ll have no telephoto options with this lens
- You might want to consider budget alternatives
The Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM lens is the first of the Holy Trinity of lenses Sony camera owners should consider. This lens is unique in that it goes above 24mm where most wide angle holy trinity lenses stop.
This means it’s actually much more useful than most wide angle zoom lenses. You could even consider this lens as a good first purchase giving the 24 to 70 mm a run for its spot as the most popular overall lens. [1]
2. Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens—The First Holy Trinity Lens To Buy
Why Buy The Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens?
- This lens is packed full of optical elements and coatings which not only protect the glass, but also reduce common types of distortion like chromatic aberration
- There’s nothing better than smooth, fast, and silent autofocus which the Four XD Linear AF Motors and the Floating Focus deliver on
- Sony recently redesigned this lens to be 22% lighter and 18% smaller which makes it much easier to carry and a better fit for mirrorless cameras
- Sony built this lens with a dust and moisture resistant construction, so you can feel at ease when shooting in the rain
If you want the best overall member of the Sony lens trinity, you need the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens.
Many photographers consider the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens to be at the top of the trinity of lenses.
This lens is a first pick for working photographers looking to capture the memories at a wedding or engagement as well as photographers who are heading into the backcountry for some adventure photography. There’s almost no photography job that this lens isn’t ready for.
All of the features of this lens that we’ve highlighted come together to create a powerful piece of equipment.
There’s a reason why these focal lengths are typically included as a kit lens that comes with your camera.
What you’ll love about the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens
- You’ll be able to capture landscapes and even portraits with the bright f/2.8 aperture and the 11-bladed diaphragm
- The zoom smoothness switch allows you to gain more control over the zoom feature which lets you reduce the risk of over-zooming
- You’ll be able to use the aperture de-click and lock switches to gain precision control when shooting in manual or aperture priority modes
What you won’t love about the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II Lens
- This lens is fairly expensive for a first purchase
- There are plenty of alternatives for lenses with these focal length ranges
The Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens is an ideal lens which is going to be the right buy for most photographers.
The Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens is widely considered to be one of the best lenses that you can own. This lens is going to offer great performance for working wedding photographers, travel and adventure photographers, and just about everyone.
In short, if you don’t have the Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM II lens, you might want to pick one up! [2]
3. Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens—The Telephoto Trinity Lens
Why Buy The Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens?
- This is the premier zoom lens for telephoto photography styles like sports photography and wildlife photography
- Worry less about camera shake thanks to the Optical Steady Shot image stabilization
- The lens stays sharp even when shooting wide open at f/2.8
- Sony redesigned this lens to create a 29% weight reduction from the previous model
The Sony lens Holy Trinity tops out with the Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens telephoto lens.
This is one of Sony’s flagship lenses. This means not only is it weather sealed, but it also gets a lot of attention when it comes to design and construction.
You’ll find easy controls for important features like vocal range limiting and Iris lock available right on the barrel of the lens.
The Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens also has an 11-bladed diaphragm and fast autofocus. There are also plenty of optical elements and coatings designed to protect your images even when working with some extreme telephoto focal lengths.
There’s a good argument that you can get the most out of the Holy Trinity Sony lenses with the Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens and either of the other lenses on this list.
Depending on the style of Photography that you’re interested in, you might not need all three lenses. You could grab one of the two lenses that cover wider focal lengths as well as this lens to unlock countless styles of photography.
What you’ll love about the Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens
- You can pair this lens with either of the other options on this list to cover nearly every style of photography with just two lenses!
- Iris Lock and Focal Range Limiter switches ensure that you never lose your composition
- This lens is weather-sealed which is ideal for wildlife photography where you have to be outdoors for long periods of time
What you won’t love about the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens
- This lens has no wide angle focal length options
- There are fewer budget alternatives for lenses with these telephoto focal lengths
The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens represents the telephoto end of Sony’s Holy Trinity of lenses. If you’re into wildlife photography, sports photography, or even portraits, this lens is an absolute must for your collection. [3]
Tips For Buying The Sony Holy Trinity Of Lenses
What Is The Holy Trinity Of Lenses?
The Holy Trinity of lenses represents the three zoom lenses that are considered the flagship lenses for any given camera brand. These typically cover a range of focal lengths from wide angle all the way through telephoto. Photographers often buy these lenses first as they give them the widest options for what styles of photography they can shoot.
Related:
- What are Canon’s Holy Trinity of Lenses
- Nikon’s Holy Trinity of Lenses for DSLR Cameras
- Nikon Z Holy Trinity of Lenses
Why Do People Love The Trinity?
To put it simply, the Holy Trinity of lenses gives you the most versatile capability as a photographer. Your camera will be able to capture everything from landscapes to sports photography using these lenses. These lenses might also be more affordable than some highly expensive telephoto primes which also makes them a cost-effective choice.
What Three Lenses Should I Buy?
As a general rule, the first three lenses you should buy should be the Holy Trinity lenses for your camera brand. These will include a wide angle zoom lens, a normal focal length zoom lens, and a telephoto zoom lens.
What Is Each Lens’s Strength?
The wide angle Holy Trinity lens is ideal for landscape photography, but Sony’s version of this lens also goes up to 35 mm which makes it great for street photography as well. If you’re more interested in landscape photography, this might be your first purchase.
The normal focal length lens is going to be the right choice for almost everyone. It’s great for landscapes through portraits and makes a great travel lens.
The telephoto Holy Trinity lens is ideal for wildlife and sports photography. It’s also going to offer the best results for portraits.
What Lens Should I Get After I Buy The Sony Holy trinity?
If you have the Holy Trinity of lenses, you should start thinking about other focal lengths and other styles of photography that you want to focus on.
Many photographers start to buy prime lenses after they have the Holy trinity. Prime lenses typically offer clearer images and a faster aperture, but they do not have the ability to zoom.
You could also consider buying more specialized zoom lenses. These can include super zoom lenses with a wide focal length range or more artistically interesting lenses like fisheye or super telephoto.
Which Sony Holy Trinity Lens Is Best For Video?
Generally speaking, either the wide angle Holy Trinity lens or the normal focal length lens are going to be the best choice for video. These both have decent wide-angle options as well as letting you capture some great bokeh to isolate the subject of your video shoot.
Conclusion – the Sony Holy Trinity of Lenses
Now you’re ready to pick up the first three lenses bought by many photographers.
The Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens is the most versatile of the two, but either the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens or the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens would make a great second purchase!
Let us know which of these lenses that you plan on getting first and don’t forget to check out our other articles on the best Sony lenses.
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