BLOG

Early November 2018 I found myself in Manchester, England doing a workshop for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops Camera at the historic Chethams Library. Sony offered me the opportunity to use one of their 24mm G Master lenses to do some shooting fun with the newest G Master to the Sony family.

How could I say no? To watch the video from this shoot please click below:

This was an interesting lens for me. I’m not gonna lie, I originally had no intention on testing it out. Why? Well, it was simple. I have a TON of lenses. I mean I think I’ve blown my kids inheritance on lenses over the past number of years as I’ve purchased nearly ALL of the Sony E mount and FE mount lenses.

On top of that I already own a Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens, so I just didn’t find myself in a position where I felt I needed another lens. But since I was already there, at the event, and since Sony was offering….I put it on my Sony A7Riii and decided to put it through it’s paces.

Initial thoughts when first handling it:

*Very light! I couldn’t believe how lightweight the lens is. I don’t know what Sony is doing with their glass but they are really breaking some new ground in delivering high quality, LOW weight lenses. This lens is right up the alley of the 400mm which is very light and high quality. This lens is HALF the weight of it’s bigger brother, the 85mm G Master.

*Feels solid- the lens like all the other G Masters the lens feels very solid and has all the stuff you want with a top of the line lens incuding an aperture ring, focus lock buttons, the ability to turn the focus on and off on the lens etc.

Thoughts when shooting with the lens:

*Very fast focus

*Makes no sound when using autofocus which could be good for video purposes for those who elect to use AF for their video work.

*Very sharp- I was impressed with the accuracy of the focus system, especially when shooting wide open at f/1.4 which as many people know, I shoot all the time.

Below are the images taken at the shoot:

PROS:

*Performance- Works just as you’d expect a top of the line lens to perform.

*Lightweight- the lightest of all the G Masters.

*Affordable…kinda- it’s the most affordable lens of the G Master family. But not many people would consider $1,398 cheap lol.

*Portable- due to it’s size and weight it’s a better choice for a travel lens than the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4.

*Versatile- this is the kind of lens that can do A LOT. I could see myself using this as a wedding photographer for wide angle portraits, reception shots, ceremony shots etc. I mean being able to crank down to f/1.4 for low light ceremonies and receptions could be a lifesaver over the 16-35mm G Master at f/2.8 for example. I could also see myself using this lens a lot for videography purposes.

CONS:

*Other Options- to be fair there are other options out there, most notably the Sigma Art 24mm f/1.4. I personally own two Sigma Art lenses, the 105mm and the 20mm, both f/1.4 lenses. While they aren’t QUITE the level of the G Masters, they are pretty damn awesome, especially for the price. As a comparison the Sigma is $849 which is 40% cheaper than the Sony, so if you don’t have all the bucks for the G Master, the Sigma might look pretty enticing. It should be noted the Sigma doesn’t have the aperture ring which is very useful for videography work. But you’ll have to determine if that matters for you or not.

Summary:

If you have the money and want a versatile lens I think this is a great choice. Let’s face it, I think all the G Masters could be summed up similarly. Some may not be versatile, but all of them are amazing if you have the money. I personally own all of the G Masters except for the 400mm…but I have shot with that one extensively as well. If you have the money and don’t want to compromise performance the G Masters are a safe bet. But if you aren’t fortunate enough to be able to afford all of them, it is good to know that other options are popping up in the marketplace like the Sigma Art series and also some new offerings by Tamron.

**Links to Gear in the video and shoot:

*Sony A7Riii-

*Sony 24mm G Master-

*Rotolight Neo 2- www.rotolight.com, promo code: jasonlanier10

*Rotolight Aeos- www.rotolight.com, promo code: jasonlanier10

*Westcott Halo- https://www.fjwestcott.com/45-round-halo?acc=1c383cd30b7c298ab50293adfecb7b18

I want to thank you for joining me on my blog for this review. Please drop a comment below and let me know what you think about the lens and if this review was helpful to you. Also let me know what gear you’d like me to review in future episodes.

Instagram links to the awesome models from the shoot:

*Emily Rinaldo- @em.explores

*Victoria Lucie- @victoria.lucie

Thanks!

Jason

7 Comments

In November 2018 I was blessed with the opportunity to work with three amazing brands, two of whom I’m very familiar with…at some very historic venues no less, the Fitzrovia Chapel, Pinewood Studios, and the amazing Chethams Library in Manchester, UK.

This started a few months ago when I received a call and was asked if I’d be able to fit this event into my schedule….and I was like, “How do I say no to this?”

So I got my Assistant Emily with me on a plane to London following our workshops in Richmond, VA and New York City and we took off to the ever amazing United Kingdom.

Our first stop was an appearance at the Camera World Live Event where I did a speech for Sony and Rotolight called, WYSIWYG- What You See Is What You Get. I get to do a lot of conventions and events and I love them all…but getting to see so many people for some jam packed events was an honor I’ll never forget. We did have a security guard outside of the event tell me I wasn’t allowed to put my elbows on the couch…but that’s for a later conversation lol.

To check out the second of my two appearances there please click the video below:

Following the appearances at the convention some brave photogs ventured out into the very cold night air of London for a photo walk. We had a beautiful model named Sarah come out for that and we of course had the ever able Emily there as well.

Following this event Emily and I made a quick pit stop down in Brighton for a fun photo walk on the pier that was a ton of fun! This was great as I’d never been to Brighton before. I’d say the toughest thing about this particular trip was the fact that the jet lag STUNK! Man with so many events the jet lag was tough to shake. Emily threw water on me a few times to get me to wake up. Be careful around here if you’re sleepy, she’ll use a defribillator on you! A big thanks to Darren Fellows for coming down to help with this photo walk as well.

Following Brighton Emily and I returned back to London to get ready for our Jack the Ripper Shoot! I have to give a lot of credit to Emily for this shoot. Without her efforts it just wouldn’t have happened. You can check out the shoot and video by clicking below:

That was seriously one of the most fun shoots I’ve ever had the privilege to shoot. But we weren’t done there! Rotolight had contracted me for a commercial shoot at the historic Fitzrovia Chapel that we did just a day later. A videography crew called Motion Blurr was hired to document the event. That video will be coming out soon….but in the meantime check out this image of Emily taken at the shoot! This was done with her and a male model named Lawrence and both of them did just great. It was in a chapel and they did play the part of a married couple so…..officially I’ve shot Emily’s wedding lol.

We ended that shoot and had a tight turnaround because the next morning we were due at the historic Pinewood Studios to give a full days worth of presentations for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops Camera. This was such a fun event where I got to work with so many talented and amazing photographers who were Jessops trainers who came there to learn more about the synergy between Sony cameras and Rotolight LED Lighting. This was a fantastic day to be indoors because the rain and cold were out in full effect that day. Many laughs were shared. And it was such an honor to have so many of the Jessops trainers that were a part of Fedora Nation.

After that it was a travel day from London to Manchester to get ready for our once in a lifetime event where I got to do workshops for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops at the historic Chethams Library. While the team was prepping for the event I was able to grab a few moments on the piano which was so exhilarating for me. Being able to play a grand Yamaha piano at such a historic place was something I’ll never forget, and I’m so grateful that my Assistant Emily was able to capture this moment with her phone:

Following that we did an event for two separate groups of photographers who came to learn about Sony and Rotolight, again working with the amazing folks from Jessops. It’s such a pleasure to be able to present for multiple sponsors when the products tie together so well.

This was a truly historic and fun event to do. I mean, how many photographers get to shoot in a library from the 1600’s that also has had scenes from Harry Potter shot there? Wow, what a blessing! We had some vintage clothing for all of the models. During the breaks between the two sessions I was able to quickly do some private shoots with the new Sony 24mm G Master with both Emily (my amazing muse) and another awesome model named Victoria.

Following the event at Chethams we went out with a few brave souls that were willing to go out into the cold for one last Photo Walk. This was quite a way to end the 2 week trek as we braved not only the cold…but also some drunk dudes, some unruly minors who liked to smoke, and some fans who wanted to say hello. But luckily the group was lively and we had a phenomenal time.

I can’t thank everyone enough for making this all possible. Emily was a tremendous help on this trip that was the longest of my career (because it was also tacked onto stops in New York City and Richmond before we even came to the UK). It wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as it was without her.

A big thanks to my sponsors Sony, Rotolight and Jessops. Sponsors can be such a tremendous support and help to open up doors. A super big thanks to my man Rod Gammons. He’s a real friend. Mark Baber, you know I love you! And last but not least my family at home. I couldn’t do it without the support of my wife and boys. I love you guys so much!!

Here are the production BTS shots from my time at Chethams Library. Thanks to Rotolight and Sony for taking these. Also stay on the lookout for more videos to come from these events.

I can’t wait to work with all of them again. Next up is speaking for Rotolight and Sony at the Profusion Convention in Canada!