I had been planning a trip to Portugal for a while and was keen on keeping my camera bag as small and light as possible, so instead of taking my usual array of larger lenses, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try the trio of compact Sony G prime lenses – 24, 40 and 50mm.

My first impression was how small and light they are, despite having a metal construction. In the hand they felt solid and well-built and I really liked the fact they are a uniform size, which meant I only needed one set of ND and polarising filters. The filter thread for each lens is 49mm which also means any accessories are small and compact. This saves money and bag space which for me is very important when hiking, living in a campervan and/or exploring new cities. I often have backache problems, so having a lightweight bag (that also doesn’t compromise on quality and professional results) is one of the most important factors when going travelling.

When you’re travelling and moving around a lot, mistakes happen. Taking lenses in and out of a camera bag can lead to damage but I felt confident that the G primes would take this pressure. The lenses feel robust, reliable and sturdy – not plastic and cheap. The exposed glass at the front is small which means you’re less likely to scratch or damage the front elements.

As soon as I’d started shooting I was quickly impressed with the picture quality of each lens. For me, the 50mm is stunning. Looking back at some of the images I can’t believe how sharp it is without looking too digital and the colours are clean and vibrant. Both myself and Sam (the videographer for the film) were really intrigued by the lens flares and bokeh created by each lens (for example how the out-of-focus water reflections looked in the blue waters of Portugal). The shape of each flare was really different – we liked them all when we needed them for creative purposes. The lenses are all the same size, yet there are different optical elements for the different focal lengths. Having ED glass helps suppress chromatic aberrations and colour fringing which didn’t go unnoticed.

The 24mm is a widely loved focal length for landscape or cityscape photographers and videographers. Whilst out in Portugal I opted to use this lens when capturing the cliff faces, narrow beaches and interesting rock formations. I always add a human subject to my landscapes and the lens was really able to separate the subject from the background in these instances. I decided to break the rules and use this lens for portraits in the city – and this is where I noticed little distortion and amazing performance in low light. During the harshest hours of the day, the contrast in the shadowy city streets really pushed the lens.

The lens that intrigued me the most was the 40mm, as it isn’t a focal length I’ve used at all but now it feels like a staple. It’s the kind of lens you can have on all day and really get along with. It just seemed like an obvious focal length for documentary and street photography. The perfect gap between the 24mm and 50mm. I often found myself torn between the 40mm and the 50mm as they both performed beautifully in all conditions.

When I was evaluating my shots in the edit I found myself wondering what the image would have looked like with a wider lens. I love this mystery. Both these lenses really surprised me.

Paired with my Alpha 7 IV, each lens felt great in hand. I was worried they would feel like a pancake lens but overall the look and feel were spot on. When I’m travelling I don’t like to show off my equipment and this combination isn’t too eye-catching or noticeable for unwanted attention.

I like something compact I can quickly store away so this combination was great for that. When in Portugal we’d finish up at sunrise and go out for brunch – I could put the lenses in my handbag and keep the camera out on the table. A bit like an accessory but one with a lot of quality punched into it.

Each lens seemed to have matching features across the table. For photography, I use autofocus the whole time but not for video – switching between was very easy. We had many beautiful, clean sunrises in Portugal capturing the rocky coastlines with its caves and cliff faces. In the early morning when the sun hasn’t made it to the shadows of the cliffs the lenses had no problem focusing or capturing the details. When the sun is up, it’s very harsh and bright and again, the lenses did not search or get lost – especially when shooting backlit moments using sun flares across the composition. This illustrates the brilliant dynamic range of the Alpha 7 IV – but having the G primes and apertures as wide as f/2.5 allowed any landscape to be captured really well.

I’m a very tactile person and I never stop touching my lens when I shoot – something adopted from using film cameras and manually focusing. Changing the aperture with your hands over a button is a great way to feel more connected with the photographic process. The ring is thin but deeply ridged and easy to distinguish from the focus ring. When operating the ring, it clicks and can’t be nudged out of place by mistake. Knowing that this can be switched to a flowing and smooth (but not too smooth) aperture ring is great for videographers and cine shooters.

For me, these lenses were very refreshing to use – especially the 40mm which surprised me hugely. I loved their simplicity and practicality, less is definitely more! As a photographer, complicating your equipment can be a disaster. For an overactive zoom user, primes lenses are perfect for a more mindful photography experience, allowing your true creative vision to come through. These are lenses you can grab, store in your bag with little thought (or weight) and still take away a lens packed with quality that will last a lifetime. The metal construction and engraved markings rather than painting, all make for a premium feel and experience. Whether you’re able to have the complete trio or not, each lens offers unique factors with the guarantee they can be used across many of Sony’s mirrorless systems. The full trio will allow any travel or documentary photographer to create their desired stories and compositions with varying focal lengths without breaking the bank or the spine!

It would indeed seem that all good things come in threes.