Sigma and Tamron Holy Trinity for Sony E-Mount: Three F2.8 Zooms for Less Than Half the G Master Price
Sony opened its E-mount to other lens makers early, and that decision shaped the whole system. In Japan, Tamron was the biggest-selling interchangeable lens brand of 2025 in BCN’s point-of-sale data, ahead of Sigma and then Sony itself. A lot of those sales are f/2.8 zooms, bought by people who wanted the trinity without the G Master bill.
There are two ways to build one. Tamron’s set is the lightest and cheapest. Sigma’s set is closer to G Master in reach and build. Both land somewhere around $3,000 to $4,100 for three lenses, against about $7,400 for Sony’s own.
The Tamron trinity: light and cheap
Tamron’s original three were designed as a family, all taking 67mm filters.
For the wide end there are now two choices. The 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD from 2019 is 420 grams and about $899. The newer 16-30mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2, from mid-2025, costs about $929, weighs 440 grams, reaches a little wider and longer, and zooms internally, which video shooters on gimbals will appreciate. Pick the G2 if you’re buying new.
The middle is the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2, one of the best-selling Sony lenses of the decade. It weighs 540 grams and launched at $899.
The long end is the 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2, from 2023 at $1,299. It stops at 180mm, a little short of a true 70-200mm, and in return it weighs about 855 grams. The G2 added optical stabilization and focuses down to 0.3 meters at 70mm, close enough for detail shots at weddings.
Total: roughly 1.8 kilograms and about $3,100. That’s less weight than Sony’s G Master set, and less than half the price.
The Sigma trinity: closer to G Master
Sigma’s DG DN set goes wider and longer, and it’s built like pro glass.
The 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art ($1,399, 795 grams) is the wide-angle specialist, with a bulbous front element and no screw-in filters. The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art ($1,199, 745 grams) added linear motors and an aperture ring in 2024 and now trades blows with the G Master. The 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS Sports ($1,499) is the heavy one at about 1,345 grams with its tripod foot, and it has the stabilization and focus speed for sport.
Total: about 2.9 kilograms and $4,100. Heavier than Sony’s set, still far cheaper.
Sigma also makes a compact pair worth knowing. The 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary and 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary weigh about 450 and 470 grams and cost $899 each. Paired with Tamron’s 70-180mm G2, that’s a light, cheap travel trinity. The 28-70mm sits near the top of Japan’s BCN lens rankings month after month, usually behind only Sigma’s APS-C 18-50mm.
Which set should you buy
Wedding and event shooters who carry the bag all day should start with Tamron. The 28-75mm G2 and 70-180mm G2 are a proven pair, and the weight saving adds up over ten hours.
Landscape and architecture shooters who want 14mm, and sports shooters who need the full 200mm with stabilization, should look at Sigma. Sigma’s lenses are also sold for L-mount, so the same set moves with you if you ever switch to Panasonic.
Mixing brands is normal. Plenty of Sony shooters run the Tamron 28-75mm with Sony’s 70-200mm GM II, or Sigma’s 14-24mm with Tamron’s standard zoom. Autofocus works well with both makers on current bodies like the Sony A7 V and A7 IV, though the fastest burst rates on a few Sony bodies are reserved for Sony lenses.
For a Tamron zoom that replaces two of these lenses at once, see the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 review.