The Only 3 Lenses I Use Now

0:00 In today's video, we're going to be talking about the holy trinity.

0:03 And I feel like some of you are like,

0:04 "What is that, Matthew?" What is the holy trinity?

0:07 Oh, that's easy.

0:08 Patek, Vacheron, and AP.

0:09 He's not wrong, but this is a photography-based YouTube channel.

0:13 What does it mean in regards to photo and video?

0:16 What is the holy trinity?

0:17 Oh, yeah, you got to be more specific, dude.

0:19 [laughter] So, that would probably be, starting from the top, uh 70-200,

0:24 we're looking at either 24-70 or 28-70, and then 16-35, which I never use.

0:30 This This is what I know as the holy trinity,

0:32 and it has been the standard for a very, very long time.

0:34 And those are the only three lenses that you should actually have

0:36 in your kit to be able to shoot anything that you would want.

0:38 But I have a theory that the holy trinity is changing,

0:42 especially over the last couple years with the advancements of certain lenses,

0:46 glasses, apertures, and it's an exciting time.

0:48 So, I have a brand new kit,

0:50 and let me just show you what I'm using in 2026 as my holy trinity.

0:56 [music] All right, these are my go-to lenses in 2026.

1:02 [music] What a weird thing to say.

1:05 Number one, the most versatile lens and probably

1:08 like for the price point is amazing.

1:09 This is the 16-28 f/2.8 lens from Sigma.

1:14 [music] This is my vlogging lens.

1:16 This is my photo lens for wide.

1:18 This is just so excellent considering the like actual size of it right here.

1:22 Now, I know probably a lot of people are thinking,

1:24 "Why would you opt for a 16-28 over a 16-35?" Well,

1:29 let me show you because that goes really nicely into our next one,

1:32 which is my 28-105 f/2.8 lens, also from Sigma.

1:38 These two lenses I can pretty much do everything I would

1:40 want to, [music] but I have one more lens in that mix.

1:43 And that is a lens that Lumix released last year, which is the 100-500.

1:49 And when you add a 2x teleconverter to [music] it,

1:51 I can go all the way from 16 mil

1:54 to 1,000 mm in only three lenses and one teleconverter.

1:59 That's a lot of range and a lot of flexibility.

2:01 And now, this is not the only kit that exists right now.

2:03 Every other brand has their own version of what the new holy trinity is.

2:06 So, let's like break that down a little bit.

2:08 is Canon producing these days for their version of the modern holy trinity?

2:12 I mean, I think they're in love with 2.8.

2:15 So, what they're doing is they've got their 15-35.

2:18 We've also got the 24-105, which is classic.

2:21 It's like that one that you get right out of the box.

2:23 But instead of a four, we're looking at 2.8 and done really, really well.

2:26 And then, yeah, the 100-500, variable aperture, but reasonably priced.

2:31 Now, I think Sony really shook it up last year.

2:33 So, Sony's version of this actually looks like a 16-35 f/2.8,

2:38 but they also released a 28-70 f/2,

2:41 [music] which just kind of feels like you got like a whole bunch of primes.

2:44 You also have this brand new one, a 50-150 f/2.

2:48 I feel like this is just like obsessed with this lens.

2:51 I don't even shoot Sony, and I want it so bad.

2:54 Yeah.

2:54 And then, their final lens in that like setup,

2:56 you can do a 70-200 or you can do the 100-400.

3:00 I've used the 100-400.

3:01 That was like one of my favorite Sony lenses of all time.

3:03 But you're basically getting 16 to like 400,

3:06 and with a teleconverter, [music] you're getting up to 800.

3:08 So, like that's kind of what the range is.

3:09 F/2 is so wild, but you are paying a massive premium for that.

3:14 You're getting the G Master classic like pricing on that.

3:17 I do want to remind you that like just because there are new options out there,

3:20 it doesn't mean that the classic holy trinity is like not an option to consider.

3:23 So, we're on our way to go and meet up with our friend Alan Palander.

3:26 And he's currently [music] using just the standard kit,

3:28 and I think I just want to show you guys like

3:30 what you can still do with like what was considered the standard,

3:33 and then you can decide [music] through the examples that you've seen

3:35 in this video kind of what is a good fit for you.

3:41 All right, welcome to the well.

3:43 I feel like this is going to be a good location to get some photos at.

3:45 Where is this boy?

3:55 [music] All right.

3:55 And uh there he is, and he is using a wide-angle lens.

4:00 Uh sir, what are you doing?

4:01 You can't You can't be shooting right now.

4:02 I'm sorry.

4:03 We're going to have to kick you out.

4:04 The security.

4:05 You know what?

4:05 I actually really got afraid because

4:07 the security's been watching me like a hawk,

4:08 and I think uh we got to move here quickly.

4:10 But I'm shooting on my Canon um I was like I forgot my camera lens.

4:17 [laughter] It's the R5, and I have a 15-35 mm.

4:19 It's a 2.8 RF lens.

4:21 Okay, so one of the things that I do know about you is

4:23 that you've been shooting with like the classic

4:25 like holy trinity setup more or less.

4:27 Your go-to three lenses,

4:29 [music] like what are those, and when was the last time you upgraded a lens?

4:32 I mean, I haven't upgraded my lenses in over, what, 10 years,

4:35 I'd say, which might be shocking to a lot of you,

4:37 but my 35 mm prime lens is my go-to for a lot of the stuff I do.

4:42 I think it's a it's a combination of when

4:44 you find the aesthetic you're looking for and it works,

4:46 and that's where you create the consistency in your work,

4:48 and 35 has allowed me to do that.

4:50 The 24-70, which I had, I sold.

4:52 That was part of my holy trinity.

4:54 The 72-200 is definitely another lens I take advantage

4:57 of, especially cuz I work in [music] motorsport a lot,

4:59 and I think in that environment, you do need something with good distance.

5:02 So, between those three lenses, cuz you're a big advocate for just being like,

5:06 "Just use the gear that you have.

5:07 You don't always need to like upgrade it all

5:08 the time." If you had to say like percentage-wise,

5:11 how often are you using your like wide, your prime lens, and your 70-200?

5:17 I think my prime is probably [music] at a 35%, maybe if not 40.

5:21 And then, I would say that the wide is a lot less.

5:25 So, I'm using the wide between 10 to 15%,

5:28 and then the rest is the 72-200 at this point.

5:30 I never pull my 72-200 out.

5:33 I own one.

5:34 I know I'm like leaning towards the 100-500,

5:35 but if I had to put a percentage on my telephoto,

5:37 it's [music] like maybe 20% max, 15% most of the time.

5:41 My wide is my most used.

5:43 Want to dive a little bit more into why

5:44 you think like use the gear that you have.

5:54 [music] Why haven't I upgraded?

5:57 Why haven't I changed and added new lenses to my my gear bag?

6:00 And it has a lot to do A with the nature of my job.

6:02 I think once you know what you're doing in terms of photography or film,

6:06 you kind of focus specifically on those lenses

6:09 that you need in that environment.

6:11 So, adding new lenses deters you from actually

6:13 taking advantage of them and utilizing them.

6:15 And the third thing that I think has always been super important

6:17 to me is about creating aesthetic or some sort of consistency in your work.

6:21 And a lot of people forget that that could

6:23 be created by the lenses that you use.

6:26 It's not just the way you edit and do post-production.

6:28 Uh so, the lenses for me matter in terms of the look

6:31 I want to kind of carry forward in my content.

6:34 Then, do you feel that the holy trinity is then like too boring?

6:39 Because a lot of people would argue to say like versatility would be huge,

6:42 but do you Are you almost arguing to say like

6:44 the aesthetic is a big part of it for you?

6:46 I think for me it's always been aesthetic,

6:48 and I think that's where I was able to create my signature around my work.

6:51 But I wouldn't say that the holy trinity is boring per se,

6:54 but I feel like different stages of your career,

6:57 you're going to be experimenting with different tools.

6:59 As your final thoughts on everything here, do you think it's still even now

7:02 with all the options out there, would you upgrade?

7:05 I don't think I would, to be honest with you.

7:07 I think I'm at a good position right now with what I have,

7:10 and a big thing that was important for me

7:13 was not having excess weight when I'm traveling.

7:16 So, I'm good where I am, I think for the time being,

7:19 but I am willing to always try out something.

7:22 There's a new holy trinity out there.

7:23 You don't have to go out and be the one

7:25 that has to go and buy the latest and greatest tech,

7:26 but if you have a value for it,

7:28 if it's going to have an ROI for your business or your creativity,

7:30 absolutely you should go and consider it.

7:32 I just think you're going to be balancing like your f-stop,

7:35 how [music] heavy the item is, the price point.

7:37 I mean, those G Master lenses are crazy expensive,

7:40 and most likely the gear that you have right now is already going to serve you.

7:45 I'd be curious which holy trinity are you guys using right now?

7:47 What would be your dream holy trinity?

7:49 And I'll catch you guys in the comment section.

7:51 See you in the next one.

7:51 Bye.