Video: 5 Simple Portrait Ideas & Tips for Any Outdoor Park

For our 5 portrait ideas, we’ll be using a pair of lenses sent to us by Tamron. We’ll be trying out the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 and the 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD lenses for Sony. The wide range of focal lengths as well as Tamron’s incredible lens build will help us get the perfect portrait series with our model, my friend, Sabrina. You can check her out on Instagram here.

#1: Backlight Your Portrait

Starting with the 28-75mm f/2.8, my first tip is to backlight your subject. I placed Sabrina underneath the dabbled sunlight created by the trees above.

Compare this with an image in direct sunlight.

#2: Reflector Bump

I had Sabrina pose beside the shaded side of a tree. The only problem is that the sunlight was bouncing off of the ground and creating a slight “underlight.”

To even this out, I used a white reflector and held it up to bounce the light back on her face. This created a very pleasant and even light, perfect for portraits.

#3: Shoot in Open Shade

Let’s switch to the 70-180mm f/2.8. I call this concept the “Open Shade.” You’ll notice that one side is shaded, in this case, by the tree, and the other side is open to the sky.

This essentially creates a giant soft directional light source. You can add an accent piece or shoot plainly. Either way, the light makes for great portraits.

#4: Compress the Scene

Take advantage of the zoom lens to squash the foreground and background together to really focus in on your subject. I combined this concept with tip #1 to create a backlight on Sabrina.

I then framed her in front of a dark area in the trees beside other backlit trees and captured these great images showcasing her dance skills.

#5: Find the Brightest Spot

This is one of my favorite framing elements because it places your subject where the most attention is drawn to in the image.

In this instance, the brightest spot in the frame was the opening in the trees in the background. Check out the difference.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Give these portrait ideas a try during your next park portrait session! Be sure to visit SLR Lounge Premium for complete courses on photography related subjects including Mastering Lightroom and Creating a Successful Photography Business. You can also visit Visual Flow for all of our intuitive Lightroom presets and retouching tools. Lastly, be sure to check out Tamron’s incredible 28-75mm f/2.8 as well as the 70-180mm f/2.8 lenses to cover your full range of focal lengths for all types of photography at a great price.

Thanks for watching and see you next time!

The “original” Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 was already so good, that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it instead of the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. The old Tamron is $880, the Sony GM is about $2K, and the new Tamron is (are you ready for this?) … a mere $20 more than the old one, at $900.

If you think that makes this new lens a no-brainer, however, there is more to consider. To state the obvious, 28mm is not 24mm. So, first and foremost, to anyone looking for a fully professional mid-range zoom, 28mm might not feel wide enough.

If the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM isn’t up to your standards in terms of optical performance, however, there is now an excellent alternative in the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, for just $1,100. Both f/2.8 zooms that reach 24mm are significantly larger and heavier than the Tamron, though.

Secondly, there’s also new competition for Tamron, in terms of compact, portable, affordable f/2.8 zooms. Sigma decided to make a Contemporary lens, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN C. Shockingly, this lens is downright tiny, and is also priced at $900 but also on sale for $800 at times! Needless to say, it’ll be a very tough call if the Sigma is any good. (Our review of the Sigma is coming soon, but we’ll spoil the ending in this review, below!)

So, is this new Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 the best choice for you? It certainly looks like it could be the best choice for quite a few different types of photographers. In this Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 review, we’ll talk about the lens’ strengths and weaknesses, which types of photography it’s perfect for, and what the competition looks like! On that note, let’s dive in.

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Specifications

• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E (FE full-frame)
• APERTURE: Constant f/2.8
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Linear motor (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive)
• MANUAL FOCUS: Electronically controlled, focus distance on-camera
• OPTICS: 17 elements in 15 groups, 2 Low Dispersion, Glass Molded Aspherical elements
• MECHANICS: Metal & Plastic, extends when zooming, weather-sealed, L-Fn button
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.37x, 0.18m (7.09 in)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 67mm filter threads, one-piece plastic hood
• SIZE: 76×118 mm (2.99×4.65 in)
• WEIGHT: 540 g (1.19 lb)
• PRICE: $899
  (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Review | Who Should Buy It?

Just like its predecessor, the Tamron 28-75 2.8 G2 is perfectly suited to a whole bunch of different genres and photographers ranging from beginner to professional. Simply put, if you do a lot of photography at medium-range focal lengths, and want a relatively fast, constant aperture, then this lens is automatically a top pick!

Wedding Photography

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is perfect for wedding photography, depending on your creative style as an artist. The f/2.8 aperture makes it usable in low light, and the image quality at that wide-open setting delivers not just “usable” but absolutely beautiful images.

Having said that, a lot of wedding photographers may often find themselves “cramming in” large numbers of people into a frame for a formal group photo, in which case having 24mm at your disposal can really make a difference.

My suggestion? As an up-close, in-the-action type of wedding photographer, I’d actually pair this 28-75mm with Tamron’s 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD, and I’d be super happy!

Portrait Photography

All types of portraiture can benefit from using a mid-range, fast-aperture zoom. Also, if you are in total control of your environment, you probably want to avoid putting human faces at the edges of a 24mm frame. So, really, this lens is another winner!

Some portrait photographers love prime lenses more than zooms, and with good reason. There is a big difference in the character of an image captured with an f/2.8 aperture and, say, f/1.4 or f/1.2. Personally, as a full-time portrait and wedding photographer, I prefer to have both zooms and primes at my disposal, and with potentially redundant focal lengths in my camera bag, I like zoom lenses that are lightweight and compact. In other words, yes, I’d buy this Tamron G2!

Fashion & Editorial Photography

If your style of portraiture is more about high-end fashion models or similar types of work, then you might want to first look at a telephoto f/2.8 zoom instead, to minimize distortion on your subjects; Tamron’s 70-180mm f/2.8 is an impressive alternative to Sony’s pricey FE 70-200mm f/2.8

Casual Everyday Photography

Any type of walk-around photography, from a random hang-out with friends to that big family vacation to somewhere exotic, could be well-documented with this one single lens. Also, when you’re carrying around a camera literally all day, the lighter the better! The 28-75mm f/2.8 is an excellent alternative to the bigger, heavier flagship 24-70mm’s.

Having said that, 28-75mm isn’t even a 3x zoom, it’s a mere 2.6x zoom. (A 24-70mm is a 2.9x zoom, by the way) So, if maximum versatility is what you’re looking for, personally I wouldn’t hesitate to instead choose the impressive Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6, a 7.1x superzoom that is one of the sharpest superzooms I’ve ever reviewed!

It all depends on what type of photography subjects you are into. If you do mostly close-quarters, low-light candids with friends and family, then get the Tamon 28-75mm f/2.8 G2. If you’re looking for a lens that you use for exotic family vacations, however, with subjects ranging from cityscapes and landscapes to wildlife or other distant scenes, then the 28-200mm will be your best choice.

[Related: Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Review | The Superzoom Reimagined]

Landscape Photography

If you’re doing all of your landscape photography work at f/11, you might not care whether your zoom lens is an f/2.8 or an f/4. In fact, in this article here, I outline exactly why you might opt instead to go with the Sony 24-105mm f/4 G OSS, for its impressive sharpness.

Alternately, again, the Tamron 28-200mm is so sharp at f/8 that you might prefer it for “traditional” landscape photography, plus you get f/2.8 at 28mm where it might really count for low-light work.

Nightscape & Astrophotography

When you’re photographing a landscape by moonlight or starlight, then f/2.8 becomes essential! Honestly, however, 28mm is often not wide enough. I would say, “just add the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 to your bag,” but the reality is, you should probably start with that wide-angle zoom, not this mid-range one!

Having said that, technically speaking this lens is indeed quite impressive in terms of its optical performance for astro-landscape photography. If you can afford both Tamron lenses, go for it!

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Review | Pros & Cons

Image Quality

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 may appear to be a modest or even kit-style lens at first, however, don’t be fooled. The images coming out of its optics are technically impressive, and more importantly, aesthetically beautiful.

There are a few subtle caveats that have to do with vignetting and distortion correction, for those of you who heavily process your images, but in general, the image quality delivers the goods: plenty of sharpness/resolution at f/2.8 and all focal lengths, smooth bokeh for portraiture background blur, and no pesky aberrations to worry about.

Sharpness

Sharpness is truly impressive. It out-resolved my 24-megapixel test camera, and seems ready for your 40-60-megapixel beasts if you have a Sony A7R III or Sony A7R IV.

Even at f/2.8, at all focal lengths, sharpness extends well away from the center of the image, reaching the edges quite nicely, and only showing a bit of softness in the extreme corners.

This is an improvement over the previous version of the lens, actually; the original is indeed quite sharp, however, it wasn’t as excellent especially off-center and especially at 75mm. I was not able to directly compare the old and new versions, however, I feel confident in this claim based on how much work I’ve done with both lenses.

Bokeh

Background blur is beautifully soft and smooth, making the lens perfect for all types of things from portraiture to wedding details.

“Bokeh dots”, or the well-defined circles of a pin-point light source such as “twinkle lights”, look beautiful and thankfully have only a faint amount of onion rings inside them. Off-center the dots can get oval/lemon-shaped, as with most other mid-range fast-aperture lenses.

Vignetting & Distortion

This is where I get to be highly critical of most modern mirrorless lenses. Thankfully, most photographers won’t be concerned with the following issues, but they can be a problem if you heavily edit your photos.

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2, like many other modern mirrorless lenses, is designed to be a compromise on optical performance that affords increased portability. In other words, this lens is using quite a lot of “secret” editing to reduce/eliminate both vignetting and distortion from both your raw and JPG photos.

You can leave the correction features turned on in-camera, and you might never notice any vignetting or distortion. There is also a correction for chromatic aberration, and I highly recommend leaving all three settings on “auto” with your Sony full-frame mirrorless camera!

However, you should know that optically speaking, the lens does have significant amounts of vignetting and distortion that are being swept under the rug.

Distortion is virtually nonexistent with the profile left on, and thankfully this lens is more than sharp enough that the correction doesn’t harm image detail.

However, the vignetting correction is a mixed bag. As you can see, with the correction turned off, vignetting is severe. Turning on the correction profile does help, however, it never looks truly perfect when working with, for example, the Dehaze slider on a soft, even-toned sky. Some wide-angle lenses are even worse, mind you, with noticeable color shifts in the corners of images!

All in all, I’d say the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 is almost par for the course. I should also note that as its even more compact size might indicate, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 does have a tiny bit worse vignetting.

Sunstars & Flare

Flare is incredibly well-controlled, without any annoying dots of light in most conditions, though you can create one or two if you try really hard.

Sunstars on the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 are beautifully classic pinpoints, which is a lovely sight to see compared to most modern lenses with such rounded aperture blades that even at f/10 you don’t see any good “spike” definition. As you can see above, the points aren’t perfectly defined, but they’re quite substantial.

Also, in comparison, the newest competitor from Sigma isn’t as impressive; its sunstars are the typical fuzzy flower petals that many Sigma lenses render, as you can see above.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

For the most obscure aspects of testing image quality, there is some impressively good news! This new Tamron isn’t perfect, of course, but with the in-camera color fringing correction left on, there is virtually no color fringing, chromatic aberration, and even coma or astigmatism.

If you’re a portrait photographer, you’ll be glad to not have those blue/purple/green halos around high-contrast edges when shooting at f/2.8. If you’re a nightscape photographer, you’ll appreciate pin-point stars even towards the edges and corners of your images, even though there is a slight penalty in sheer resolution. It is worth noting that both the Tamron and the Sigma have solid aberration performance, and ample resolution, although the Sigma does seem to render a little more haze.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

As with many Tamron lenses, the close-up performance is quite good; it’s not what you’d get from a dedicated macro lens, of course, but there is plenty of sharpness, beautiful bokeh, and a solid overall magnification ratio.

Design & Durability

Okay, let’s transition from talking about the images, to talking about the lens itself. Physically speaking, Tamron is using plastic in all the right ways. The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is sturdy, smooth-operating, and weather-sealed. It does not exactly feel like it is on the same level as, say, a Sony GMaster lens or a Canon L lens, however, don’t let that fool you! There are many years of longevity in the G2 series Tamron lenses, despite not being as “overbuilt” as their name-brand competition.

Also, I do appreciate that Tamron has been creating so many lenses with the modest, portable 67mm filter threads, in an era where 77mm filters have given way to the large, expensive 82mm filters for a professional-grade lens. This might not be possible if Tamron ever makes an “SP” mirrorless lens, but for this series, I’m very grateful.

Autofocus Performance

Tamron’s latest autofocus technology is quite impressive in terms of both sheer speed and precision/reliability. In other words, they didn’t just put a faster motor in this G2 lens, they have also improved our ability to trust the lens to deliver in-focus images even when working in dim, active conditions.

By the way, Tamron claims the lens is actually twice as fast, but I couldn’t measure/confirm such a claim so precisely. I can at least confirm that it is definitely more snappy/responsive, and it just nails focus far more consistently than older third-party lenses!

Manual Focus Performance

Manual focus is done electronically by the smooth-operating focus ring. There is no distance scale on the lens itself, but the in-camera distance scale works well enough, and when turning the camera off and back on I do believe it is memorizing your focus position. Manual precision itself is fantastic.

Features & Customizations

This is one of the biggest areas where Tamron has made improvements compared to the lens’ predecessor. Instead of a total no-frills design, the G2 lens has two major new additions: A customizable function button, and a USB port for firmware updates!

It is unfortunate that firmware updates are now such a common thing for lenses, however, this is a good thing in the long run because it should offer smoother operation overall, and even provide actual autofocus improvements for your existing lenses!

Personally, I do wish Tamron had gone with an AF/MF switch on the side of the lens instead of a function button. Sony camera bodies already have a plethora of customizable buttons, and in my opinion, not enough traditional switches.

When it comes to important settings like autofocus versus manual focus, I really appreciate having a physical switch because it allows me to sense the setting without having to take my eye away from the action even for a split second.

Value

Here is undoubtedly one of the biggest reasons to buy this lens. There is no way to sugar-coat this: The Tamron costs less than half as much as the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, and yet, it’s even better, optically speaking.

Then again, there are some other great values out there, too. If you want an even smaller f/2.8 zoom that covers almost the same focal range, Sigma’s 28-70mm f/2.8 Contemporary is even smaller than the Tamron. Alternately, if you want an excellent value but also want to go to 24mm, you’ll have to invest in the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art.

Lastly, if you want to wait and see if Tamron makes an “SP” 24-70mm f/2.8 for the E-mount someday soon, you could expect it to cost $1,200 or more, and be a very different lens in terms of physical weight and filter thread size, etc.

All in all, $900 is a truly excellent value for the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2. Can you actually beat the value, though? Let’s talk about the alternatives in more detail next…

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 | Versus The Competition

There are different criteria to consider here. Do you want a very similar option to the Tamron 28-75mm G2? There is the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8, and that’s it. Personally, I actually do prefer the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8, because it is a bit more compact than the Tamron, plus, I really like having an AF/MF switch more than I care about having one of those Fn buttons on the lens (Although the USB port on the Tamron is nice!)

Then again, what if you want an f/2.8 zoom that goes to 24mm? If you’ve got the budget and you’re not shopping the Tamron specifically for its compactness, then my advice is to skip the Sony 24-70 GM and get the Sigma 24-70 Art lens that I mentioned earlier.

By the way, not that it should matter too much, but Tamron zooms rotate in the same direction as Sony E-mount zooms, while Sigma zooms rotate in the other direction. (The “Canon direction” that is…)

Last but not least, what about the previous Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8? Well, since the price is so similar, if you don’t own either lens yet, then you should absolutely just get the G2. The difficult question is, what if you already own the previous version? Honestly, if you’re happy with the sharpness and autofocus performance, then yeah, stick with your current investment! The G2 will only give you a consistent, noticeable advantage if you are really pushing the envelope of what is possible with low-light, high-megapixel photography.

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Review | Conclusion

It is exciting to see Tamron delivering a second-gen product for the Sony full-frame mirrorless ecosystem, indeed! The original E-mount Tamron 2-75mm f/2.8 was already impressive, however, today we have 61-megapixel cameras and this will put a high demand on older lenses.

You might not need to upgrade from the previous version if you already own it and you are not an extreme-corners pixel-peeper in terms of image quality, however, if you do any pixel-peeping

Check Pricing & Availability

Despite being almost brand new in late 2021, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is already available to ship from B&H, Adorama, and  Amazon, for $899.

Video: 5 Tips to Maximize the Shallow Depth of Field Effect In Your Portraits

Rather than a prime lens, I’ll be using the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2. This is to show that you can still achieve a great shallow depth of field effect with a zoom lens. I paired this lens with a Sony a7III Mirrorless Camera. The key is to always shoot at the widest open aperture.

Our model today is Kiara so be sure to visit her on Instagram. Let’s dive in.

Tip #1: Change Your Angle

Let’s begin by taking our first portrait of Kiara against the bushes. While the image isn’t bad, the scene lacks the shallow depth of field effect because the background itself isn’t very deep.

To change this, we want to find a scene with a foreground that leads into the subject and a background that goes far back. This sidewalk is perfect as the leading lines draw our eyes right to Kiara. The distance in the background also allows it to fall off into a nice blur.

Tip #2: Backlight Your Subject

I always find that backlighting adds depth to the image. I took the photo at the widest focal length and widest aperture and got this great image.

Tip #3: When Wide, Step Close to Your Subject

When shooting wide angles, you have to be close to your subject to get that shallow depth of field. I then stepped in and got a shot from closer up using the same focal length and aperture.

Here are the two images for comparison. Notice the difference in shallow depth of field effect between the two images.

Tip #4: Exaggerate the Effect by Zooming In and Stepping Back

I took the lens up to 75mm and took an image with the same framing. At this focal length, the background is compressed and the depth is exaggerated.

Here are the images side by side.

Tip #5: Add a Foreground

Adding a foreground is a great way to add to the shallow depth of field effect. Ideally, the foreground will also be backlit. I had Kiara stand in the grass and took the image through the leaves.

Putting It All Together

Now it’s time to put it all together. Here are the final images using these techniques to maximize the shallow depth of field effect.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this video/article. Understanding these techniques is a great way to make the most of your portraits, even when you may not have a prime lens. Even with a zoom lens, you can still get great shallow depth of field effects. Be sure to check out SLR Lounge Premium where we have courses on all things photography. In addition, check out Visual Flow for intuitive lighting based presets and retouching tools like we used in this tutorial.

Lastly, this tutorial was edited using LUT’s by Gamut, which you can find here.

Thanks for joining us this week and we’ll see you next time!

To spoil the ending, if you’re looking for a relatively affordable lens with truly excellent performance, this Tamron 150-500mm might be just right for you. However, there are also some great competitors, if you are interested in all of the various focal range options, such as 70-300mm, 100-400mm, 150-600mm, or 200-600mm.

The bad news is, deciding between any of these lenses based on their performance alone would be almost impossible, because they’re all excellent. The good news is, this means that depending on the type of photography you do, what your budget is, and of course how big and heavy of a lens you are willing to carry around, …one of these lenses might be perfect for you!

So, let’s dive into this review of the Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7! I’ll go over the different types of uses that this lens would be perfect for when you might want to opt for an alternative for your photography with a telephoto zoom, and of course, I’ll dive deep into things like image quality, build quality, and whether the price is a good value!

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 150-500mm, (16° 25′ to 4° 57′)
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E (FE full-frame)
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/5-6.7, f/22-32; 7-blade rounded aperture
• STABILIZATION: Yes, Vibration Compensation (VC); unspecified number of stops
• AUTOFOCUS: VXD linear motor, virtually silent
• MANUAL FOCUS: Electronically controlled, no focus distance scale
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 16 groups, 1 extra-low dispersion, 5 low-dispersion, 2 hybrid aspherical elements, BBar-G2 coating, fluorine coating.
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION:  Metal, plastic, weather-sealed
• TRIPOD COLLAR: Included, Arca-Swiss foot, removable, no “click” positions
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.32x magnification, 23.6″ (60 cm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 82mm filter threads, one-piece plastic hood
• SIZE: 3.7 x 8.3 in (93 x 209.6 mm)
• WEIGHT: 4.14 lb (1.88kg)
• PRICE: $1,399 (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Review | Who Should Buy It?

There are lots of photography subjects that can be truly exciting to view through a lens with a focal length of 500mm. Besides professional athletes and exotic wildlife, of course, you can find a purpose for literally anything from landscapes to abstract nature details.

Honestly, just about the only thing that I wouldn’t love to use this lens for would be, of course, indoor portraits! It may seem over-the-top to claim that I love to see what almost any subject looks like through a lens that starts at 150mm on its widest end and goes all the way to 500mm on the telephoto end, but, it really is quite addicting!

Having said that, the Tamron 150-500mm is, of course, a nearly $1,400 investment, and it does weigh over 4 lbs, so it may not be right for you as just another creative tool. If you’re going to invest in this lens, you’ll want to know that the exact type of photography and your creative style will put it to very good use.

Action Sports Photography

A lot of action sports happen at a distance, of course. Whether you are photographing surfers from a beach or pier, or you’re photographing professional team sports from the sidelines of a game, you’ll probably be able to put the 500mm end of this lens to very good use, and you might not mind that the lens’ widest focal length is 150mm.

Of course, some action sports might actually be better off photographed through a 70-200mm lens; you’ll definitely want to know exactly what your most common shooting distances are before investing in either type of lens.

Last but not least, most action sports take place in very well-lit conditions, so the rather slow aperture range of f/5-6.7 on this lens shouldn’t be too big of a deal-breaker, especially if you are willing to shoot at ISO 1600 or 3200 even in sunlight, in order to achieve an extremely fast shutter speed and really freeze the action.

Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photographers often also need all the “reach” they can get, and in fact, even 500mm might not be enough at times. (We’ll talk about the competitors that reach 600mm later in this review!)

Also, wildlife photography, unlike many action sports, often happens in dimmer lighting conditions, especially around sunrise and sunset, which can really be difficult to do at very dark apertures. (Then again, the similarly priced competitors are also relatively slow apertures at their long end!)

In the sample 100% crop shown below, you are looking at an ISO 1600 image captured at f/7.1.

All in all, this lens is a good choice for any wildlife photographer who wants as much reach as possible but is also on a budget of both money and space/weight.

Landscape Photography

Landscape photographers, of course, care more about sharpness at stopped down apertures than the sheer speed of the aperture at its widest/fastest setting. As such, if you’re a landscape photographer who really loves super-telephoto compression effects, the Tamron 150-500mm is an excellent choice, because as you are about to see, it is very sharp indeed!

Wedding & Portrait Photography

Since this Tamron telephoto lens starts at 150mm, it’s not really practical for portraits or event journalism of any kind. Even if you are photographing a person or event from a great distance, and in bright sunlight, you probably “only” need a 70-200mm, or 70-300mm, or 100-400mm lens at most.

Candid & Street Photography

If you like “people watching” then super-telephoto lenses are always fun. Personally, though, I don’t like the creepy stalker vibe for such street photography; I would much rather use a more normal lens and actually approach people and ask if I can take their picture, or just photograph cityscapes or architecture at wide focal lengths.

Abstract & Fine Art (Close-Up Detail) Photography

Last but not least, I don’t know how else to describe this overall genre of photography, but, simply put, almost any photography subject can be seen in a totally new way when you get to 400mm or 500mm.

Once you really zoom in and get close-up to any subject, the abstract or at least unique creative perspective is just a lot of fun. Compression, subject isolation, and shallow depth of field; each of these visual tools is taken to an extreme once you get towards 500mm.

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Review | Pros & Cons

The actual pros and cons of this Tamron lens are going to be very different than, say, comparing two different 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms or comparing two 50mm primes. It will be more like trying to compare a 24-70mm f/2.8 against a 24-105mm f/4, or trying to compare a 35mm prime against an 85mm prime.

In other words, this Tamron 150-500mm is so unique, that all of the little quirks, advantages or disadvantages, will probably not be deal-breakers for you. Basically, all that will matter is this: are you, the photographer, interested in this exact zoom range? SPOILER ALERT: This is an excellent lens. It’s just a unique focal range and a pretty big/heavy investment.

Having said that, let’s break down the aspects of image quality and the other pros and cons of this lens.

Image Quality

When testing and demonstrating the image quality of a super-telephoto zoom lens, there are a few things to keep in mind. Basically, the main emphasis is going to be in the central part of the image when it comes to sharpness and other things like color fringing; the extreme corners of this lens just aren’t going to be very important to most action sports and wildlife photographers. Furthermore, sharpness at the telephoto end of this lens is going to be extremely important; nobody wants to buy a super-telephoto lens and then need to then remind themselves to zoom out a little bit if they want the sharpest possible results!

Also, another very important consideration is the bokeh; virtually every photo you take with this lens will have a blurred background. Oppositely, of course, you won’t have to worry very much about things like distortion or vignetting, as long as they’re decently well-controlled.

For these reasons, I’ll be ranking the lens quite highly for image quality, (I might even give it a 10/10, I haven’t decided yet!) …even though I will be holding it to very different standards compared to most other lenses.

Sharpness

Sharpness is truly excellent throughout the entire zoom range. Honestly, if this lens got “a little soft” at 500mm, and if I felt inclined to suggest that you either stop down or zoom back out to, say, 450mm or 400mm, then I flat-out wouldn’t recommend buying this lens, period.

At 500mm, thankfully, sharpness looks nearly identical to every other focal length. This is truly impressive for a lens of this zoom range, price tag, and portability.

If you pixel-peep the extreme corners, you will see softness. However, truthfully, this is a compromise I am happy to make in order to get such incredible image quality in such a relatively portable package.

NOTE: When you are using a super-telephoto lens, you will often be “seeing through” a lot of atmospheric haze and other distortions that can harm your image quality. Whether it is a burning-hot day or just a hazy, smoggy, or un-clear day with poor visibility, don’t be fooled into thinking that a 400mm or 500mm lens is “soft”, just because your images are soft! As the above examples prove, this lens is capable of excellent sharpness. However, as you will see below; in poor conditions, sometimes overall image detail can suffer.

In the above example, you’ll also notice that there are weird patterns in the bokeh. This is one telltale sign that you are in conditions of extreme heat. If the subject had been any further away, the image detail would have been likely totally ruined.

Bokeh

Bokeh is extremely soft and smooth. Any close-up images render both foreground and background blur with a creaminess that you’re only used to seeing with an 85mm f/1.4 prime! I found myself continually surprised at how gorgeous close-up nature imagery was.

In other words, don’t let the relatively slow aperture range fool you; bokeh is not just affected by aperture numbers, it is definitely a subjective characteristic that has a lot to do with the optics of the lens, and of course the focal length and subject+background distances.

Just about the only time bokeh will get “busy” is if you are photographing truly “nasty” stuff like dead twigs in bright sunlight, which is to be expected; even a $10,000+ exotic pro lens isn’t going to do much better in such sub-optimal conditions!

Colors & Contrast

Overall contrast and colors are rendered very clear and vibrant. No complaints! Sometimes third-party lenses can have a faint color cast compared to a name-brand competitor, but in this case, I feel like setting your white balance correctly for the scene will always be far more important than anything else.

Vignetting & Distortion

As I mentioned earlier, this just isn’t a very important aspect of testing for a lens like this.  Unless you have a very urban, architectural shooting environment, or another scientifically accurate photography genre, distortion is just not going to be a noticeable issue on this 150-500mm lens.

Vignetting is going to be present but un-distracting, especially if you leave the in-camera correction turned on.

Sunstars & Flare

You will probably find yourself trying to avoid flare of any kind with this lens, and thankfully, with the substantial hood and the excellent glass coatings, you can expect clear, crisp images even in severely backlit conditions.

Also, sunstars can be visible even at f/8, if you look closely in extremely bright spectral highlights, which is really nice for photographers who might want that faint twinkle but aren’t able to stop all the way down to f/16 or f/22 to get a clear starburst.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

Almost all of these things are not very important on such a super-telephoto lens. Simply put, unless you want to do deep sky astrophotography with it, (which, you could do!) …your main concern is going to be whether or not there is any color fringing at the edges of your bokeh/in-focus zones when shooting wide-open.

There is virtually no color fringing whatsoever with the Tamron 150-500mm, even around harsh highlights and with wide-open apertures.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

When focusing very close, this lens doesn’t qualify as a “dedicated macro” lens, however, its super-telephoto focal range does render any subject as if it were a macro subject, due to how shallow your DOF inherently will be at such focal lengths as 300-500mm.

Thankfully, this lens is still incredibly sharp even when you’re focusing at its closest/minimum focusing distances.

Stabilization Performance

Before we move on from image quality, there is something that needs to be mentioned which directly relates to image quality, and that is, how well the VC (Vibration Compensation) system works. Unfortunately, Tamron doesn’t list a specific number of stops anywhere, and when you’re capturing moving subjects at a focal length like 500mm, the “safe” shutter speed rule of thumb starts flying out the window.

Basically, at 500mm, a full-frame camera ought to be hand-holdable at 1/500 sec. However, these days with sensor resolutions going higher and higher, I tend to at least double that rule, say for example 1/1000 sec, and maybe even 2 stops just to be safe with fast-action subjects. This means I’m at about 1/2000 sec for most hand-held, high-speed subjects.

In testing, I felt barely comfortable shooting hand-held at around 1/160 or 1/250 sec with the VC “saving the day”, and even then, it wasn’t 100% consistent. So, depending on how you look at it, this lens’ stabilization is “only” helping by 1-2 stops, maybe up to 4 stops if you’re a “safe” shooter who starts counting EVs at an increased rule of thumb.

Design & Durability

Now that we know the image results are able to meet a very high standard, let’s talk about the lens itself from a physical build quality standpoint!

The Tamron 150-500mm lens is incredibly well-built. It is a delightful balance of rugged durability and realistic portability, for all those photographers who aren’t getting paid to lug a “big gun” monster of a lens into the backcountry, but who still want something that can take a beating on their next photography excursion or vacation.

In terms of the actual physical design, it is exactly what I have come to expect from Tamron for this flagship class of lenses. (Meaning, it may not have an “SP” label, but it’s definitely not a basic “kit” lens!) The main parts of the barrel feel nearly indestructible, and the extending part of the zoom feels sturdy enough that it will last a lifetime as long as I don’t drop it, or leave it to rattle around on the floor of my car on a dirt road all day.

I don’t mind extending lens barrels, though some photographers do. Portability is something I can appreciate, though, and as long as the lens is weather-sealed, (this one is) I never hesitate to take a lens like this out into a bit of rain or dust…

Features & Customizations

Again, this is one of Tamron’s better designs, on par with their flagship “SP” line of DSLR lenses. A full array of switches adorn the barrel of the 150-500mm, strategically placed in between the focus ring and zoom ring.

This lens does have a really useful Arca-Swiss compatible dovetail on its tripod foot, however, the removable tripod collar has no click-stops at 90-degree angles like a few others might have.

The zoom ring has a really cool feature that I’ve never seen before, and quickly grew to enjoy: The zoom ring has a forward-shifting clutch mechanism that allows you to lock the lens at any focal length you want, instead of just a single switch to lock the lens at its most collapsed position. (Which, by the way, this lens also has.)

Last but not least, there are no customizable Fn buttons on this lens, unfortunately. Honestly, though, as much as I always love button customization, I’ve never really missed this feature when it’s not there.

Autofocus Performance

For a big telephoto lens, autofocus performance is honestly just as important as image quality itself! If a lens doesn’t have the chops to move all that glass fast enough to focus on, or track, a fast-moving subject, then it becomes almost un-usable for certain types of work.

In the past, affordable super-telephoto lenses would skimp out on a big, powerful autofocus motor, unfortunately. The Tamron 150-500m is not one of those lenses; its AF motor is impressively fast, it can “rack” focus from near to far lightning-quick, and it nails focus almost every time in most lighting conditions, on any of the latest Sony cameras that have their latest-and-greatest AF processors and algorithms.

Manual Focus Performance

Considering how telephoto this lens is, you will probably be relying on autofocus almost all the time. However, sometimes even when you’re using AF and getting close but still not perfectly sharp, (say, in low light, and the subject doesn’t have much texture) being able to manual focus easily is an added bonus for many photographers.

Thankfully, the manual focusing precision and focus throw of this lens are pretty good. It’s not as excellent as a fully mechanical focus ring, and the lens doesn’t have a focus distance window like the DSLR-made 150-600mm, etc. super-telephoto zoom lenses have, but that’s probably not going to be a deal-breaker for any purchasers of this lens. (Focus distance can be displayed on your Sony mirrorless camera’s screen, of course)

Value

At $1,399, this lens is incredibly affordable as far as lenses reaching 500mm are concerned. In fact, when you combine its image quality with its overall build quality, you are basically getting a nearly flagship-grade lens at a “prosumer” price.

The only way to potentially get a slightly better value is if you are either willing to compromise on your focal length, and get a 100-400mm or 70-300mm instead, or willing to use an adapted DSLR lens on your (Sony?) mirrorless camera. Aside from those alternatives, this Tamron is not just a good value, but it’s one of the only choices in its price range.

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Review | Compared To The Competition

The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 is the only lens available that offers its exact focal range natively on the Sony E mount, however, there are a few good competitors that you should consider, depending on what you are looking for.

For just a little bit more money, you can get the bigger, heavier, but yet-un-reviewed Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sport. I haven’t reviewed the Sigma yet, so I won’t say something like, “it’s a good choice if you can afford it and are okay with an even bigger lens that is almost a pound heavier” …because that would be unprofessional of me to say without knowing for sure how good a lens actually is.

The only other relatively affordable E-mount lens that offers 500mm is, of course, Sony’s own 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS. It costs $1,998, and it’s a “G” lens, not a “GM” (GMaster) lens, however, it is quite impressive. It reaches 600mm, however, it is also quite big and heavy, with its fully internal zooming and very robust overall construction.

“Cropping In For Extra Reach”

Now, before we talk about alternatives that are less than 500mm, I need to mention something that I haven’t really mentioned yet: Even at 500mm, a lot of the photos in this review were cropped in substantially on a Sony A1, and/or captured on an APS-C (1.5x crop, so, 750mm equivalent) Sony A6600.

So, if you really do love photographing wildlife of any kind or telephoto action sports, you might want to only consider this Tamron 150-500mm, or one of the alternatives that hit 600mm!

Having said that, moving on down the line! For just a little bit less money, ($949 at present) you can get the lighter and smaller Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS C. It doesn’t come with a tripod collar, though, and it really does need one. (It’s not that lightweight, and is very, very front-heavy if you attempt to mount it to a tripod or monopod from the camera’s tripod plate.)

For those who really don’t need 500mm, and are actually just looking for something that is slightly longer than the common 70-200mm focal length, the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is a winner for its ultralight portability, and low price tag of $499.

I could write an entire article about the DSLR-made alternatives that you could choose, but, suffice it to say, they’re all quite decent, and if you already own one of them you might be happy with what you’ve got. This Tamron’s native E-mount advantage, of course, will be its autofocus reliability and its impressive portability as a 500mm-capable zoom.

Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Review | Conclusion

Finally, the super-telephoto zoom category is getting some great options if you are a Sony E-mount user. Whether you are working with a full-frame mirrorless camera or an APS-C E-mount body, the Tamron 150-500mm is an excellent balance between the traditional 100-400mm focal length and the mirrorless (and DSLR) options that reach 600mm, but are bigger and heavier too.

It’s incredibly sharp, the autofocus is snappy and excellent at tracking fast-moving subjects, and the overall quality is worth the investment. If you like what you see, then you won’t regret acquiring this lens!

Check Pricing & Availability

The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 is available for $1,399, and includes both an Arca Swiss tripod foot and a sturdy hood.

(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Versatility is important in photography gear, especially when it comes to lenses. In fact, most photographers will tell you that lenses represents one of the most important investments a photographer can make, more so than camera bodies. Seriously!

Whether you shoot weddings, portraits or landscapes, lens choice can either limit or enhance your creativity and sometimes mean the difference between getting and missing the shot.  For example, if you’ve ever tried to capture an important moment using a slow-focusing lens with variable aperture, then you know how limiting (or frustrating) it can be. Fortunately, it’s easier than you might think to get your hands on a quality lens.

We’ve teamed up with Tamron to offer one lucky winner an amazing new lens, the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A (model B070), equivalent to 25.5-105mm on full-frame cameras. It is the world’s first F2.8 high-speed zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras to achieve a 4.1x zoom ratio. Along with Tamron’s highly regarded VC image stabilization, this fast, sharp, and lightweight lens will allow you to focus on what matters, capturing beautiful images that you and your clients will love.

The Giveaway Prize – Tamron 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A (model B070)

Tamron’s 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A (model B070) lens was built for mirrorless cameras and features a wide focal length range, constant aperture throughout that range, as well as an amazing autofocus system, with Fast Hybrid AF, Eye AF, Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Camera-based lens unit firmware updates, and more. It’s also lightweight, which makes it great for travel or packing into minimalist kits. See the specs below for even more details.

Specs

• Focal Length: 17-70mm (for APS-C frame mirrorless format) | (for full-frame mirrorless format: 25.5-105mm equivalent field-of-view)
• Maximum Aperture: F2.8
• Angle of View: (diagonal) 79° 55′-23° 00′ (for APS-C frame mirrorless format)
• Optical Construction: 16 elements in 12 groups
• Minimum Object Distance: 0.19m /7.5 in (WIDE), 0.39m /15.4 in (TELE)
• Maximum Magnification Ratio: 1:4.8 (WIDE) / 1:5.2 (TELE)
• Filter Size: φ67mm
• Maximum Diameter: φ74.6mm
• Length: 119.3mm (4.7 inches from the front tip of the lens to the lens mount face)
• Weight: 525g (18.5 oz)
• Aperture Blades: 9 (circular diaphragm, which stays almost perfectly circular up to two stops down from maximum aperture)
• Minimum Aperture: f/22
• Standard Accessories: Flower-shaped hood, Lens caps
• Compatible Mounts: Sony E-mount

[Related Reading: Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Review | The Superzoom Reimagined]

How to Enter the TamronUSA Giveaway

You can enter using the widget below or by clicking this link. There are a total of 4 ways to enter and each entrant can gain up to 15 entries if you complete all of the entry methods. Giveaway ends February 28th, 2021.

Tamron 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A (model B070) Giveaway ($799 Value)!

Good luck!

With the most zoom range of any f/2.8 zoom we know of, at a whopping 4.1X, this lens is truly unique. It’s compact, affordable, and yes, the image quality is truly impressive.

But, here’s the real reason why your eyebrows should perk up at the idea of this lens: if you’re thinking of using a full-frame Sony camera, with a lens like the Sony 24-105mm f/4, …this Tamron will give you the same “light-gathering” capability, but in an affordable, portable APS-C package! That’s right, this lens might cure you of the “need” to lug around a heavy, expensive full-frame camera.

Now, do we have your attention? Read on, and this will review will show you that it’s not too good to be true…

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 17-70mm, (25.5-105mm full-frame equivalent) 79°- 23°
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount (APS-C only)
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/2.8-16
• STABILIZATION: Yes, Tamron VC Vibration Correction
• AUTOFOCUS: RXD stepper motor
• MANUAL FOCUS: Yes, electronically controlled
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 16 elements in 12 groups, 2 molded glass aspherical, 1 hybrid aspherical, 2 low dispersion, BBAR coating
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal & plastic, weather-sealed
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.21x, 7.5 in (19 cm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 67mm filter threads, plastic one-piece hood
• SIZE: 2.9 x 4.7 in. (74.6 x 119.3 mm)
• WEIGHT: 1.2 lb (525 g)
• PRICE: $799 (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Review | Who Should Buy It?

Well, who wouldn’t want a portable, affordable, constant f/2.8 zoom that delivers impressive results? This lens is perfect for almost every type of photography! Whether you’re a photography beginner just looking for the best all-around zoom to go with your Sony A6100, or you’re a serious professional looking to make a highly capable backup kit with your A6600, this lens could be perfect for you.

The unprecedented zoom range and fast aperture make it a great lens for things like portrait and wedding photography, or any type of photography that involves low-light action or journalism where a mid-range f/2.8 zoom would usually shine. Plus, unlike both the Tamron and Sony full-frame f/2.8 mid-range zooms, the 17-70 has VC stabilization! (By the way, this Tamron costs about $600 less than Sony’s own E 16-55mm f/2.8 G, or $500 less even when the Sony is on sale.)

The incredible image quality and that substantial zoom range make the 17-70mm f/2.8 a great lens for travel, landscape, cityscape, and all types of photography where either portability or image quality is important.

Video shooters will find the lens to be perfectly sharp for 4K video, and the autofocus to be nearly silent and very smooth. Its size and weight also make it a perfect candidate for your lighter weight gimbal rigs, or as a quick, portable B-roll or time-lapse camera!

And, speaking of image quality, yes, the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 is good enough for some of the most challenging types of photography, such as nightscapes or even deep-sky astrophotography!

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Review | Pros & Cons

If you’ve been paying attention to all of the full-frame Tamron E-mount lenses that have been coming out in the past few years, then you might be able to guess what I’m about to say: This 17-70mm has amazing image quality, autofocus that works reliably, and a minimal physical design that isn’t “indestructible” but still surprisingly quite nicely made.

But, wait! Unlike the other f/2.8 zooms from Tamron, this one has VC stabilization! That’s pretty awesome, indeed. (It was actually a little weird to see “SteadyShot: On” in the icons on the Sony A6100!)

Image Quality

Image quality is just shockingly good. Not just, “good for a lens this compact”, it’s actually as good as any flagship f/2.8 mid-range zoom we have ever reviewed, and actually, we’ve reviewed all of them now!

[Related: Mirrorless 24-70mm f/2.8 shootout!]

Sharpness

The only time a faint bit of sharpness loss is at all noticeable is in extremely harsh edges of contrast, at th edges and corners of the frame, such as above. Even then, the actual level of image detail is great; and Lightroom’s built-in chromatic aberration correction tool does its job very nicely.

From wide to telephoto, the entire image frame is incredibly sharp, even at f/2.8. This is flagship level, $2,00 lens performance here, folks.

Bokeh

Quite unprecedented for a crop-sensor zoom, the shallow depth you get from an f/2.8 long end of a mid-range zoom is very impressive, and the character of the bokeh itself is truly pleasing.

See the first example below to understand what a night-and-day difference there would be between this Tamron and, say, any other “kit” lens that stops at 50mm and also is “stuck” at f/5.6.

Colors & Contrast

As you can see from all the sample images, there’s nothing to complain about here; Sony has been playing nice with Adobe lately, and third-party lenses haven’t been giving us any odd color casts in quite a while. In other words, even shooting RAW instead of JPG, you will get more beautiful images out of this lens than ever before with third-party lenses.

Vignetting & Distortion

Vignetting is minimal, thanks to a pretty good in-camera correction profile that is applied to both RAW and JPG images.

We’ll touch on this again later, but unfortunately, the lens is not usable on full-frame at any focal length. In other words, if you mout this lens on a Sony A7 III or A7R IV etc, you’ll have to crop to Super 35 mode.

Oddly, when testing this out and turning off the correction profile, we noticed that by default the cropped, 17mm image was overall brighter than the un-cropped, un-corrected, full-frame test image. Does this mean that Tamron/Sony are “faking” the brightness of f/2.8, and applying an in-camera light transmission correction to the entire image, not just the corners? We will have to do extensive testing to find out, but suffice it to say, “baked in” vignetting profiles are something we’ve been skeptical of since they first appeared, and we are not ready to fully trust them just yet. Stay tuned for more content about mirrorless lenses in general.

Sunstars & Flare

Flare is very minimal, sunstars are present at small apertures and very well-defined, though not old-school pin-points.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

For nightscape photographers, you can expect there to be shockingly minimal levels of aberrations even in the extreme corners, whether you’re shooting at 17mm or 70mm, even when looking at the edges and the corners of the image.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

Up-close, the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 is just a touch softer than at normal distances, and the close-focusing distance changes when zooming. Either way, it’s close enough, and sharp enough, to make a decent close-up lens for casual work. Oh, and did we mention that gorgeous bokeh when doing close-up photography work?

Design & Durability

[Related: Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Review | Another lens we’ve all been waiting for!]

As with all of Tamron’s E-mount lenses so far, the overall build quality and construction is impressively solid, but not exactly Sony GM quality, indeed. The plastic finish will show signs of wear rather easily, however, actual wear and tear should be minimal even if you’re abusing the lens.

Speaking of abuse, the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 is weather-sealed, so if you’re out traveling, vacationing, or adventuring, and it starts to rain, you won’t have to “baby” your camera gear very much; you should be fine using the lens in inclement weather conditions.

Also, in keeping with the rest of Tamron’s E-mount zoom lineup, there’s one advantage of universal, compact 67mm threaded filters, however, there is also the drawback of no AF/MF switch, no L-Fn button, and no other “frills”, of course; this lens has rather spartan looks and functionality in terms of physical features.

Autofocus & Manual Focus Performance

Autofocus is virtually silent, and both fast & precise. As a lens with a smaller optical circle to project, the glass is just easier for the RXD AF motor to push back and forth, making the lens delightfully snappy to focus, and ready to take full advantage of Sony’s impressive AF RealTime tracking system.

When using Manual focus, the focus ring is highly responsive and capable of extreme precision.

Value

Basically, Tamron has continued making all the right compromises in order to bring the hands-down best value in its lens class. That is, it’s incredibly sharp, has great autofocus, and a generally “no-frills” feature set beside those two most important aspects of performance. The lens is built solidly enough (and is weather sealed) so in the long run, year after year, your investment will be well worth it.

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Review | Compared To The Competition

The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 stands alone in its class; there is no real direct competition when you consider both its zoom range, aperture, and price range. There’s just no other lens that offers this zoom range and an aperture of f/2.8! If you know you want these things, you probably stopped reading this review and clicked “add to cart” long before getting to this point.

But, just for the sake of comparison, what else is out there? If you want f/2.8, the closest alternative is the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G. It sits at $1,398, (or goes on sale for $100 off at times) and only goes to 55mm on the long end. Oh, and it lacks optical stabilization, which might be a deal-breaker for those of you without a Sony A6600 or another APS-C Sony camera with IBIS.

However, it (the Sony) does go to 16mm on the wide end, which makes quite a difference if you’re doing tons of close-quarters wide-angle work. (Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if the very next lens Tamron made was a 10-17mm f/2.8 for Sony APS-C, too!)

On the other hand, If you want zoom range with an emphasis on “reach”, plus you still want good image quality, the most attractive competitor might be the Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS, a lens that forfeits yet another millimeter on the wide end in exchange for a much longer telephoto end. In terms of aperture, you are making quite a compromise by going from f/2.8 to f/5.6 on the long end. You do have OSS stabilization which can help, but won’t do anything for fast-moving subjects or shallow depth like f/2.8 can.

Want my own personal opinion? You should just get the Tamron. Also, I honestly recommend that you just stay away from the Sony/Zeiss 16-70mm f/4, by the way. It costs more, doesn’t go to f/2.8, and is not nearly as sharp as the Tamron. Similarly, the Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS is nice because it has a video-oriented zoom system, but it’s just not nearly as modern as the Tamron.

All in all, there’s not much to debate here. The bigger question is, do you want what this lens offers you? As I mentioned before, you might worry about missing one millimeter on the wide end. In most real-world conditions, it won’t matter. Plus, for those very serious about landscape or nightscape photography, the difference between 16mm and 17mm is nothing compared to just waiting to see if Tamron delivers an imaginary 10-17mm f/2.8. Or, of course, just buy a tiny, portable, ultra-wide prime like the Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2, and you’ve got all your astro-landscape photography bases covered!

Of course, you might also be hesitant to buy a crop-sensor lens if you think you’ll plan to upgrade to full-frame someday, for the increased light-gathering ability. But, ask yourself, is full-frame even worth it anymore if you’re not going to actually invest in bigger, heavier, faster lenses? Again, all you have to do is pair this Tamron with a fast prime or two, whether APS-C or full-frame, and you’ll get plenty of beautiful low-light images from the latest Sony APS-C sensors. Lenses like the Sanyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE are affordable, too, ($399) and incredibly portable, too, despite being made for full-frame cameras!

[Related: Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Review | Lightweight, Compact, Affordable Prime]

Either way, this is the first, and the best, lens you should consider for your Sony APS-C kit. In fact, as we’ve already said, this lens is so good, it should have you re-thinking whether or not you even need a full-frame setup! Because if you were planning on mostly using f/4 or variable aperture zooms on full-frame, this lens, will help you get similar (or better!) results.

[Related: Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Review | The Superzoom, Reimagined]

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 | Does It Work On Full-Frame?

One question that we are inevitably going to be asked is, of course, “does it work on full-frame Sonys?” Technically, yes, of course, it does. By default, all Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras will automatically detect when a crop-sensor lens is attached, and they’ll bump the sensor into APSC (Super-35) crop mode.

But, what if you want to force the camera to try to shoot the “full” frame, so to speak? If you’re like me, a thought crossed your mind: “What if I zoom in to 24mm, or 28mm; will the vignetting go away then? Can I get a usable full-frame lens of, say, 24-70mm?

The answer is, unfortunately, no, that’d be just too good to be true! The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 has significant zones of totally black corners throughout the entire zoom range.

This means you can throw the lens on a 40-60-megapixel full-frame Sony and get results with plenty of resolution, but if you’re going for a 24-megapixel full-frame Sony, you’ll be getting “only” ~10 megapixels once the sensor auto-crops in to Super-35 mode. Still more than enough for many things, but you won’t be taking full advantage of your full-frame sensor, of course.

What Will Tamron Do Next?

Honestly, with this amazing lens out,

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Review | Conclusion

Tamron has done it yet again: they came up with a lens that nobody else has made, and they did it very well! Sony’s APS-C cameras themselves just became a more attractive choice, compared to their more expensive full-frame options.

If you’re looking for one of the best all-around zooms ever made for mirrorless cameras, period, look no further than the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD. Its image quality, portability, affordability, and total light-gathering capability are unmatched in its entire sensor class, and it makes an attractive offer to all types of photographers.

Check Pricing & Availability

The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD will be shipping soon, for $799, and is available here:

B&H | Adorama | Amazon

Tamron’s full-frame mirrorless (E-mount) lenses have all been incredible performers so far, with image quality and autofocus performance being at the top of the list of things that impress us every time. Then, there’s the fact that they’re all surprisingly affordable, making the value even better.

To spoil the final verdict for you, the 70-300mm, as the first third-party 70-300mm lens made specifically for full-frame mirrorless, is another winner. It is one of the most compact, lightweight, and affordable options we’ve ever seen, in a category of lenses that already pride themselves on being portable and cheap! If this type of lens is what you’re looking for, then this Tamron should be at the top of your list.

There are a few minor caveats, and we’ll go over them in the pros and cons section, but suffice it to say, we really like this lens; it’s one of the best lightweight telephoto zooms we’ve ever seen.

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 70-300mm (34° 21′ to 8° 15′)
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount (APS-C and full-frame)
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/4.5-6.3 (f/22-32) 7-blade rounded aperture
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Yes, RXD stepper motor
• MANUAL FOCUS: Yes, electronically controlled via a dedicated focus ring
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 10 groups, one LD (low dispersion) element
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal mount, metal & plastic barrel, weather-sealed, lens extends when zooming
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.11x magnification, 31.5 in. (0.8m)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 67mm, plastic one-piece hood
• SIZE: 5.8 x 3″ (148 x 77 mm)
• WEIGHT: 1.2 lb (545 g)
• PRICE: $549 (B&H | Amazon | Adorama)

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Review | Who Should Buy It?

A telephoto zoom lens is very useful for all types of photography, from action sports and wildlife to landscapes and cityscapes and of course just general photography.

However, what might make you want a compact, lightweight lens such as this, if not the attractive price? What photography conditions might you still be able to work in, with a slower, darker f/4.5-6.3 aperture?

Let’s talk about specific types of photography, and whether you should get this lens, or maybe something a little different.

[Related Reading: Tamron Is One Of The Biggest Reasons To Choose Sony Full-Frame Mirrorless Right Now!]

Wedding Photography

The only way I could recommend this relatively “slow” lens to a wedding photographer is if, A, they almost always use primes instead, and B, if they virtually ALWAYS work in bright daylight conditions whenever they do turn to a zoom lens. Say, for example, all the wedding ceremonies you photograph (where you need the extra reach compared to your 85mm or 105mm prime) are outdoors during the day.

If you’re an elopement wedding photographer, and you have to hike up a mountain before you get out your camera gear, then this lens might be a perfect complement to your 85mm or 105mm prime that you reach for when you want truly shallow depth or great low-light performance.

Otherwise, for most types of weddings where there will inevitably be a lot of indoor low-light work, we’d recommend saving up for an f/2.8 telephoto zoom instead. They’ll all cost quite a bit more if you get a modern one that offers good reliable autofocus on the Sony E-mount, however, if you’re looking for something that is almost as lightweight and compact as this 70-300mm, then Tamron’s own 70-180mm f/2.8 is a perfect choice, though it’ll run you $1,199 instead of $549. You’re photographing weddings, so you’d better be able to save up for such an investment!

Portrait Photography

If you photograph portraits a lot, then you’ll find yourself thinking about shallow depth a lot, as well as autofocus performance (and good, safe shutter speeds) in various low light conditions. For this reason, we’re even more likely to recommend the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 instead.

Unless, again, you’re almost always taking pictures in decent daylight conditions, in which the extra reach of the 70-300mm could make for some unique portraits, whether from a great distance to create incredible compression effects at 200-300mm, or just getting really close-up for a headshot type portrait.

Candid & Street Photography

Now we get to the areas where the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD will truly shine. If you’re just out and about, whether for a family vacation/outing, or specifically to do candid/event/journalistic photography, being able to have 300mm at your disposal in such a small package. Whether you’re people-watching at the Renaissance Faire, or just out and about in public, you’ll enjoy the all-day portability and discrete compactness that this lens offers. Pair it with a Sony A7C, and you’ve got a truly great everyday, all-day compact setup!

Action Sports & Wildlife Photography

As long as you’re working in decent daylight, this will make a great action sports and wildlife lens for casual and serious photographers. Especially if you’re photographing wildlife but have to climb a mountain to get to it, once again the incredible portability of this 70-300mm should make it a top choice.

However, you might miss having optical stabilization if you’re doing more challenging, high-speed action scenes, and in those instances, we might recommend a DSLR-made alternative, such as the Tamron 100-400mm, (more on this lens later!) which is, of course, a much larger and slightly more pricey lens, ($799 VS $549) …but with VC optical stabilization and the extra reach to 400mm, it might make a better choice for more serious photographers.

Landscape, Cityscape, Time-Lapse & Travel Photography

For all those photographers who might be spending almost all their time working from a tripod, and using slower apertures for depth of field, this should be one of your top choices in terms of portable, affordable telephoto zooms. Whether you’re going on a long grueling hike, or just touring around the beautiful cities of a foreign country all day long, you’ll really appreciate this particular combination of incredible image quality in such a portable package. Toss your lightweight Sony FE full-frame kit on a lightweight, compact tripod like the Peak Design Travel Tripod, or the Slik VARI CF 704 for more rock-solid telephoto shooting, and you’ve got an incredible travel/landscape photography setup.

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Review | Pros & Cons

The pros & cons of this lens are very clear, and if you’ve read any of the reviews of the other recent Tamron E-mount lenses that we’ve published in the last year or more, you’ll already know how we feel about this particular line of Di III E-mount lenses. If you’d like to just skip reading the next section, enjoy the pretty pictures, and then get to the conclusion, here’s the quick breakdown:

PROS:

• Impressive image quality
  • Impressive sharpness
  • Moderate
  • Low flare
  • Minimal aberrations
  • Pleasing bokeh
  • Pleasing sunstars
  • Impressive close-up sharpness
• Incredible compact & lightweight design
• Build quality “good enough” (A balance of weight savings & durability)
• Weather-sealing a huge plus for such an affordable, compact lens
• Unprecedented overall value

CONS:

• Missing optical stabilization (In-body stabilization not as useful at long focal lengths)
• Vignetting correction doesn’t always look perfect, especially under heavy editing
• Minimal physical features/functions (No focus distance scale, no AF/MF switch, no zoom lock)

Image Quality

The Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD definitely surprised us with its image quality, considering the diminutive size and the affordable price. Of course, maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised at all, since literally, every other E-mount full-frame lens has been very similar in terms of image quality.

That is, nearly the entire image frame is ultra-sharp throughout the entire zoom range, and only the extreme corners exhibit any sort of degradation of resolution. Even then, it is minimal and disappears quickly when stopping down just 1-2 stops. At 300mm, to be honest, we’re getting some of the sharpest images we’ve ever seen from a 70-300 class zoom.

Sharpness Samples

Indeed, even without stopping down the aperture, and even at 300mm, this lens is truly sharp…

Bokeh Samples

Despite the slower apertures, and the less exotic optical formula, the bokeh from this Tamron 70-300mm is nice and soft, and still appears smooth and pleasing even in challenging conditions with lots of cluttered texture in the background.

Colors & Contrast

Colors and contrast overall are truly beautiful. As with virtually every lens on a Sony camera, with the latest version of Adobe Ligtroom, images are vibrant and popping, especially if you switch the Adobe profile to “Vivid” or “Landscape”.

We did not detect any color cast, which is always a pleasant surprise for third-party lenses; even if a quick white balance adjustment can hide all manner of “sins”, it’s great to see images that look “just right” out of the box.

Vignetting & Distortion

Distortion is minimal, and perfectly corrected using the built-in profile, of course.

Vignetting, on the other hand, is a bit more noticeable, and although there is a built-in profile, it doesn’t behave as perfectly as some lenses might. We can’t tell if the correction profile is accidentally applying itself twice, but when turning it on in Adobe Lightroom, you can run the risk of image corners being over-compensated for,  (see below) …even though the same corners were clearly not fully-corrected when the profile is turned off.

The best solution we could find, as seen above, is to simply apply some manual correction, to taste. Unless you’re using an extremely high ISO, this corection won’t be an issue because Sony’s raw image shadow recovery is so good, you won’t notice extra noise in the image corners.

Sunstars & Flare

Flare is minimal, and flatteringly warm and soft when you want it. For a lens like this, we generally leave the included hood on 100% of the time, and avoided flare completely.

Sunstars look about average for a modern lens with rounded aperture blades that are optimized for bokeh. Meaning, They are there if you hit f/16, of course, but nothing special.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

These more technical aspects of image quality aren’t something we scrutinize usually on such a lens, however, suffice it to say we didn’t notice any appreciable color fringing or aberration, especially with the in-camera and Lightroom-based automatic removal tools turned on.

Considering how sharp this lens is at 300mm, you might be able to use it for astrophotography if you mounted it on a tracker to compensate for the slow aperture!

Like with vignetting correction, if you heavily, heavily edit your images, you might see a color shift from the center to the edges of your images, however, this seems to be a universal problem that almost all modern mirrorless lenses face.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

Focusing close-up still yields very sharp images, thanks to modern optical lens design. The actual magnification isn’t that impressive; some of Tamron’s other E-mount lenses can give much better close-up performance if you’re interested in doing a lot of macro work. But it’s nice to know that your images won’t “get soft” even when focusing as close as possible with the Tamron 70-300mm.

Design, Durability, & Weather Sealing

It may not be an all-metal flagship lens with a rubber gasket at every single have a gasket at every single point, but it’s got enough weather-sealing (and sturdy construction) to make it a worthy choice for those outdoor adventures where you might not usually think of taking a “kit” style 70-300mm lens.

Either way, this is something that Tamron has been well-known for, going back at least a decade or two: Making lenses that are lightweight and portable, yet still decently durable and built-to-last. With the 70-300mm, we’re getting more of this compared to all of the other E-mount lenses: sturdy construction that will stand the test of time decently well.

(However, visually speaking at least, the materials and surface finish will show signs of wear rather quickly, we’ve noticed.)

In other words, we like the overall quality of the high-grade plastic that Tamron is using, and the physical operation of the lens’ zoom ring and focus ring are both very smooth, but we can still tell that a lens such as this will need to be taken decent care of, as opposed to a big, heavy, expensive flagship lens that is built to be as “indestructible” as possible.

For most, this is going to be a plus; Tamron finds the perfect balance of portability and durability here.

Portability

This is a “pro” we’ve already discussed at length, and will probably mention again many more times in this review. Honestly, it seems to be the theme of virtually EVERY lens Tamron has made for the E-mount in the last 2+ years. Just know that Tamrons are incredibly portable, compared to any other choice out there. If you want lightweight and compact, you no longer have to compromise on image quality, (or too much durability, either) with these Tamrons.

Autofocus Performance

One of the biggest reasons to stick with native E-mount lenses is not just the portability of a made-for-mirrorless optical formula, but the amazing autofocus performance that Sony’s latest bodies have to offer. In short, Tamron’s 70-300mm is one of the best ways to take full advantage of the Real-Time AF tracking, face and eye detection, compared to any lens that you could get on an adapter.

The Sony 70-300mm G, and 100-400m GM, will both offer slightly better overall reliability in terms of AF tracking, especially in poor light, however the Tamron is no slouch, and you can at least rest assured that unlike third-party lenses on Canon and Nikon DSLRs from previous years, this new 70-300mm lens is using Sony’s official electronic communication protocols. In other words, you shouldn’t ever have to worry about the lens becoming a “brick” and needing a life-saving firmware update, which is more than we can say for third-party lenses ~10 years ago.

All in all, despite the f/6.3 aperture on the telephoto end, this lens snaps to focus quickly, and tracks subjects reliably, even in mediocre or poor lighting conditions.

Manual Focus Performance

Manual focus is controlled electronically, and we have no complaints thanks to the fact that Tamron’s electronic sensors, combined with Sony’s manual focus protocols, gives one of the best finely-tuned manual focus experiences that any fly-by-wire system can offer.

[Related Reading: Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Review | The Superzoom Reimagined]

(Missing) Physical Features & Customizations

One of the only clear drawbacks of the Tamron 70-300mm is that it is a truly minimal physical design. It’s small enough that you don’t need a tripod collar, which is great, but it’s also missing a zoom ring lock switch, an AF/MF switch, and of course like almost all mirrorless lenses it is missing a focus distance window.

This is normal for these Tamron E-mount lenses, they are meant to be minimal physical designs so that they can still be good quality overall, while also being affordable. Last but not least, also missing of course is a Fn button.

Value

At just under $550, how can we not call this lens an incredible value? The fact that it is incredibly sharp and built to last despite its diminutive size should be more than enough to make it your top consideration.

The lack of OSS (VC) optical stabilization does give some of its much more costly competitors reason for consideration, which we’ll talk about next, however, suffice it to say, with Sony’s in-camera stabilization, most photographers will be thrilled with the Tamron 70-300mm’s overall performance and value.

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Review |  The Competition

In terms of native, made-for-mirrorless options, there are only two lenses that you should seriously consider: This Tamron 70-300mm, and the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS. The latter is a nearly $1,300 investment, however, so that puts the Tamron at less than half the price.

The question is, of course, do you get double the value from the Sony? No, you don’t. You get a little better image quality here and there throughout the zoom range, but you have to really pixel-peep to see it. You get better overall build quality from the Sony, too, but again if you take decent care of your gear, both lenses will be up to the challenge of serving you well for many years.

All in all, the Tamron is a significantly better value, unless you shoot in conditions where optical stabilization is useful. Once you start trying to hand-hold static scenes at slow shutter speeds, (especially at 300mm), or you start trying to hand-hold in active scenes and other challenging conditions, in which case the OSS of the Sony will make it a significantly more attractive option.

Besides those two native 70-300mm options, there are a handful of other choices to consider if you’re willing to look outside the focal range, and/or consider DSLR-mount lenses on an E-mount adapter. Oh, and there’s also the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8, which, considering the similar size and weight, (though not-so-similar price) …we should talk about it first, despite the shorter zoom range.

Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8VS Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 | Which Should You Buy?

Basically, here’s the answer to all your questions about these two lenses: Whether you’re shopping for an f/2.8 zoom or a variable aperture zoom, if you’re looking for the most portable lens in either category then these two lenses are it. They’re way ahead of all their respective competition when it comes to either size, weight, price, or all of the above.

How do you decide between the two, though? This should all come down to the type of light you shoot in. If you shoot mostly in daylight, then the longer zoom reach of the 70-300mm will absolutely make it worth putting up with the slower aperture, even though by the time you pass 180mm you are at f/5.6, a whole two stops darker than the 70-180mm. Even if you have “decent light”, the amazing autofocus on Sony bodies will serve you well.

However, if you’re an aspiring portrait or wedding photographer, or if you do anything in extremely dark conditions, then you should of course consider the 70-180mm f/2.8 instead. 180mm f/2.8 is nothing to sneeze at, and if you’re looking for a highly portable full-frame kit, the Tamron is unprecedented and in a league of its own when compared to any other full-frame 70-200mm f/2.8.

100-400mm Zooms (Instead of 70-300mm Zooms)

First, let’s mention that there are two native E-mount 100-400mm options available. Both of them are significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive, though. The Sigma E-mount 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary costs ~$950 and weighs 2.5 lbs (1135g) compared to the Tamron’s ~$550 and 1.2 lb (545g) weight. Sony’s flagship 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS costs nearly $2,500, though, and weighs 1395g.

Simply put, if you’re considering this ~$550 Tamron 70-300, then the Sony 100-400 is likely not even on your radar, and the Sigma is also a bit of a stretch for your budget, even though both are high-quality, high-performance lenses that are worth the investment if you can make it.

DSLR-made 70-300mm and 100-400mm Zooms

What other options are there? If you’re willing to buy a Canon EF-mount DSLR lens and use an E-mount adapter, there are a whole lot of options, some of which are decently affordable. Tamron’s own 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD, which we mentioned earlier, is only $799 and gives you optical stabilization in addition to the added reach of 400mm instead of 300mm.

Sigma’s EF-mount (Canon DSLR) 100-400mm is a little bit more affordable, sometimes, when it goes on sale for $699 instead of $799, and also offers OS stabilization. Unfortunately, there is no option whatsoever to add a much-needed tripod collar to that particular Sigma lens, something that most/all other 100-400mm’s offer.

Really, the only other 70-300mm lenses that we can recommend as solid alternatives are the newest, most advanced Canon and Nikon-mount options, which would of course require a good adapter in order to be fully functional. Canon’s latest EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM is a high-quality performer, and matches the Tamron’s price at $549, although again you’ll need an adapter.

If you don’t mind the slightly less stellar autofocus performance compared to Canon EF-mount DSLR lenses, let alone native E-mount lenses, you can get some impressive image quality (and VR stabilization,  if you get the right adapter) from two of Nikon’s latest full-frame 70-300mm lenses, the AF-P VR lens for $596, and the AF-S G VR lens, which is harder to find but you might score one refurbished for as low as $349. Both lenses are incredibly sharp and very lightweight, if you’re a landscape photographer who only cares about sharpness and portability, however, if you’re at all relying on autofocus to track moving subjects, we really must recommend the native E-mount options!

Other than these recent, modern, high-quality lenses, there is not much we can recommend. Of the innumerable 70-300mm options out there, almost all of them are pretty terrible, to be honest. It’s a focal range that has previously been dominated by cheap quality, entry-level “kit” lenses that simply would not do justice to your modern Sony full-frame mirrorless camera.

Sony APS-C Telephoto Zoom Lenses

By the way, what if you’re an APS-C Sony shooter? Sometimes a full-frame telephoto lens can offer you quite an advantage, because it crops away the potentially softer corners and leaves you with an extremely sharp central image area. (See below)

Indeed, the Tamron 70-300mm, with its attractive price and portable form factor will make a great choice for your Sony A6600 or A6100, whether you’re a serious hobbyist or an entry-level beginner looking for a high-quality telephoto option.

Having said that, once again if you miss stabilization, and are willing to spend a bit more, Sony’s own E (not FE!) 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS, made specifically for their APS-C line, is incredibly sharp, even at 350mm, and gives you the equivalent of 105-525mm, for just $898 when it’s on sale, or $998 otherwise.

Alternately, if you’re on an extreme budget, Nikon’s sharpest APS-C F-mount 70-300mm, the AF-P DX G ED lens comes in VR and sans-VR versions, wich can be found refurbished for the dirt-cheap price of ~$150 and ~$110, respectively. Although, once again, they’ll be nothing more than lightweight, decently sharp options, with overall performance that doesn’t fully do justice to the high-end autofocus systems present in Sony’s latest 6×00-series, the A6600, A6400, and A6100. If you want to experience everything those Sony bodies have to offer in terms of autofocus tracking and subject detection, (face, eye, wildlife, etc) …then stick with the native options!

Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Review | Conclusion

Despite the focal range of 70-300mm being a very popular one, the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD stands alone as the best value, by a huge margin, for full-frame Sony-shooting photographers. The next-closest option costs twice as much, (Sony’s own FE 70-300mm) and although it offers optical stabilization, the Sony FE (full-frame) bodies do offer sensor-based stabilization, (IBIS) so the OSS feature is slightly less of a deal-breaker.

If you’re looking for an affordable and portable telephoto zoom, (as far as full-frame kits go, at least) then this is literally the only option you might consider. Even if you’re willing to literally (or almost) double your budget, and/or carry around a significantly heavier, bigger lens, and/or use a  DSLR adapter, …your top choice is still likely to be this Tamron.

Might this change in a year or two, if Tamron makes another E-mount option, such as a 100-400mm E-mount lens with VC, for around $1000? Or, if Sigma makes an E-mount 70-300mm with similar affordability and portability? Sure. But neither type of lens has even been rumored, let alone roadmapped, so for the foreseeable future, this is by far the best lens around for full-frame Sony shooters looking for a portable, affordable telephoto zoom lens!

Check Pricing & Availability

Right now you can find the Tamron in-stock for about $550 at these retailers:

B&H | Adorama | Amazon

The new 17-70mm F2.8 is Tamron’s first high-speed zoom lens for mirrorless cameras with APS-C size sensors. It features a maximum aperture of F2.8 across the entire 4.1x zoom ratio covering a focal length of 17-70mm (a full-frame equivalent of 25.5-105mm) ideal for everyday use, and superb optical performance. It is a small, lightweight lens that is also equipped with Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism to minimize camera shake. This VC mechanism leverages AI technology when shooting video.

The lens features Moisture-Resistant Construction, Fluorine Coating and a Ø67mm filter size – the same as the Tamron series of lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras. Compatible with many of the features that Sony builds into its cameras, including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF, the lens is the ideal everyday zoom for a multitude of situations. It is a highly practical lens that enables photographers to attain high image quality while enjoying the benefits of the large F2.8 aperture.

[Related Reading: Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Review | The Superzoom Reimagined]

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

World’s first high-speed standard zoom lens for APS-C cameras with the focal length range of 17-70mm 4.1x zoom ratio

The Model B070 has a focal length range of 17-70mm, equivalent to 25.5-105mm on full-frame cameras. It is the first F2.8 high-speed zoom lens in the world for APS-C mirrorless cameras to achieve a 4.1x zoom ratio.

Outstanding Optical Performance

The optical construction of the new 17-70mm F2.8 features 16 elements in 12 groups. Two GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) lens elements and one hybrid aspherical lens element are precisely arranged to maintain high-resolution performance from edge to edge.

Upgraded VC Effective in Combination with Sony APS-C Mirrorless Cameras, Leveraging AI for Video Shooting

The 17-70mm F2.8 features Tamron’s proprietary VC mechanism. Additional sophisticated algorithms optimized for this model and a dedicated, independently operating MPU all combine to superbly compensate for vibration. This feature is available when the lens is used with cameras with or without in-body image stabilization. When shooting video, by leveraging AI technology, image stabilization performance improves compared to conventional models.

Close Focusing−MOD is just 7.5” at the Wide-Angle End

The 17-70mm F2.8 zoom focuses close, down to 7.5” MOD (Minimum Object Distance). This is far superior to the performance achieved by conventional high-speed zoom lenses for APS-C cameras. In addition, the 15.4” MOD at the 70mm telephoto end ensures good close-range shooting performance allowing photographers to enjoy compelling close-up shots.

A Highly Portable Compact Design

The 17-70mm F2.8 zoom measures a scant 4.7” in length and 74.6mm in maximum diameter and weighs only 18.5 oz. The lens also maintains the same small Ø67mm filter size of each lens in the Tamron mirrorless lens line-up. This is remarkable for a lens with built-in VC image stabilization. When used with Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras, this zoom is nicely balanced and provides a comfortable user experience.

• The RXD (Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive) stepping motor unit is exceptionally quiet and perfect for video use
• Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating provide extra protection
• Compatible with many camera-specific features and functions, including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF

Technical Specifications

MTF Chart & Lens Details

[Related Reading: Tamron Announces New Series of Free Webinars With Tamron Pro Photographers]

Check Pricing & Availability of Tamron Lenses Here;

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