Tamron has pulled the covers off its latest lens for Sony shooters and the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD optic looks set to be big on features yet light on the wallet. Designed for use on full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras such as the A7 and A9 ranges, the optic can also be used with Sony’s crop-sensor cameras like the a6600, where the focal length switches up to 105-270mm.
The 70-180mm focal length makes the lens suitable for a range of photographic situations, including wedding photography and portraiture, through to travel and wildlife photography too. Despite its versatile focal length range, the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD tips the scales at just 810g and measures only 67x81x149mm – making it ideal for travel photographers who want to keep the weight of their gear down.
Featuring Tamron’s brand new VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive, which Tamron say maintains positional accuracy down to 0.005mm (that’s less than one tenth the width of a human hair), the presence of a fast f/2.8 aperture suggest the lens will be perfect for keeping up with fast-moving subjects. What’s more, that large maximum aperture will help keep shutter speeds high when light levels are low.
Built around a 19 elements in 14 groups design, the lens also features six XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) and LD (Low Dispersion) lens elements and three GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) and hybrid aspherical lens elements. The optic also benefits from Tamron’s BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) coating technology, too.
Thanks to a moisture-resistant construction, the lens is suitable for professional use and the 70-180mm f/2.8 features a 67mm filter thread – the same as other fast E-mount lenses (the Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 and 28-75mm F/2.8), meaning that you can use the same filters for all three lenses, which is not only very handy but also will help photographers save money.
Fans of close-up photography will be pleased to hear the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD features a closest focusing distance of just 85cm, enabling users to capture frame-filling photos of smaller subjects. When paired with the camera, Sony users can still make use of features such as Eye AF and In-camera lens correction.
Despite the high-level of specification, the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD is reasonably priced, carrying a price-tag of $1,200/£1,349. Expected to start shipping from the middle of May, Tamron shared sample shots taken with the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD on its website and you can see a few more below…
