GEAR MINI TESTS
TAMRON 50-400MM F/4.5-6.3 DI III VC VXD LENS £1263/$1299 tamron.eu
Tamron seems to relish in focal lengths that Sony just doesn’t offer in E-mount. For example, Tamron’s 20- 40mm f/2.8 which we tested recently is an unusual focal length range for a fast, full-frame zoom, and the 35- 150mm f/2-2.8 is something Sony doesn’t make. Now comes Tamron’s 50-400mm, which stands alone as an 8x superzoom. The closest Sony gets is its 100- 400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master, which costs much more and doesn’t offer anything near the wide 50mm setting. The Tamron is also smaller, lighter and has a close minimum focus distance of 24.9cm/9.8in at 50mm, for half-size reproduction. That makes it far more versatile than the G Master, though it is marginally slower at the long end with a maximum aperture of f/6.3.
FLARE ENOUGH! The 50-400mm lens fights off ghosting from bright highlights
Like many of the latest Tamron zooms, the autofocus uses the VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism that’s fast, quiet and accurate. Our back-to- back tests against a Sony 100-400mm show the Tamron feels marginally slower – but it’s still very good. The lens also has a USB-C port to allow use of the free Tamron Lens Utility software on computers or smartphones, to customise functions and update firmware. Like all the latest Tamron optics, you can set the focus ring, focus set button and three-position custom switch to control various settings. These include assigning any function from the camera body, selecting AF/MF, limiting the AF range, a focus preset, whether the focus ring controls focus or aperture, and an ‘A-B’ setting. No Sony lenses allow anything like this. The Tamron is weather sealed, has five-stop vibration reduction built in with two different settings, works with all Sony’s advanced AF systems, and comes with a decent petal-shaped lens hood. There’s a compact 67mm lens filter and a lock switch stops the zoom from creeping when walking with the lens held downwards. Sadly, a tripod foot is an optional extra. However, it’s all about image quality. The Tamron is surprisingly sharp for a lens with such a huge focal range, which by its very nature calls for some design compromises. It resolves detail superbly and is sharp, especially when you close down by a stop. Wide open, it’s still good – even on high- resolution cameras. The images are contrasty and natural. There’s some ghosting when shooting against the sun, but the flare is pleasant, and at narrow apertures there’s some vignetting . The bokeh can produce cat’s-eye looks in the
corners, but it’s not too bad. At long focal lengths, you don’t get a huge amount of bokeh due to the relatively slow f/6.3 aperture. Anything faster would add hugely to the size, weight and cost. As a lens that offers a massive range of focal lengths in a relatively small and light package for not too much money, it’s in a class of its own. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Nothing else like it on the market Pros: Good AF, big zoom range Cons: Separate aperture ring “The Tamron is surprisingly sharp for a lens with a huge focal length, which by its very nature calls for compromise” SPECIFICATIONS Focal length: 50-400mm Mount: Sony E Image coverage: Full-frame Aperture range: F/4.5-6.3 to f/22-32 Construction: 24 elements in 18 groups Image stabilisation: Up to five stops Minimum focusing: 25cm/9.8in Filter size: 67mm/2.6in Dimensions (dxl): 88.5x183.4mm/3.48x7.22in Weight: 1115g/2.46lb
SUPERZOOM With its 8x focal length range, the Tamron is very versatile
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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