First test
With its fast aperture and useful focal length range, this Tamron zoom is a versatile option Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8Di IIIVXD PRICE: £1599 TAMRON.EU
SPECS › Price £1599 › In the box Lens, front and back caps, lens hood › Format Full-frame, APS-C › Compatibility Sony E-mount › Filter 82mm › Construction 21 elements in 15 groups › Special lens elements Four LD (low dispersion), three aspherical › Aperture range F/2-2.8 to f/16-22 › Coatings Fluorine front element coated, BBAR-G2 › Diaphragm Nine blades › Magnification 1:5.7 at 35mm, 1:5.9 at 150mm › Autofocus VXD linear motor, AF/MF switch › Minimum focus 33cm at 35mm, 85cm at 150mm › Moisture resistant Yes › Image stabiliser None in-lens › Other features Focus set button, custom switch (three settings), lens customisation with Tamron lens utility, USB-C port › Dimensions (dxl) 89.2x158mm › Weight 1165g › Contact tamron.eu
BUY A PRIME lens and you usually get a fast maximum aperture in a portable package. Pick a zoom and you get a multitude of focal lengths with a modest maximum aperture and bigger form factor. Like almost everything in life, there are exceptions to both, and Tamron’s latest Sony E-mount lens is one of them. The 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD does indeed replace a number of primes – 35, 50, 85, 100 and 135mm at least – but its maximum aperture is impressive, with f/2 at the 35mm end slowing down to f/2.8 at 150mm. To enable such speed, the lens has advanced construction, featuring 21 elements. The result is an optic that’s quite large, sporting an 82mm accessory thread. I tested it on a Sony A7R IV body, on which it balanced nicely. It was a substantial “ITSVXD LINEAR MOTOR RESULTS IN FAST, SENSITIVE AF WITH BARELYMORE THANAWHISPER”
presence, but balance and handling rated highly, with zoom and focusing barrels falling nicely to the finger and the lens cradled in the palm of the left hand. In-between two smooth operating barrels sit the AF/MF and custom switches, and focus set buttons; these are readily accessible while the camera is up to the eye. Less than one quarter-rotation of the zoom barrel covers the entire focal length range, with the lens extending by nearly 5cm at 150mm. A zoom lock is available at 35mm to stop zoom creep. Also present is a USB-C port: it can be connected to a computer for assigning functions to the focus set buttons. Tamron’s VXD linear motor results in fast, sensitive AF with barely more than a whisper. In practice, only the user will hear any noise. AF is swift and responsive, meshing with the focusing systems of Sony cameras, so you get DMF (direct manual focus) and face/eye detection. Performance is of a high order throughout the focal length range, especially at optimum apertures. For example, our test shots at 35mm and 50mm looked good at f/2 and f/2.2, but in both cases sharpness
QUICK SNAP The entire zoom range is covered in a flash
and detail rendition both picked up at f/4 and f/5.6. Open aperture performance at the shorter focal length was by no means poor, but stopping down improved matters. When zoomed out to 70mm and 85mm, open aperture performance was very good, and stopping down brought about less progress – only because the standard was so high in the first place. The zoom’s middle section was probably best at the wider apertures. Test shots at 120mm and 150mm and f/2.8 looked great, with detail, contrast and even sharpness across the frame. Again, stopping down to f/4 and f/5.6 did see a benefit. Mild barrel distortion at 35mm becomes mild pincushioning by
50mm, and it gradually gets more obvious as focal length increases. This is readily corrected in software though; my Raws went through the latest Adobe Lightroom and a single click cured distortion. WC
Our thanks to Hireacamera for the loan of the Sony A7R IV body used in this review. hireacamera.com
TESTPICTURES The lens was mounted on a Sony A7R IV and the camera fixed to a Gitzo carbon-fibre tripod. Test shots were done at 35, 50, 70, 85, 120 and 150mm, but we decided to focus on the three focal lengths shown below. The lens does not have a tripod collar, so the camera was fixed to the tripod and the shutter fired using a ten-second-delay self-timer. Raws were processed through Adobe Lightroom, which has the appropriate lens profile – so distortion and vignetting are resolved.
Verdict The Tamron 35-150mm f/2- 2.8 Di III VXD is an excellent lens, ruggedly built – and a very decent performer. A fast aperture that gives good results throughout the range is a massive plus, as is the price, for a lens with this level of specification. It’s a weighty and rather large optic, but if you take the view that it displaces several quick primes in the camera bag, that’s a more than fair compromise. PROS Really useful fast aperture and great focal length range, high optical quality, handles well, smart AF, handy close focusing distance, USB-C port CONS Obvious distortion, a big lens
35mm
F/2
F/2.8
F/4
F/5.6
F/8
F/11
F/16
F/2
F/2.8
F/4
F/5.6
F/8
F/11
F/16
50mm
F/2.5
F/4
F/5.6
F/8
F/11
F/16
F/18
F/2.5
F/4
F/5.6
F/8
F/16
F/18
F/11
150mm
F/2.8
F/4
F/5.6
F/8
F/11
F/16
F/22
F/2.8
F/4
F/5.6
F/8
F/11
F/16
F/22
40 Photography News | Issue 98
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