Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III Gallery: Initial images from the field with the Sony A7R Mark IV

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posted Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 12:07 PM EDT

Click here to browse our Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Gallery

 
 

We were thrilled to get an early sample of Tamron's new 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III full-frame lens in for review, and for good reason. While perhaps not covering quite the focal length range of the classic 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses, this offering is far lighter and less expensive than most of those, bringing the real promise of mirrorless cameras to life even on a full-frame body.

This lens is designed for Sony FE mount, and so for my first real-world outing I've taken to the fields with the incredible Sony A7R Mark IV, with all of its 61 megapixels of Full Frame splendor. It's hard to say enough about just how versatile the A7R Mark IV really is, because even with the high-resolution sensor, you're treated to incredible burst shooting and AF performance as well. For these reasons and more, it seemed the best candidate for showing you what the new Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 lens is really capable of achieving out in the field.

 
1/800s / f/2.8 / 180mm

One example from the gallery for pixel-peeping the lens' potential for sharpness and detail.

 
 
1/1250s / f/3.5 / 93mm

 
 
1/800s / f/3.5 / 165mm

 
 
1/1250s / f/2.8 / 180mm

I'll cover AF and burst shooting in more detail in our forthcoming Field Test.

The Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 also comes with a clever trick up its sleeve in the close-focus department. Basically, at the shortest focal length of 70mm, you can employ manual focus to achieve a much closer Minimum Object Distance than is allowed during normal AF operations. Below is one example of this feature, which I'll discuss in more detail in my forthcoming report.

 
1/200s / f/3.5 / 70mm

An example of a nifty close-focusing feature that allows for a MOD of 10.6 inches at 70mm.

I'll have that full report on this lens for you next week, where I'll discuss in-depth all manor of factors regarding the lens and its performance in the field. I'll also be bringing you a second gallery with the lens paired with a Sony APS-C body for the 1.5x crop factor results, as there are a wealth of APS-C Sony owners out there who will surely be curious. Until then, I wanted to go ahead and get you this initial A7R IV-based gallery sampling for your perusal.

And while full details are still to come, as you can clearly see, this lens is capable of producing superb images!

 
1/800s / f/2.8 / 180mm

 
 
1/1600s / f/4 / 136mm

 
 
1/1000s / f/2.8 / 180mm

 
 
1/500s / f/2.8 / 180mm

 
 
1/2000s / f/4 / 80mm

As most of you know, we're one of the few outlets who routinely provide access to all available RAW files, so that you can download and see just what the camera and lens recorded straight from the field. You'll also find access to all relevant EXIF data regarding settings and exposure parameters. So dive right into the gallery and wander and download files at your leisure!

Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Gallery

 
1/2000s / f/4 / 79mm

 

 
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