Tamron unveils latest E-mount zoom: The compact and lightweight 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD
posted Friday, September 25, 2020 at 11:23 AM EDT
Tamron continues to expand its E-mount mirrorless lens family, this time with a compact and lightweight 70-300mm full-frame zoom lens. Earlier this summer Tamron announced a compact 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 travel zoom for E-mount cameras, but for those looking for more telephoto performance without much bulk, this new Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 lens might be right up your alley.
Tamron is no stranger to 70-300mm zooms, having produced a number of variants over the years for DSLR camera systems. This is their first 70-300mm designed specifically for full-frame Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, and it follows a similar design strategy to their other E-mount full-frame lenses with a focus on minimal weight and portability. The new Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is, in fact, the world's smallest and lightest full-frame 300mm-capable zoom lens for E-mount cameras. It weighs in at just 545g (19.2 oz.) with a length of just 148mm (5.8 in.) and a diameter of just 77mm. While this is a full-frame format lens, the compact size makes it also a great match for Sony's smaller APS-C cameras, such as the Sony A6500, giving those users up to 450mm-eq. zoom reach in a highly portable system.
In terms of optical construction, the new Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 is comprised of 15 total elements placed in 10 groups and incorporates an LD (Low Dispersion) lens element to help combat axial chromatic and other aberrations. Further, the lens features Tamron's BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) coating to suppress reflections and glare, and the 7-bladed circular aperture diaphragm should help create pleasing bokeh.
Like Tamron's other mirrorless lenses, the new 70-300mm uses an RXD (Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive) motor for its autofocus system. This stepper motor-based AF system, along with a sensor that monitors the position of the focus lens element(s), allows for fast, precise, and quiet focusing performance for both single-shot and continuous AF operations as well as video recording. Furthermore, the Tamron 70-300mm is compatible with several of Sony's AF and camera-specific features, such as its Fast Hybrid AF with that uses both phase-detection and contrast-detection AF, Direct Manual Focus, Eye AF, in-camera lens correction for vignetting, CA and distortion, and in-camera lens firmware updating.
The lens features a dust- and moisture-resistant construction, with weather-sealing around the lens mount and throughout the barrel. The lens also maintains the same 67mm screw-on filter thread size as several other Tamron full-frame mirrorless lenses, such as the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD, 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD, and 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD, which makes it easy to share filters.
Pricing & Availability
The Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD is scheduled to go on sale on October 29, 2020 for approximately $549 USD; however, Tamron cautioned that to the current global health crisis, the release date or product supply schedule could change.