Tamron announces 17-70mm f/2.8 standard zoom lens for Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras

posted Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 11:45 AM EDT

Tamron has announced the launch of the 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (Model B070) lens. It is a high-speed standard zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras. It is the first f/2.8 APS-C zoom lens to achieve a 4.1x zoom ratio. It is also Tamron's first high-speed zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras.

The lens delivers a full-frame equivalent focal length range of 25.5-105mm, making it an ideal choice for many types of photography, including travel, landscape and general portraiture. The lens is equipped with Tamron's Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanism to minimize camera shake. The lens includes optimized algorithms and an independent micro-processing unit dedicated to stabilization performance. The VC can be combined with in-camera image stabilization as well.

The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 lens is 4.7 in. long and weighs 18.5 oz. Image courtesy of Tamron

When recording video, the VC utilizes artificial intelligence technology for stabilization. It is not clear precisely how AI factors in, but Tamron states, 'When shooting video, by leveraging AI technology, image stabilization performance improves compared to convention models.'

In terms of build quality, the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD features a moisture-resistant construction and fluorine coating. The lens is compact as well, measuring 4.7 in. long (11.94 cm) with a maximum diameter of 3 in. (74.6mm). The 17-70mm zoom lens weighs 18.5 oz. (524g). The lens includes a 67mm filter thread.

The new 17-70mm f/2.8 lens features moisture-resistant construction. Image courtesy of Tamron.

Optically, the Tamron 17-70mm lens incorporates 16 elements across a dozen groups. There are a pair of Glass Molded Aspherical (GM) lens elements and a single hybrid aspherical lens element.

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD optical construction. The lens includes 16 lens elements across 12 groups. Image courtesy of Tamron.

At 17mm, the 17-70mm f/2.8 zoom can focus as close as 7.5 in. (19 cm), resulting in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4.8. At the 70mm focal length, the close focus distance is 15.4 in. (39 cm), resulting in a 1:5.2 max magnification ratio.

The lens incorporates Tamron's Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive (RXD) stepping motor unit, which promises quick and quiet autofocus suitable for still photography and video alike. The lens is also compatible with many of Sony's in-camera autofocus features, including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF.