Tamron announces 2 zooms for Sony E mount: APS-C 11-20mm f/2.8 and full-frame 150-500mm f/5-6.7
posted Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 11:00 PM EDT
Tamron has announced a pair of zoom lenses for Sony E-mount. The first is a compact, lightweight ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C Sony mirrorless cameras, the Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060). The second new lens is a full-frame telephoto zoom lens, the Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (Model A057).
Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060)
The new Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 is the world's first ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras to feature a maximum aperture of f/2.8. The lens delivers a 105-degree to 71-degree field of view, equivalent to a 16.5-30mm lens on a full-frame camera.
The lens is quite compact, at only 3.4" (86.4 mm) long and with a maximum diameter of 2.87" (73 mm). The filter thread is 67mm. The 11-20mm f/2.8 lens weighs 11.8 oz. (334 g). Tamron promises a great balance on a Sony APS-C camera body, although we won't know how the lens feels in use until we go hands-on with it for ourselves. With a moisture-resistant construction, the 11-20mm f/2.8 is well-suited to outdoor photography.
In terms of optics, the 11-20mm f/2.8 lens includes 12 elements in 10 groups. Special elements include a pair of glass-molded aspherical (GM) elements, an eXtra low dispersion (XLD) element and two low dispersion (LD) elements. Further, the lens includes Tamron's own Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2 (BBAR-G2) coating to suppress ghosting and flare.
The lens is compatible with Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF on Sony cameras. Further, it offers an impressive close focus distance of 5.9" (15 cm) at the 11mm focal length and 9.4" (23.8 cm) at 20mm. This results in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4. The lens uses Tamron's Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive (RXD) stepping motor unit to deliver quiet and quick autofocus for both stills and video.
The Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060) is expected to release on June 24 with a suggested retail price of $820, although Tamron notes that due to the ongoing global health crisis, the date is subject to change.
Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (Model A057)
At the other end of the focal length spectrum is Tamron's new full-frame 150-500mm ultra-telephoto zoom lens. The zoom is Tamron's first native ultra-telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras that reaches the 500mm focal length. However, while you can use Tamron's 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DSLR lens on mirrorless cameras with adapters, the new 150-500mm incorporates new technology and features, such as improved autofocus.
Despite its long focal length, the 150-500mm f/5-6.7 lens is designed for handheld shooting. To that end, the lens is just 8.3" (21 cm) long with a maximum diameter of 3.6" (93 mm). When you zoom in, the lens does extend to a maximum length of 11.1" (28 cm). The lens zooms from 150mm to 500mm with 75 degrees of rotation, which is less than a quarter of a turn, meaning that you can rapidly zoom in.
To further aid handheld shooting, the lens includes Tamron's vibration compensation (VC) mechanism. The VC includes three modes, standard, panning and framing priority. The lens weighs 3.8 lbs. (1,723 g) without its tripod foot. If you want to use a tripod, the Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount with strap attachment holes adds a few ounces to the overall weight of the lens.
The Tamron 150-500mm lens incorporates 25 lens elements in 16 groups. Among these 25 elements, there is one XLD element, five LD elements and two hybrid aspherical elements. Tamron states that these special elements control aberrations, including axial chromatic aberrations.
Autofocus is driven by the same VXD linear motor focus mechanism that was first seen in Tamron's 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056) lens. Tamron writes, 'VXD delivers extreme high-speed and high-precision movement and ensures exceedingly responsive performance.' Autofocus performance is promised to be fast and accurate, even at the ultra-telephoto end of the lens. Further, focus tracking performance has been improved to make it easier to capture sharp shots of fast-moving subjects, such as photographing sports, birds or aircraft. The lens is compatible with Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF as well.
In terms of close-focusing performance, the Tamron 150-500mm lens can focus as close as 23.6" (59.4 cm) at 150mm and 70.9" (180 cm) at 500mm. The maximum magnification ratio at 150mm is 1:3.1. At 500mm, the maximum magnification ratio is reduced slightly to 1:3.7.
Tamron expects the 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC RXD lens to be available on June 10 for approximately $1,399.