Tamron announces its first lens for Fujifilm X-mount, the 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3, also available for E-mount
posted Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at 12:05 PM EDT
Tamron has announced the development of its first lens for Fujifilm X-mount. Tamron is co-developing 'the world's first 16.6x all-in-one zoom for APS-C mirrorless cameras' for Fujifilm X mount and Sony E mount. Specifically, the lens in development is the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061).
As is often the case, the lens has Tamron's busy nomenclature. Among the various acronyms is quite a bit of interesting information. The lens will include Tamron's linear motor focus mechanism, the Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD). The autofocus system promises quiet and fast focusing performance. The new 18-300mm lens has an impressive minimum object distance of just under 15cm (5.9"), resulting in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 at the wide end. The lens also includes Tamron's proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC).
While at this point it's unclear what the precise optical design of the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens is, Tamron states, 'the lens includes special lens elements arranged precisely to maintain high resolution performance from edge-to-edge and provide high image quality that is among the best of all all-in-one zoom lenses.'
We also don't know the specifics of the dimensions and weight of the new lenses -- Tamron is playing some cards close to the vest while they continue finalizing the development of the new zoom ahead of its expected autumn release -- Tamron has revealed that the lens features a unified 67mm filter size, which is the same as most other Tamron lenses for mirrorless cameras. Looking at the product shots Tamron has provided, we can see that the lenses include a focal length lock, which means the lens will change length when zooming, as expected. The lens includes a Moisture-Resistant Construction (MRC in Tamron's terminology) and includes fluorine coating. Further, the lenses have slightly different shapes near their respective mounts, which makes sense given that Sony's E-mount is much larger than Fujifilm's X-mount.
Tamron has continually expanded its lineup of lenses for Sony's E-mount mirrorless camera system since releasing its first mirrorless lens, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A036) in 2018. Customers have long been asking Tamron to develop lenses for other mirrorless brands, and a Fujifilm X-mount lens felt like a good fit. Tamron will continue to develop 'unique products and expand the number of lenses compatible with more camera brands' in the coming months and years.
Stay tuned to Imaging Resource for more information on the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens and all other Tamron lenses as info becomes available.
