Tamron completes E-mount zoom trilogy

Tamron completes E-mount zoom trilogy

 After announcing its development late last year, Tamron has officially launched its large-aperture telezoom for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras, the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD. It follows on from the firm’s 17-28mm f/2.8 and 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD designs, completing a set of standard, wideangle and telephoto optics. By adopting the same design philosophy, with a zoom range that’s slightly shorter than usual for its class, it’s impressively compact and lightweight. Indeed at 149mm long, 81mm in diameter and 810g in weight, the lens is notably smaller than Sony’s FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS, despite its stop-faster aperture.

Key features include a 67mm filter thread that’s shared with its f/2.8 siblings; a 9-blade diaphragm; and moisture-resistant construction, along with a water-repellent fluorine coating on the front element.
Autofocus employs a pair of newly developed VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torqueDrive) linear drive units, with a floating focus design for high image quality at all distances, down to a minimum of 85cm throughout the zoom range. Switch to manual focus, and it’s possible to focus as close as 28cm at the 70mm setting, giving half life-size magnification, although with a significant drop in peripheral sharpness. The lens is fully compatible with features such as Eye AF, Direct Manual Focus, and in-camera lens corrections.
credit : amateurphotographer magazine