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Tamron 28-300mm f4-7.1 Lens for Sony First Look

Tamron is well known among photographers of all levels for designing innovative lenses with unique zoom ranges at extremely competitive prices. Recent releases have centred around their mirrorless lens lineup, with the latest Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens for Sony E arriving for full-frame Alpha cameras, bearing all of the traits for which Tamron lenses are so loved.

This new full-frame lens offers an expansive 10.7x zoom range, covering extremely versatile focal lengths for anything from landscapes and cityscapes to outdoor sports, wildlife, and travel. The lens excels in good lighting, and our Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Lens for Sony first look highlights the key features of this new zoom lens and what it can do for your photography.

When did the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD for Sony launch?

The 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD lens was released on 31st July 2024, in the midst of the Paris Olympics. It arrives during a busy year for Tamron, with several new models launching, such as the 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD and their first RF lens.

How much does the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Lens cost?

The Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens for Sony E costs £879.00, which is exceptionally good value for an all-in-one lens. Despite the accessible price it includes optical stabilisation (Vibration control), a high-speed linear motor and an optical design for great image quality, which we explore next.

How is image quality from this Tamron lens?

The traditional notion of Tamron being a ‘third party’ lens manufacturer is dispelled when they create lenses with such good image quality at extremely accessible prices. The 28-300mm f/4-7.1 maintains this trend through its optical design and lens coatings, which are combined with VC and a fast focus system.

These features combine to render sharp and detailed results, which you can achieve in lower lighting conditions and at slower speeds thanks to the VC system. Sony camera users have access to some of the world’s best AF capabilities and the lens is fully compatible with Face/Eye tracking, also helping to maintain sharp results.

While the optics aren’t as elaborate as some zooms, they do include an XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) element and an LD (Low Dispersion) element, plus Tamron’s BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating. The XLD is designed to deliver high contrast, fine detail, and superior imaging performance throughout the zoom range, while the LD element helps to reduce chromatic aberrations.

Despite an overall design of 20 elements in 13 groups, the 28-300mm f/4-7.1 lens weighs just 610g, highlighting one if its key benefits, which is portability.

Key features

The wide to telephoto zoom lens combines many of Tamron’s latest optical technologies in order to delver impressive capabilities for full-frame Sony creators. Key features include:

• A full-frame mirrorless lens with 10.7x zoom range
• 610g weight
• Fast and quiet linear motor focus mechanism VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive)
• Optical stabilisation system VC (Vibration Compensation)
• Close focusing with high magnification adds to versatility
• BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating reduces flare and ghosting
• Comprehensive weather sealing and a low maintenance Fluorine coating
• Zoom Lock
• Compact 67mm filter thread (similar to many Tamron lenses for filter sharing)

What is this type of all-in-one or 10x zoom for?

Many photographers want these kinds of super versatile zoom lenses, which feature wide to telephoto ranges, as it saves bringing more than one lens and switching during shooting. It also saves weight and allows the creator to capture more diverse subjects with just one versatile lens. The types of subjects you can capture with the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens for Sony E include:

• Landscapes
• Architecture and cityscapes
• Street photography and portraits
• Travel and everyday snapshots
• Outdoor sports and wildlife
• Video

While this isn’t a complete list of everything you can capture, it gives you an idea of the most common subjects, which this expansive zoom range covers.

Can you get nice bokeh and out-of-focus areas with this lens?

Yes, a 9-blade aperture diaphragm combined with longer focal lengths allow you to render smooth defocus areas and distinguish the subject from blurry backgrounds. The lens is perfectly suited to capturing portraits, headshots, lifestyle and other subject-driven photography at its longer lengths.

Conversely the close 0.19m minimum focus distance at the wide end, with a max. magnification ratio of 1:2.8 (or an equally impressive 0.99m at the telephoto end with 1:3.8 magnification) enables frame-filling shots and dynamic compositions. This ensures that you really can shoot virtually anything with a single all-in-one lens, from near to very far.

It’s worth noting that the rounded aperture opening is designed to remain circular for two stops from its widest, enabling smooth round bokeh even when stopping down slightly.

Build quality and ergonomics

Since releasing models like the popular Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 newcomers to the brand have been impressed by Tamron’s surprisingly high build quality. The 28-300mm f/4-7.1 VC lens is also very well built, with comprehensive weather seals, a customisable Focus Set Button, and a handy Zoom Lock mechanism.

It also includes a Fluorine coating on the front element to help when cleaning the camera lens, and the lens comes with a petal-shaped lens hood, which is a nice touch.

There are many benefits to using an all-in-one zoom lens, and some photographers prefer to keep lens changes to a minimum. Tamron addresses these needs with options like this new 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD, which boasts a 10.7x zoom range, satisfying the most demanding requirements.

The lens expands on its zoom versatility with very close focusing, high magnification, and technologies such as vibration control and fast, silent focusing. Thanks to these benefits, along with high image quality, this is sure to achieve another gold medal for Tamron, appealing to photographers who want a lightweight, portable, yet high-quality multi-purpose zoom lens.

Reserve your Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens for Sony E today and explore our complete range of lenses for Sony, which is packed with options for every type of content creation.

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By Nick Dautlich on 31/07/2024