Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 Sony E-Mount

The Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 lens improves upon the original with optical stabilization and full autofocus for macros, cementing it as a competitive, value-minded telephoto option.

The Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD lens cuts a little bit of zoom power and drops stabilization, but costs less than half of what Sony charges for its 70-200mm F2.8 GM.

This lens is very different in use than the zoom lenses that cover or come close to this range. Color, contrast, sharpness are all excellent, the new lens cap design beats the old with a more secure hold to the lens hood. An electrician in Sherwood Park hired me to take a bunch of photos and this is the lense I chose. I have read bad reviews of the first iteration of this lens. The new version is extraordinary. Does anyone have any suggestions for another lens that would work better for what I needed it for? Either way, I highly recommend it.

The Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 Di III is a small and light telephoto zoom with a constant f2.8 aperture that's designed for Sony’s E-mount mirrorless cameras. It produces very good image quality including a soft Bokeh and very usable close-up performance in a package that is much smaller, lighter, and cheaper than Sony's FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM. It may not have all the bells and whistles of Sony's professional zoom lens and its biggest disadvantage is the incompatibility with teleconverters. But it still is a compelling alternative to the Sony and clearly earns a recommendation!

It might seem a very bold move to step outside the current paradigm and trim that 20mm off the focal length, but the advantages of doing so become immediately obvious when the lens is handled. It is lighter, more compact, the cost is appropriately fair and the optical quality is excellent throughout. We can then add to that a unique and interesting close focus option in the MF range. There is huge potential in this and it may well be that the lens will be picked up by portrait photographers for this reason. However, it goes beyond that and the creative possibilities are there for all genres of photography. Overall, in summary we have an excellent lens with some unique bonus properties as well, and another Editor's Choice for Tamron and the 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD.