DPRTV: Tamron 17-70mm Di III – A VC RXD Review
Tamron lenses on Sony E-mount cameras have been held in pretty high regard in recent years due to their outstanding performance for the price. Tamron APS-C lenses for Sony E-mount might end up being an even more attractive option since Sony doesn’t make a lot of high-quality crop lenses. Below is a summary of DPRTV’s findings:
- The name is a bit of a mouth full
- f/2.8 throughout 17-70mm zoom range (similar to f/4 depth of field on full-frame and about 25.5-105mm)
- On the Sony a7RIV, you still get about 26mp in crop mode
- Very light and compact
- Built similar to other Tamron lenses for E-mount
- 67mm filter threat which Tamron uses on their E-mount glass
- No buttons on the lens so all functions are done through the body
- Stepping style motor, but it performs well
- Near to far, AF is snappy
- Bokeh isn’t bad and remains round with minimal cats eye, but it can be very busy with onion rings etc…
- LoCA gives you a cyan magenta split which isn’t terrible, but it is there
- There are some flare/ghosting issues
- Manual focus is loose with little dampening, but for videographers, there is little breathing on this lens
- 17mm is very good even out to the corners
- 70mm is quite acceptable with good results wide open
- Sharpness is consistent from wide to telephoto
- Using the lens on the a7RIV you’re getting 2MP more than Sony APS-C bodies
- Other similar lenses are pretty bad unless you spend big money and even then they aren’t completely comparable
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