Sony Photography News and Rumors

Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

The guys from Petapixel posted their Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 review, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it is a great lens so long as you do not shoot macro. You can watch the full review above or check out the summary I created for the video below:

Summary

• Successor and Design: It replaces the well-regarded Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8, maintaining a compact and lightweight design at 440g (very close to its predecessor’s 420g) and a 67mm filter thread, which is consistent across Tamron’s f/2.8 zoom lineup.
• Build and Functionality: The lens is fully weather-sealed and includes a customizable button and a USBC port for firmware updates and customization through the Tamron lens app. It does not have a dedicated autofocus/manual focus switch.
• New Motor Technology: A significant upgrade is the new voice coil motor. This replaces the slower stepping motor of the previous generation. The new motor provides “super snappy and quick” autofocusing performance, making it highly effective for fast-paced situations like street shooting and sports photography.
• Image Quality:
  • Bokeh: While an ultra-wide lens, it can produce a shallow depth of field. Backgrounds are generally soft, though some minor imperfections like a “soap bubble” effect and onion rings can be seen in specular highlights.
  • Flare and Sun Stars: The lens demonstrates excellent flare resistance thanks to its coatings, maintaining contrast even when shooting into the sun, with no ghosting issues. Sun stars are described as “average.”
  • Sharpness:
    • 16mm: The lens is impressively sharp from the center to the corners, even at its widest aperture of f/2.8, with minimal vignetting.
    • 30mm: At f/2.8, it exhibits a “dreamy soft focus effect” with a loss of contrast. This sharpens up significantly by f/5.6. The corners at this focal length are also soft at f/2.8 and, while improved at f/5.6, don’t match the sharpness seen at 16mm.
• Video Performance: The lens is a strong performer for video. It has excellent tracking autofocus thanks to the new linear motor and exhibits almost no perceptible focus breathing at 16mm. At 30mm, there is a very slight, non-distracting change in the field of view when focusing, making it a great video lens for its price.

Competitive Landscape:
The video provides a detailed breakdown of how the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 G2 stacks up against its main competitors:

• Sony E-mount Competition:
  • Sony 16-25mm f/2.8: This is a very good, sharp lens, but it has a more limited focal range than the Tamron and is slightly more expensive.
  • Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8: This lens offers similar optical performance and is very similarly priced to the Tamron, making it a direct competitor. The Tamron offers a slight advantage with 2mm more reach at the telephoto end. [13:05]
• Nikon Z-mount Competition:
  • Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8: This lens is described as being in a “whole other league” and intended for a different type of photography, implying it is a higher-end, more specialized, and more expensive option. [13:19]
  • Nikkor 17-28mm f/2.8: The video notes that this lens is essentially a rebranded version of the older Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8. The reviewer recommends the new Tamron 16-30mm G2 over this Nikon lens, as the new Tamron offers more focal range, faster focusing, and better overall optical performance.

Conclusion:
The Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 G2 is presented as a strong, affordable, and effective ultra-wide lens, especially for those already invested in Tamron’s G2 professional zoom trifecta. It offers tangible upgrades over its predecessor and holds a competitive edge in focal range and focusing technology against similarly priced rivals, making it a compelling option for both photographers and videographers.

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