Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD E-mount lens review by AudioDoc
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | I only have one E mount zoom lens in this range, the FE-24-70mm f4 ZA which has OSS and nice Zeiss color and contrast, but is now showing its age. It is smaller and lighter and has 24mm focal length, but doesn't have the overall focal range of the Tamron and probably doesn't have the across-the-frame sharpness of the Tamron. But I don't do any technical testing of sharpness of these lenses. I'll leave that to others more qualified. |
price paid: | $650 |
positive: | Sharp, relatively small and light, 67mm filter, broad focal length range. Price. Eye Af seems to work very well. Focus is quick and positive. So far, I really like the rendering of this lens and would give it a 5 star rating for "Likability"! Its a winner. Pair it with a couple small fast primes and you have all the kit you need! |
negative: | No OSS, a little CA at 28mm, some distortion, but none of this is of major concern to me. Zoom ring is a bit tight compared with the Sony Zeiss. Don't expect nice bokeh from this lens though it can blur background nicely in the right conditions. |
comment: | Those that are aquatinted with me, know that I prefer to use prime lenses. The the reality is that as I age, I can't carry a suitcase full of lenses with me everywhere and I can't always be changing lenses. This lens fits the bill perfectly, especially for travel. And normally I'm looking for maximum depth of field so I'm shooting at small apertures anyway. Its plenty sharp at all focal lengths. I'm always amused by people looking for the "Holy Grail" of zoom lenses looking for Prime Lens-like performance"! That doesn't exist! But this list is surprisingly good. If you are looking for a good travel all-in-one lens, this is the one! IMO. If I were to rate it by how much I like it, I would give it a 5 star rating! It's a zoom, so of course it won't compare with great prime lenses but I don't expect it to. But I would take this one any day over a much heavier, and way more expensive 24-70 f2.8 zoom that costs as much as 2 or 3 faster prime lenses! And for most photographs, one would never see the difference. BTW, I do notice that the photos I've taken so far are mostly in the 35 to 55mm focal range. I suppose that is why most of the time I'm satisfied with my Zeiss Bast 40mm f2 |
rating summary

- total reviews: 5
- sharpness: 4.50
- color: 4.80
- build: 4.60
- distortion: 4.40
- flare control: 4.60
- overall: 4.58