Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD E-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#45622 date: Dec-12-2020 | |
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| sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Tamron 28-200 RXD Tokina AF 35-200 SD Minolta MD 50-135 F3.5 Sigma 50-150 F2.8 EX DC HSM II Sony DT 55-200 SAM Vivitar 70-150 F3.8 Sigma 70-200 F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Sigma 70-200 F2.8 EX DG APO Vivitar S1 70-210 F3.5 I & II Sony FE 70-200 F4 G OSS Canon EF 70-200 F4 L USM Minolta AF 70-210 F4 Minolta AF 70-210 F3.5-4.5 Minolta AF 80-200 F2.8 APO G Tokina 80-200 AT-X Pro Vivitar 85-205 F3.8 Minolta AF 100-200 F4.5 Minolta AF 135 F2.8 Canon EF 135 F2.8 Softfocus Canon EF 200 F2.8 L USM Minolta AF 200 F2.8 APO G Minolta AF 200 F2.8 HS APO G |
| price paid: | undisclosed (new) |
| positive: | Compact Corner sharpness Minimal CA Lack of extraneous controls Lens Compensation "Camera-based lens unit firmware updates" |
| negative: | Price Extending zoom Pincushion distortion Misalignment/variation Small petal hood 15 FPS AF-C limitation |
| comment: | The first copy had an alignment problem which was worse on the wide end. It didn't match the MTF charts at all which show it too be very sharp wide-open on the wide-end. Even with that problem it is a very good lens. The second copy is better aligned in the center and more consistent across the frame but slightly softer on the right side. It still shows some uneven colored fringing in the center of the frame. "MADE IN VIETNAM" The wide end is wider than the Canon 70-200 F4L or Minolta 70-210 F4. It matches the long end of the Sony FE 28-70 OSS well. The focal length decreases quite a bit with close focus. It is better corrected and sharper at 180 mm than the Minolta AF 200 F2.8 HS APO G and Canon EF 200 F2.8 L USM. The older F2.8 zooms are not close. The second copy seems to have a much lighter zoom action than the first. It feels better than the Minolta AF zooms, but not quite as light as the Canon EF 70-200 F4L USM. The voice coil motors occasionally pulse in a loop when they should be holding the focus stationary. It doesn't happen all the time. Maybe a firmware update will address it. |
; 61MPrating summary
- total reviews: 7
- sharpness: 4.93
- color: 5.00
- build: 4.29
- distortion: 4.86
- flare control: 5.00
- overall: 4.81