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Tamron has announced the release of two new zoom lenses on opposite ends of the focal length spectrum: the 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD for APS-C Sony E mount cameras and the 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD for full-frame Sony E mount cameras.
11–20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD
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First up is the 11–20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD, a fast-aperture ultrawide zoom lens for Sony E mount APS-C mirrorless cameras.
The lens, which has a 16.5mm-30mm full-frame equivalent focal length, is constructed of 12 elements in 10 groups, including two Glass Molded Aspherical (GM) elements, one Extra Low Dispersion (XLD) element and two Low Dispersion (LD) elements. Tamron has also used its Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2 (BBAR-G2) coating, which it claims keeps ghosting and flares to a minimum.
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The lens uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm and features a minimum focusing distance of 5.9” at 11mm and 9.4” at 20mm. Powering the focusing is Tamron’s Rapid Extra-silent stepping Drive (EXD) stepping motor, which Tamron specifically mentions is compatible with Eye AF modes on Sony mirrorless cameras.
Despite its constant F2.8 aperture, the lens comes in a rather compact (and moisture-resistant) package, measuring only 86mm (3.4”) long, 73mm (2.87”) in diameter and weighing only 335g (11.8oz).
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The Tamron 11–20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD is expected to go on sale starting June 24 for an MSRP of $829. Tamron does note though that ‘Due to the current global health crisis, the release date or product supply schedule could change.’
150–500mm F5–6.7 Di III VC VXD
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Next up is the 150–500mm F5–6.7 Di III VC VXD, a compact ultra-telephoto zoom lens for full-frame Sony E mount cameras.
The lens is constructed of 25 elements in 16 groups, including one Extra Low Dispersion (XLD) element, five Low Dispersion (LD) elements and two Hybrid Aspherical elements. As with the 11–20mm F2.8 lens, this lens also uses Tamron’s ghosting- and flare-reducing BBAR-G2 coating.
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The lens uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm and has a minimum focusing distance of 60cm (23.6”) at 150mm and 1.8 meters (70.9”) at 500mm. Focusing is powered by the same VXD linear motor focus mechanism Tamron first used in its 70–180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD lens. The lens also features optical stabilization in the form of Tamron’s VC mechnism, which offers three settings: a standard setting (mode 1), a panning setting (mode 2) and a framing priority setting (mode 3), which Tamron claims will choose the proper VC setting based on shooting conditions.
Other features include a zoom lock mechanism, an included Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount with attachment holes and an included lens hood. As for size, the ultra-telephoto zoom lens measures 21cm (8.3”) long, 93mm in diameter and weighs 1.72kg (60.8oz) without the tripod mount, which weighs 156g (5.5oz).
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The Tamron 150–500mm F5–6.7 Di III VC VXD is expected to go on sale starting June 10 for an MSRP of $1,399. As with the 11–20mm F2.8, Tamron notes that ‘Due to the current global health crisis, the release date or product supply schedule could change.’
Author:
Gannon Burgett
Source: Dpreview
