Review: Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD (Sony E-Mount)

Conclusion

Pros

• Compact and lightweight for the aperture and focal range
• Weathersealed against dust and moisture
• Very good image sharpness starting from f/2.8
• Good control of longitudinal chromatic aberration
• Excellent color and contrast
• Close focus ability adds to versatility
• Very affordable

Cons

• Bokeh is mediocre
• Barrel distortion at the wide end and pincushion at the long end
• Some lateral chromatic aberration
• High spherical aberration at very close focus when shot wide open with longer focal lengths
• Lens materials do not feel premium
• Some hiccups with autofocus with standard camera settings Edit: Tamron has released a firmware update that has fixed autofocus issues.

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 is a fast standard zoom that is an excellent value for money. It’s rather sharp, and produces very pleasing images with a good overall image rendering. Bokeh can get a bit chunky at times, and there’s some distortion that you’ll have to correct, but when taken as a whole, the optical performance of the lens is quite good. Considering the reasonable $799 price tag, and the very high price of its competition, the bang for the buck is the best among all the standard zooms for the full-frame E mount.

In addition to the good optical quality and affordable price, the Tamron succeeds most due to its compact nature. In comparison with the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, the Tamron 28-75mm is so much lighter and easier to handle as a walk-around lens that it would be hard for me to entertain the GM even if their cost was similar. While improvements could be made, it’s a very solid effort from Tamron, and will fit the bill for a wide range of Sony shooters.  I started out a bit wary of the lens, but have grown more and more fond of it the more I’ve used it.  I’ve found it to be a very versatile lens with very good image quality, and it’s earned a permanent spot in my bag.

Image Samples

Click on an image to enlarge

Hayden Falls – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 75mm, f/16, 1sec, ISO 100

Legos – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 75mm, f/2.8, 1/125s, ISO 5000

Statehouse Reflection – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, f/8, 1/40s, ISO 100

Statue – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 38mm, f/2.8, 1/2000s, ISO 100

Columbus Below Rich Street – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, f/11, 1/100s, ISO 100

Memphis Belle – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 57mm, f/5, 1/30s, ISO 2000

Glass and Stone – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 75mm, f/11, 1/100s, ISO 100

Portrait – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 75mm, f/2.8, 1/320s, ISO 100

Clifton Mill – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 29mm, f/11, 1/5s, ISO 100

Statehouse Marble – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 31mm, f/8, 1/20s, ISO 1250

Torah – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 32mm, f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO 100

Toad – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 75mm, f/2.8, 1/160s, ISO 100

Flowers in the City – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 40mm, f/8, 1/160s, ISO 100

Wing Light – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 75mm, f/4, 1/40s, ISO 800

Hayden Falls – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, f/14, 1/4s, ISO 100

Sundial – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 100

Statehouse – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 100

Columbus – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 35mm, f/11, 1/25s, ISO 100

McKinley – Sony A7 III with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, f/10, 1/160s, ISO 100

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