{"id":10031,"date":"2020-07-23T22:29:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-24T03:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=10031"},"modified":"2020-07-24T10:56:54","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T15:56:54","slug":"review-tamron-70-180mm-f-2-8-di-iii-vxd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-tamron-70-180mm-f-2-8-di-iii-vxd\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tamron has been in the lens business for a long time, having established itself as a major third-party player for SLR systems going back decades. Despite that pedigree, Tamron had barely dipped its toes in the waters of mirrorless for many years before finally jumping in to the Sony E mount system in earnest two years ago with the 28-75mm f\/2.8<\/a>. That lens was a hit, and Tamron has since added an f\/2.8 ultra-wide zoom<\/a>, three wide-angle macro primes and now this lens, which completes the f\/2.8 zoom trinity: The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tamron\u2019s philosophy with their f\/2.8 zooms for Sony has been to create high quality optics while maintaining a compact, lightweight form factor. The 70-180mm f\/2.8 continues this trend by packing an f\/2.8 constant aperture in a lens no heavier than most f\/4 telezooms. But can it perform? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD on the Sony A7R IV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Construction and Handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you notice when you see the Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 is that it is incredibly small for a full-frame f\/2.8 telephoto zoom. Most 70-200mm f\/2.8 lenses are fairly hefty and reasonably long lenses. The competing Sony 70-200mm f\/2.8 GM is 7.9 inches long and weighs in at a weighty 1,480g. The one-stop slower 70-200mm f\/4 G is 7 inches long and 840g. Meanwhile, the Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 is only 5.9 inches long and just 810g. Creating an f\/2.8 telezoom that is both lighter and smaller than the competition\u2019s f\/4 telezoom is a remarkable feat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having an f\/2.8 telezoom that is half the weight of the competition is remarkable on paper, but in use it feels like even more of a savings. Because the lens is shorter in length, the weight distribution is also superior to most 70-200mm lenses, and as such, there is no fatigue when carrying this lens around for long periods of time while mounted to the camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 (right), compared to the Canon EF 70-200mm f\/4L with MC-11 (left)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The biggest reason the Tamron 70-180mm manages to stay compact is that it features an extending zoom design, rather than the constant length internal zoom that most fast telezooms have adopted in the past 30 years. Canon has also decided to make their RF 70-200mm f\/2.8 zoom an extending type to reduce size, and I think it\u2019s a good design decision. The result is a lens that is remarkably compact. The lens fits easier in most camera bags, and the light weight makes handling a breeze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lens is built similarly to the other Tamron E-mount lenses, with a polycarbonate exterior, a metal mount, and weather sealing throughout for dust and moisture resistance. The plastic exterior does make the lens feel cheaper than most pro-grade telezooms, but the 70-180mm is assembled with tight tolerances, and the extending zoom shows no wobble or flex, even at full extension. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 with its included lens hood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The lens body is no-frills, with a wide rubber-gripped zoom ring at the end of the barrel, and a narrow manual focus ring towards the lens mount. Aside from that, the only other control on the lens is a zoom lock which can keep the lens collapsed to 70mm during transport or hiking. Both the zoom ring and focus ring turn smoothly and have relatively good damping. The lens comes with a plastic petal shaped lens hood that locks securely into place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 70-180mm f\/2.8 keeps the same 67mm filter thread as all of the other Tamron FE-mount lenses, and as such, the same set of filters can be shared between an entire set of lenses…a very nice touch if you are building a kit with predominantly Tamron lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Three Tamron f\/2.8 zooms: 17-28mm, 28-75mm, 70-180mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After using the lens for the past month, I have to say: I welcome the design decisions Tamron has made with the 70-180mm, and I would have a hard time going back to a 1400g 70-200mm f\/2.8 lens. This lens fulfills the promise of a small, high quality kit that many had hoped for at the dawn of mirrorless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autofocus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD is equipped with Tamron’s new VXD focus motor. The VXD stands for Voice-coil eXtreme tourque Drive. It’s sort of a silly name, but the results are impressive. Many third party lenses struggle with autofocus speed, but this lens is an exceptionally quick focuser. When shooting in continuous AF in reasonably good light, it is among the very fastest focusing lenses I’ve ever used for any format. Focus is essentially instantaneous, moving from near to far as fast as you can half press the shutter button. In dimmer light, it slows down a little, but it is still extremely quick. Like many lenses on Sony E-mount, it isn’t quite as fast when using single-shot AF, but it still is on par with most any lens I’ve used for the system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accuracy for the most part has also been very good. When using the lens for portraits, the 70-180mm utilizes Sony’s EyeAF system to great effect and consistently nails the eyes. In continuous AF throughout the zoom range and focus range, I also experienced outstanding focus accuracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Running – Sony A7R IV with Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 @ 180mm, f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In single-shot AF, though, accuracy was more mixed. In most situations, focus continues to be good in speed and quite accurate. However, the lens on my A7R IV has trouble obtaining accurate focus in single-shot AF on distant subjects near the long end of the zoom range. It’s especially prone to mis-focus in that situation at small apertures. Switching to continuous autofocus, or magnifying the image and using single-shot AF while magnified allows the lens to focus accurately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been in contact with Tamron concerning this issue, and they are looking into it. This issue appears to be somewhat body dependent, as the lens has no issues in any focus mode when shooting with my a6400, and reports on this issue seem to be limited to the A7R IV and A7R III. Until a fix is available, when using the A7R IV, it’s easy enough to stick to continuous AF for general shooting, and magnify the image when focusing for landscape work on a tripod, where I’ve had no issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image Stabilization<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 saves some of its weight and cost by not having any optical image stabilization. As such, you’ll be limited to using Sony’s in-body IS system with the lens. I had good success with the IBIS on my A7R IV with the 70-180mm, allowing for sharp images regularly at around 1\/40s at 180mm. It would be nice to have an optical stabilizer, but at this price point, I understand the omission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Image Quality<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Image Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The f\/2.8 telephoto zoom has been a workhorse lens for many decades, and image quality for high end f\/2.8 zooms is typically very high. With the compact size and weight, the extending zoom and the relatively low price, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that image quality would have some compromises. However, the Tamron 70-180mm produces images that stack up very favorably with other pro-grade f\/2.8 telephoto zooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharpness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 is a very sharp lens. I\u2019ve used quite a lot of f\/2.8 telephoto zooms, from Canon\u2019s L series, Sony\u2019s GM and G, and the best from Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic. The Tamron 70-180mm produces image sharpness right up there with the very best from other manufacturers. Image sharpness in the central 80% of the frame is outstanding from f\/2.8 throughout the zoom range. Edges and corners are a little less crisp, but are still very good wide open. Stopping down a stop or two brings those edges also into outstanding territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1-10m range, there\u2019s really nothing more to ask from a lens. See the sample shot below, taken at f\/2.8 and 136mm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Portrait – Sony A7R IV with Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD @ 136mm, f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, the image is very crisp, with outstanding detail around the eyes. How good is the detail around the eyes? Let\u2019s take a look at a 100% crop from the A7R IV:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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100% Crop of focus point (click to view full size). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see from the tremendous detail resolved on the 60MP A7R IV at f\/2.8, you won\u2019t want for image sharpness with this lens, even at its maximum aperture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When focusing closer to infinity, the lens is just slightly softer than in the close to mid-distance range, but detail is still very good, and the lens is perfectly usable for landscape use, even on high-megapixel bodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bokeh<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As a prime use for a short telephoto f\/2.8 zoom is as a general portrait or event zoom, bokeh is fairly important with such a lens. At 180mm and f\/2.8, the lens is capable of very shallow depth of field and significant background blur, though it\u2019s quite easy to reduce the background to a blur throughout the zoom range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tree, Schnormeier Gardens – Sony A7R IV with Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD @ 140mm, f\/2.8, 1\/160s, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quality of the bokeh on the Tamron 70-180mm is predominantly good, though it falls short of the best lenses of this type. In the portrait range, bokeh is smooth with fairly evenly rendered specular highlights and a very pleasing look. There can be a very slight edge to highlights, but it\u2019s minor. At mid-distance, the bokeh becomes a bit more nervous, though is still acceptable. Sony\u2019s 70-200mm f\/2.8 GM does render more smoothly in these mid-distance situations. There is some mechanical vignetting at the edges, which causes the shape of specular highlights to become oblong: a trait shared with most f\/2.8 telephoto zooms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Forest Sunrise – Sony A7R IV with Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD @ 180mm, f\/2.8, 1\/1600s, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Still, given the price and the overall quality, I find the bokeh perfectly acceptable for such a lens. It\u2019s a clear improvement on the mediocre bokeh of Tamron\u2019s 28-75mm f\/2.8, and will fit the bill for all but the pickiest shooters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Color, Contrast and Chromatic Aberration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The 70-180mm f\/2.8, like most modern lenses, shows strong contrast and good color saturation throughout the aperture range. I find that the strong contrast at f\/2.8 helps your subject really pop out of the background, as evidenced in the photo of the tree above. There\u2019s minimal spherical aberration, even when focused up close. Color is pleasing and relatively neutral, fitting in well with the other Tamron zoom lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Schnormeier Gardens – Sony A7R IV with Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD @ 76mm, f\/9, f\/50s, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chromatic aberration is very minimal, with only a small amount of lateral chromatic aberration visible upon very close inspection in some instances, but it’s barely field relevant and is very simple to correct. Longitudinal CA can present in extreme circumstances, but I didn\u2019t find it to affect real world images in day to day use. Overall, an excellent performance with regards to chromatic aberration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distortion, Flare and Vignetting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now we come to one of the weakness of the lens, and that\u2019s with native distortion. The 70-180mm f\/2.8 shows mild pincushion distortion at 70mm that worsens as you zoom towards 180mm. If shooting JPEGs, this will be corrected in-camera, but with RAW files, you will want to make sure that the RAW converter you\u2019re using is set to correct the distortion in camera when shooting photos that feature straight lines. Thankfully, both Lightroom and Capture One Pro have profiles that can correct the distortion right from launch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lens performs reasonably well with regards to flare. Shooting things like the sun can lead to a haze and loss of contrast emanating from the light source, along with some purple and green color flare around the light source. On the positive side, the lens shows very minimal ghosting flare, and when using the lens hood with the sun out of the frame, I\u2019ve encountered no issues with regards to veiling flare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tamron also performs fairly well with regards to vignetting, which is surprising given the small front element combined with the fast aperture. Vignetting is visible but moderate at f\/2.8 and eases when stopping down. Nothing to worry about here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macro Mode<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 isn\u2019t a macro lens, though with autofocus, it is capable of a quite respectable minimum focus distance of just 0.85m throughout the focus range, allowing for a maximum magnification of 1:4.6 when shooting at 180mm. This will allow for very nice closeup capabilities for flowers or other smaller details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the lens also has a special close focus mode that can be enabled by switching the lens into manual focus. In manual focus with the zoom set to 70mm, the lens can focus all the way down to 0.27m, which allows for 1:2 macro level shooting. Unfortunately, this mode compromises the optics a fair bit. The center of the image remains extremely sharp, but the sharpness outside the central area falls off very rapidly, so this mode is really only useful for centrally placed compositions such as the one below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dandelion-Sony A7R IV with Tamron 70-180mm f\/2.8 Di III VXD @ 70mm, f\/2.8, 1\/160s, ISO 250<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In all, I find the optical quality of the Tamron 70-180mm to be on a very high level. The lens is very sharp, with pleasing bokeh, good color and contrast and minimal aberrations. It\u2019s a high quality optic that is competitive with the pro-grade telezooms from the other major manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pros<\/h4>\n\n\n\n