TAMRON

Tamron Unveils 28-200mm Zoom for Sony Full-Frame Cameras

is expanding its line of compact, affordable lenses for the Sony full-frame camera system with the 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD. It's got a long zoom ratio, about 7.1x, so you won't have to bother with lens changes when out and about, making it an especially appealing lens for travel.
It's built with the same design philosophy as the company's other lenses for the system. Engineers emphasized size and weight, without making too many sacrifices. The lens includes full weather protection, and is sized in line with the other zooms in the series—the 17-28mm, 28-75mm, and 70-180mm all use the same 67mm thread for accessory filters.
It's also got a brighter f-stop than competing optics. Sony's FE 24-240mm is a bit wider and longer, but is a half-stop slower than the 28-200mm across its coverage range at f/3.5-6.3.
It's also relatively light and compact. Tamron's lens is just 4.6 inches long at its shortest setting (the barrel telescopes out to zoom) and weighs 20.3 ounces. The Sony lens is a hair longer (4.7 inches) and about a half-pound heavier.



Tamron has also done its best to put premium fit and finish into this lens series. Polycarbonate construction, dust and splash protection, and fluorine coating continues here. All of Sony's autofocus features are supported, including eye detection, and the lens and camera communicate to automatically correct distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting.
There is something missing: image stabilization. Tamron hasn't included it in any lens for the Sony system. At wider angles the in-body stabilization system in most Sony cameras does a fine job keeping photos sharp, even when the shutter speed is on the long side.



doesn't make telephoto shots impossible, though. In our recent tests with the Tamron 70-180mm and the Sony a7R IV, we found the camera's IBIS system was good enough to net blur-free images at 1/80-second—we expect similar results with the 28-200mm.
Tamron expects to start shipping the 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD on June 25. It's priced at $729, a few hundred dollars less than Sony's all-in-one zoom. 

Jim Fisher/mundophone