Which Telezoom for A7iii

[Andrew]

Small poll but opinions welcomed….

Sony 70-200 F4
Sony 70-300
Tamron 70-180 F2.8
Sigma 100-400

My needs
- Handheld ability
- Landscape and Portraits (not professional) where lighting isn’t an issue.
- Eye-AF compatible (pretty every lens is because it’s the body?)

My likes
- Ability to get in close to random wildlife
- Either something small I use and pack often or something big I take out on planned photo days (not to often)
- Dust sealed, weather sealing is nice but I won’t ever take camera out in rain or find a dust devil.

 

[Tim Mayo]

I've not used it myself but the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD lens gets good reviews for the price and it's around 300g lighter than the Sony FE 70-300. I'd prefer this if trying to keep my bag light. The Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD could also an option if you want something a little wider for landscapes. I own the Sigma 100-400 and the AF performance isn't great compared to native Sony lenses or even the Tamron lenses. It also needs a firmware update that requires the lens to be sent back to Sigma, which isn't ideal.

 

[Jeff A]

I've not used it myself but the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD lens gets good reviews for the price and it's around 300g lighter than the Sony FE 70-300. I'd prefer this if trying to keep my bag light. The Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD could also an option if you want something a little wider for landscapes. I own the Sigma 100-400 and the AF performance isn't great compared to native Sony lenses or even the Tamron lenses. It also needs a firmware update that requires the lens to be sent back to Sigma, which isn't ideal.

Regarding the "Need" of the Firmware update on the Sigma 100-400, the one and only firmware update corrects an issue with the A7S, and if needed, Sigma will perform the update without charge to the customer.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Regarding the "Need" of the Firmware update on the Sigma 100-400, the one and only firmware update corrects an issue with the A7S, and if needed, Sigma will perform the update without charge to the customer.

Ver.02 of the firmware addresses an issue with the stabilization and also the issue that stops users from updating the firmware themselves. Sigma will update the firmware for free but they won't pay the shipping cost unfortunately. It seems to improve AF performance as well according to those who have updated the firmware. Further details in the blog post here: https://www.alphashooters.com/sigma-100-400mm-f5-6-3-dg-dn-os-firmware-update-ver-02/

 

[Andrew]

Regarding the Tamron lenses, do they have optical stabilisation or is this even needed with the IBIS?

Im still very tempted at the Sony 70-300 being native and all that.

 

[Andrew]

Oh the Tamron is very cheap! Maybe get this 70-300 and if it’s used enough, upgrade in the distant future.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Regarding the Tamron lenses, do they have optical stabilisation or is this even needed with the IBIS?

Im still very tempted at the Sony 70-300 being native and all that.

I think from the Tamron lenses for E-mount only the 150-500 has stabilisation built into the lens, the others like the 70-300 will rely on the camera's IBIS which is ok, but generally not as good as stabilisation in the lens itself. This is why Tamron can keep their lenses so compact and friendly on the wallet. But unless you are shooting a lot in low light situations then you can often compensate for this by increasing the shutter speed.

This review from Chris Frost is worth watching:

 

[Andrew]

Bit the bullet and purchased 70-200 F4, which arrives tomorrow.
I decided the faster F stop isn’t something I need at the moment but wanted quality an internal zoom for something I would use often.

To aid my trinity I may get the 200-600 if I need to extend more (no current need), for my wider I am looking at the Sigma 14-24 f2.8.