Last October Tamron revealed that they were working on a new 70-180mm F2.8 lens for Sony E-mount, well today Tamron has officially announced this new lens.
The Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD joins the Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD and 28–75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD lenses and completes this very popular lens trio.
By shaving 20mm of the long-end and also not including image stabilization built-in, Tamron has managed to keep the lens to only 149mm (5.9″) in length and 81mm (3.2″) diameter, with a weight of 810g (28.6oz). This compares to 200mm (7-7/8″) in length and 1480g (52.2oz) of Sony’s FE 70-200 F2.8 GM lens
The lens is constructed of 19 elements in 14 groups, including one molded aspherical element, one hybrid aspherical lens, one ‘eXtra Low Dispersion’ (XLD) element, five Low Dispersion (LD) elements and fluorine coatings.
Seals are located at the lens mount area and other critical locations to deter infiltration of moisture and/or rain drops and afford Moisture-Resistant Construction.
Tamron developed its first-ever linear motor AF drive focus mechanism, VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive), especially for the 70-180mm F/2.8. While operating faster than ever before, the drive also maintains positional accuracy down to 0.005mm (0.0002 in).
The 70–180mm F2.8 Di III VXD lens is planned to be available in the U.S. on May 14, 2020 for $1,199.00 in the US and £1,349.00 in the UK. However, Tamron notes that due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the release date could be bumped back. No official release date or price is available for Europe at this time.
Lens Specifications
| Mount: | Sony E-mount |
| Format: | 35mm full-frame |
| Focal Length: | 70-180mm |
| 35mm Equivalent Focal Length (APS-C): | 105-270mm |
| Lens Groups / Elements: | 19 elements in 14 groups |
| Angle of View (35mm): | 34°21′-13°42′ |
| Maximum Aperture: | F2.8 |
| Minimum Aperture: | F22 |
| Circular Aperture: | Yes |
| Aperture Blades: | 9 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance: | AF: 0.85m /33.5 in (Full zoom range) (MF: 0.27m /10.6 in (Wide), 0.85m /33.5 in (Tele))* |
| Maximum Magnification Ratio: | AF: 1:4.6, MF: 1:2 (Wide) / 1:4.6 (Tele)* |
| Stabilization (OSS): | No (Uses IBIS in Camera) |
| Focus: | Autofocus + Manual |
| Filter Thread Size: | 67mm |
| Length: | 149mm (5.9 in) |
| Diameter: | 81mm |
| Weight: | 810g (28.6 oz) |
Early Reviews
Further product details can be found on Tamron’s website along with sample images here.
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