Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 Lens (Sony E)

I had this lens in my cart since the release and finally pulled the trigger and fresh out the box I was completely blown away. This lens is hands down worth every penny. It 9s been a complete game changer for my sports photography n videography. Don 9t wait any longer if you 9re thinking about purchasing this lens JUST DO IT !!!!!!

For years I avoided Tamron lenses, since they seemed 'second best' and 'unsexy' compared to the Sony GM lenses or brands like Leica and Zeiss. I just couldn't get excited about buying a Tamron lens. But this lens has completely changed my initial impression of the brand. The image quality is absolutely superb. Not only are images tack-sharp, but the bokeh has a very pleasant character to it. Images have more of a 'prime look' than I was expecting from a zoom lens. Also, the size and weight are extraordinary, given that the closest competition, the Sony 70-200 GM f2.8 OSS II, is 190 grams heavier (which is also impressive). The Tamron is also 156.5mm long, versus the Sony at 200mm. It's amazing that Tamron has packed such great image quality into such a small package. One of my favorite features is the close focusing distance. You can focus up to 0.3 meters away! At 70mm, this means you can do macro-ish photos. I was able to sell my rarely-used macro lens since most of my macro needs are easily covered by this lens, especially if I crop into the image using Super 35 mode. The Sony 70-200 GM, on the other hand, can focus at 0.4 meters, which is also very good but noticeably inferior to the Tamron. The real-world difference is significant. Are there negatives? Well, I prefer the overall aesthetics of the Sony lens. The Tamron looks fine but isn't going to win any design contests. Also, the image stabilization of the Tamron doesn't seem to play well with my Sony A7RV body - when both the lens and camera have stabilization turned on, the image in the viewfinder jiggles slightly when I take a photo. This doesn't affect the photo negatively at all, but neither does it seem 'normal.' It makes me a little concerned that the stabilization of the lens may be 'stressing' the camera somewhat. Other than this quibble, however (which may be eventually resolved via firmware), this lens is absolutely stellar, and at an almost ridiculously low price.

Wanted to get this lens ever since it was introduced. Love the styling compared to the original and the image quality is top-notch. Focuses very fast on my A7III. Overall a great fit for any A7 body.

Excellent lens. Image Stabilization is a great addition since I use it with FX6. Much better then the original in every way. It is sharp, fast and produces pleasing images with nice bokeh. The size of the lens is another plus, it is smaller then most 70-200 that I've seen.

Glad I brought this lens. I 9ve used it for baseball photography. The f2 comes in handy in low light, nice background blur. Super quick focus very happy. Would recommend.