Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060)

 
Lens Reviews / Tamron Lenses i Not yet tested
11-20mm $764
average price
image of Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060)

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060)

Updates:
11/15/2021: Gallery Images added

12/08/2021: Hands-on Review added

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Hands-on Review

A very good ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with a fast aperture, quick autofocus and robust build quality

by Jeremy Gray | Posted 12/08/2021

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F11, 3.2s, ISO 100.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060) lens is a compact, lightweight wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Its constant F2.8 aperture makes it a great choice for a wide range of applications, including traditional landscape, travel and night sky photography.

During my time with the lens, I used it on a full-frame Sony A7R IV camera body, which ironically is Sony's highest-resolution "APS-C camera" in crop mode thanks to its 61MP full-frame image sensor. The compact zoom lens would pair very nicely on a Sony A6XXX series body, though, and its lightweight design would lend itself well to Sony's compact APS-C E-mount cameras. That said, the A7R IV isn't a big camera, so the overall kit was easy to carry and use for extended periods.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A1 with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F8, 1.3s, ISO 100.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Beyond the lens's pleasingly small stature, the Tamron 11-20mm's performance is also impressive. The lens delivers good image quality across its focal length range and even when shooting wide open. I used the lens quite a bit at nighttime, and it performed well there, too, which is a challenging situation for a few reasons. I'll get into all that in much more detail later. For now, let's just get right into it and take a close look at the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens, a compelling choice for APS-C E-mount shooters.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Key Features

  • Wide-angle APS-C lens for APS-C format
  • First ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C cameras with F2.8 maximum aperture
  • 16.5-30mm focal length range (35mm equivalent)
  • Aperture range is F2.8-16
  • Field of view: 105 to 71 degrees
  • 12 elements in 10 groups, includes two glass-molded aspherical elements, an eXtra low dispersion (XLD) element and two low dispersion (LD) elements
  • Features Tamron's Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2 (BBAR-G2) coating to suppress ghosting and flare)
  • Compatible with Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF
  • Minimum focus distance is 15cm (5.9") at 11mm and 23.8cm (9.4") at 20mm
  • Maximum magnification ratio is 1:4
  • Includes Tamron's Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive (RXD) stepping motor unit
  • Has seven-bladed aperture diaphragm
  • 67mm filter thread
  • D x L: 73mm (2.9") x 86.2mm (3.4")
  • Weighs 335g (11.8 oz.)
  • Suggested retail price is $829
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 14mm (21mm equiv.), F8, 1/40s, ISO 125.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Lens design and handling: Compact, lightweight and well-designed

The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 is reasonably small, although not exceedingly tiny. At only 86.2mm (3.4") long at its shortest, it's a short lens that should balance well on various compact camera bodies. The lens has a maximum diameter of 73mm (2.9"), although it's only thinner at the mount; it quickly increases to its maximum diameter. The lens has a 67mm filter thread, a common filter size. It should be easy to get a nice circular polarizing filter for the lens without breaking the bank.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review: Hands-on Review -- Product Image
Image courtesy of Tamron USA

The lens is lightweight, too, at 335 grams (11.8 oz.). The lens does change length slightly when adjusting focal length, but it doesn't affect the overall feel and balance of the lens. It's a very well-balanced lens. The included petal-shaped lens hood is quite nice too. It snaps onto the lens with a satisfying click. It may seem minor, but the difference between a good lens hood and a bad one becomes increasingly noticeable with extended use.

The lens follows Tamron's contemporary design philosophy, including a semi-gloss black finish, sort of champagne-color band at the mount and an overall clean look. The zoom ring has markings at 11mm, 14mm, 16mm, 18mm and 20mm. The zoom ring has enough resistance that you won't accidentally adjust the focal length when handholding the lens. The focus ring is quite narrow but has a decent feel. It wasn't too challenging to manually focus the lens during night shooting.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review: Hands-on Review -- Product Image
Image courtesy of Tamron USA

For landscape shooters, weather resistance is a near-necessity. Fortunately, Tamron has incorporated good weather sealing in its new 11-20mm F2.8 lens. There's sealing at the mount and end of the lens, plus sealing around the edges of both rotating rings.

Overall, there's a lot to like and not much to dislike about the build quality and design of the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens. If pressed to find faults, I'd like a MF/AF switch to be included on the barrel, so I don't have to dive into the camera's menus to enable manual focus. I also wouldn't mind built-in stabilization, but that would almost certainly result in a larger, heavier design. The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens is simple, sure, but that's far from a bad thing and the lens feels good in use.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review: Hands-on Review -- Product Image
Image courtesy of Tamron USA

Image quality and performance

Image quality

The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens includes a dozen lens elements across 10 groups. Of these elements, there are two glass-molded aspherical (GM) elements, one eXtra low dispersion (XLD) element and two low dispersion (LD) elements. The lens also includes Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2 (BBAR-G2) coating to suppress ghosting and flare.

All the crops seen below are 100 percent crops from raw image files converted in Adobe Camera Raw using default settings and built-in lens correction profiles enabled. I have selected specific images to show, but you can download the full-size raw files for each focal length/aperture combination I tested in the Gallery. Further, please excuse the dust spots on the image sensor, which are especially visible at smaller apertures. Despite my best efforts, and regular cleaning, the Sony A7R IV attracts dust.

11mm

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
Sharpness test shot - 11mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

At 11mm, the center of the frame at F2.8 is quite sharp. The image has good resolution, contrast, and colors. Chromatic aberrations are also minimized. In fact, stopping down doesn't have a dramatic or noticeable impact on image quality in the center of the frame.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 11mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F4, 1/1250s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 11mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

However, corner performance isn't as impressive. At F2.8, the extreme corners of the frame are fairly soft. It's not unusual for a wide-angle lens to have some softness in the corners, and I wouldn't say that the Tamron 11-20mm fares particularly badly here. Nor is the softness exceedingly noticeable when viewing an image at normal size. However, when you pixel peep, the image quality falls apart a bit. Somewhat surprisingly, stopping down doesn't have a significant positive impact on corner sharpness.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
100% bottom right corner crop. Sharpness test shot - 11mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 11mm (16.5mm equiv.), F5.6, 1/640s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 11mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

16mm

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 16mm (24mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
Sharpness test shot - 16mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

At 16mm, overall image quality improves relative to 11mm. Center sharpness at F2.8 is very good. Stopping down doesn't impact sharpness much, but there's not a lot to gain as the lens performs very well already.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 16mm (24mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 16mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 16mm (24mm equiv.), F4, 1/1250s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 16mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 16mm (24mm equiv.), F8, 1/320s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 16mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Looking at corner performance, this is where the lens makes some noticeable gains compared to the 11mm focal length. At F2.8, the corners are still a bit soft, but much less so than at 11mm. Stopping down a stop or two results in further improved image quality.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 16mm (24mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
100% bottom right corner crop. Sharpness test shot - 16mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 16mm (24mm equiv.), F4, 1/1250s, ISO 100.
100% bottom right corner crop. Sharpness test shot - 16mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

20mm

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

At its longest focal length, 20mm, the lens continues to impress in the center of the frame, even when shooting at F2.8. Stopping down has a very minor impact on sharpness.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F4, 1/1250s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F5.6, 1/640s, ISO 100.
100% center crop. Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Corner performance is decent. At F2.8, the corner is a bit soft, but not quite as soft as it is at 11mm. As you stop down, performance improves in the corners. F5.6 is probably the optimal aperture when looking for overall performance across the entire frame, although arguably, the center of the frame is actually slightly sharper at F4. There's more room for improvement in the corners than the center, though.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F2.8, 1/2500s, ISO 100.
100% bottom right corner crop. Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F4, 1/1250s, ISO 100.
100% bottom right corner crop. Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
 
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F5.6, 1/640s, ISO 100.
100% bottom right corner crop. Sharpness test shot - 20mm. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Distortion, vignette and flare

If the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens has a weakness, it's distortion. The lens shows a fair bit of it at the extreme ends of its focal length range. There's a decent bit of barrel distortion. It's nothing beyond fixing, however, as it's simple to correct during post-processing if it bothers you. It rarely bothered me, but it could be problematic in certain situations for some photographers.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 15mm (22.5mm equiv.), F7.1, 1/25s, ISO 100.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Well, distortion actually isn't the only weakness of the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens. It also produces a fair bit of vignette, especially when shooting wide open. It's visible at 11mm and 20mm alike. While distortion is easy to fix, vignette is probably an even simpler correction. So, again, the issue is worth pointing out but not worth getting too stressed out about.

Like nearly any ultra-wide zoom lens, the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens can struggle with flare resistance. However, in all but the most challenging situations, the lens does a good job at resisting lens flare.

Overall image quality

Overall, the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens produces good image quality across its focal length range. While corner performance is a bit underwhelming at 11mm, it's noticeably better as you zoom in. Also, when viewing the image at a normal size, corners are plenty sharp at all focal lengths. You do need to contend with vignette and distortion, but, if desired, you can address these concerns during post-processing.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 17mm (25.5mm equiv.), F11, 3.2s, ISO 100.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

There's a lot to like about the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8's image quality. It's a sharp lens that demonstrates very good control over aberrations. It's a really nice ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C Sony cameras.

In the Field: Autofocus and the overall user experience

With Tamron's Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive (RXD) stepping motor unit, the 11-20mm F2.8 lens delivers fast, impressive autofocus. The autofocus is also quiet, which is a nice bonus, especially for video applications. The lens is compatible with Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF, although I'm not sure how often many photographers will use the lens for portraits given its wide-angle focal length range. Nonetheless, it's great to have compatibility with Sony's impressive AF features.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F5, 1/200s, ISO 2000.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

In real-world use, the lens focused quickly and accurately. I have no complaints. I also like how the lens can focus quite closely. At 10mm, the lens can focus as close as 15cm (5.9") and at 20mm, it can focus as close as 23.8cm (9.4"). This results in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4, which is not in macro territory, but is sufficient for getting up close and personal with foreground elements during landscape shooting.

Built-in optical image stabilization would have been a nice inclusion, but you can't have it all. The overall user experience with the Tamron 11-20mm is excellent. The lens's autofocus performance is good, as mentioned, as its image quality in nearly every way.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 14mm (21mm equiv.), F7.1, 10s, ISO 100.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

The lens is a great choice for a wide range of photographic applications. I almost exclusively used the lens for landscape photography, and it performed well. The F2.8 maximum aperture also means the lens is suitable for night sky photography, although you do need to contend with vignette and a bit of comatic aberration. It's basically a do-it-all landscape lens. It's also capable of use for general travel photography and even some portraiture, although it may prove a bit too wide-angle for some.

Using the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 for night sky photography

Night sky photography is a challenging task for just about any lens. However, thanks to its ultra-wide-angle field of view and constant F2.8 aperture, the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 ticks all the boxes on paper. How's it do in the real world?

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 14mm (21mm equiv.), F2.8, 8s, ISO 8000.
Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 14mm (21mm equiv.), F2.8, 8s, ISO 8000.
100% crop. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 14mm (21mm equiv.), F2.8, 8s, ISO 8000.
100% top right corner crop. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Quite well, as it turns out. The lens does a good job of controlling comatic aberration. Stars remain circular throughout much of the frame. As you look toward the edge, stars can become slightly oblong, but that's more due to the focal length than any fault of the lens. Vignette needs to be corrected, as you almost exclusively shoot wide open at night, but it's a minor quibble. Further, manual focusing is pretty easy with the 11-20mm lens. The focus ring feels a bit loose, but it didn't take me long to get used to dialing in focus at infinity.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 14mm (21mm equiv.), F2.8, 8s, ISO 8000.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD is a really nice option for night sky photography on APS-C Sony mirrorless cameras. It's not the cheapest or fastest option if you are considering manual focus primes, but the lens is much more versatile than a prime and certainly more usable in other situations thanks to its autofocus system.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F2.8, 13s, ISO 5000.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

Compared to the competition

I enjoyed using the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 lens. I think it's a great choice for APS-C Sony shooters. In fact, there aren't many APS-C format wide-angle lenses to choose from for the system. The Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS lens is $70 more expensive, offers about the same focal length and is a full stop slower. It is a bit more compact, though, if that's critically important to you. There's also the Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 lens. It's $1,300, quite a bit larger and not as wide, although it does extend much further, offering basically a 24-70mm equivalent focal length range. As you can see, Tamron is basically in a league of its own, which is reason enough to go for the lens if you want something wide and fast. However, it's also a great lens in its own right.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Hands-on Review Summary

A very good APS-C ultra-wide zoom lens for Sony E-mount

What I like most:

  • Good build quality
  • Weather resistant
  • Reasonably compact and lightweight
  • Good image quality overall
  • Fast and quiet autofocus
  • Offers something new for APS-C E-mount cameras
Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 17mm (25.5mm equiv.), F2.8, 15s, ISO 5000.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

What I dislike:

  • No MF/AF switch on the barrel
  • Some barrel distortion
  • Noticeable vignette

The Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060) lens is a great option for APS-C Sony shooters. The lens offers an ultra-wide-angle field of view and constant F2.8 aperture, differentiating it from Sony's own offerings in the category. The lens also has strong performance, to boot.

Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD Review -- Gallery Image
Sony A7R IV with Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD lens at 20mm (30mm equiv.), F7.1, 0.8s, ISO 100.
This image has been converted and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Click for the full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.

It's a great lens across the board. It's not perfect, sure, but it's a gem of a lens, which is why it earned a distinction in this year's edition of the Camera of the Year Awards. Landscape photographers using an APS-C Sony E-mount camera should give Tamron's new zoom a long look, and then probably add it to their kit.

 

• • •

 

Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD Product Overview

(From Tamron lens literature) The new Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 zoom is the world's first ultra wide-angle zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras that features an aperture of F2.8. Despite its fast F2.8 aperture, the lens is very small (3.4”) and feels perfectly balanced attached to a compact APS-C mirrorless camera body. It is the ideal ultra wide-angle lens for regular use. At the 11mm ultra wide-angle end, the lens exhibits stunning close-range shooting performance, achieving an MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 5.9” and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4. This feature invites wide-angle macro shooting that exploits the creative effects of naturally occurring distortion that only ultra wide-angle lenses can provide.

The new zoom is protected by Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating in consideration of outdoor shooting. Its Ø 67mm filter size is identical to TAMRON's 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (Model B070) fast-aperture standard zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras and nearly all TAMRON’s lenses in the series of full-frame mirrorless cameras that sit nicely on APS-C cameras as well. Compatible with many of the features that Sony builds into its cameras, including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF, the lens is packed with features that support comfortable shooting. The highly practical features let photographers enjoy the superb image quality of this ultra wide-angle, fast F2.8 aperture lens.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

1. The world's first F2.8 ultra wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras

The 11-20mm F2.8 is a bona fide ultra wide-angle zoom lens with an aperture of F2.8 across the entire zoom range. Meanwhile, it is compact, lightweight and very practical. You can enjoy the unique and powerful world of ultra wide-angle photography at the 11mm end (the full-frame equivalent of 16.5mm). Ideal for regular use, the 20mm focal length (the full-frame equivalent of 30mm) is well suited for casual snapshot photography such as street shooting. With its usefulness rooted in its compact, lightweight design and fast F2.8 aperture, the 11-20mm F2.8 provides an exciting shooting experience with greater freedom in diverse shooting situations.

2. Compact and lightweight for superior usability

The 11-20mm F2.8 is only 3.4” in length and weighs just 11.8 oz. For a fast-aperture F2.8 ultra wide-angle zoom lens, this is remarkably compact and light. When used with an APS-C mirrorless camera body, it enables photographers to enjoy a responsive image capture system without being hindered by the size or weight of the lens. It provides a comfortable user experience for still photography and for shooting video using a small tripod or gimbal stabilizer.

3. Outstanding optical performance

The 11-20mm F2.8 construction includes 12 elements in 10 groups. Two precisely located GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) lens elements assure high resolution across the entire image, from edge to edge. In addition, the 11-20mm F2.8 incorporates one XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) and two LD (Low Dispersion) lens elements to produce sharp images with optical aberrations highly corrected. It also features the BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating that suppresses ghosting and flare to a minimum level and reveals the minute details of objects even when the subject is backlit. The combination of features harmonizes to provide sharp images with natural colors and rich saturation.

4. MOD of 5.9” at the 11mm focal length

The 11-20mm F2.8 boasts an MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 5.9” at the 11mm focal length setting and 9.4” at the 20mm end. This results in better and more versatile close-range shooting performance than existing ultra wide-angle zoom lenses at their widest focal length. At the widest 11mm setting it has an astonishing maximum magnification ratio of 1:4 to provide wide-angle macro photography that parlays the perspective unique to ultra wide-angle lenses, while also leveraging the expressive bokeh provided by the fast, bright maximum aperture of this lens.

5. A user-friendly unified Ø67mm filter size across the series

The 11-20mm F2.8 is so light that the total weight of it and the 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (Model B070) standard zoom lens for Sony E-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras together is only approximately 30.3 oz. The combination of these two lenses covers an extreme range of focal lengths from 11mm to 70mm (equivalent to 16.5mm to 105mm on full-frame cameras) with a fast, wide-open aperture of F2.8 at every focal length, thereby enabling the size and weight of an entire mirrorless system to be massively reduced without sacrificing capabilities. Just like nearly all of TAMRON's lens models for Sony E-mount cameras, it has a unified Ø67mm filter size that allows reciprocal sharing of filters such as PL and ND, and lens caps.

6. The RXD (Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive) stepping motor unit is exceptionally quiet and perfect for video use

7. Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating provide extra protection

8. Compatible with many camera-specific features and functions, including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF

Pricing & Availability

The Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060) is set to go on sale in June 24, 2021 at approximately $829 USD.

Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060)

Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060) User Reviews

The Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD (Model B060) doesn't have any user reviews yet!