Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 VC VXD (Model B061) Gallery: Tamron’s all-in-one APS-C lens offers impressive zoom
posted Friday, March 25, 2022 at 2:15 PM EST
Click here to see our Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 VC VXD Gallery
Last fall, Tamron released its 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD zoom lens for APS-C Sony E-mount cameras. A version for Fujifilm X-mount came later. The 18-300mm lens delivers a 27-450mm equivalent focal length, which is an impressive 16.6x zoom ratio. It means that the Tamron 18-300mm is essentially an all-in-one lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. During my hands-on time with the lens alongside a Sony A7R IV, which is a 26-megapixel camera in APS-C crop mode, the all-in-one lens proved to be versatile.
However, the lens can struggle somewhat with softness, especially as you zoom in. That isn't surprising, given that the lens tries to do it all at an affordable price point of $699. There's no such thing as free lunch, and that's especially true when dealing with lenses. Engineers are limited by many factors, including cost, size and weight. A $700 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 lens can't reasonably be expected to deliver the same optical performance as say, a Sony 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens and Sony E 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS, which combine to cover a similar focal length range, albeit at a total cost of $1,750. If you want an 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 lens, you must give up something in terms of optics. While our Hands-on Review is in progress, you can download full-size sharpness test shots in our Gallery to check out the lens's performance for yourself.
In terms of overall usability, the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 lens is impressive. It weighs only 620 grams (21.9 oz) and at its minimum length, it's 125.6mm (4.9") long. It is an extension zoom, but even when fully extended, it's not an overly large lens and it balances nicely on a Sony camera body. The lens has a 67mm filter thread. The lens also includes a weather-sealed construction.
Autofocus is driven by Tamron's Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD) linear motor system. The lens can focus as close as 1.8m (5.9 feet) when fully extended. At its wide end, the lens offers a 1:2 maximum magnification ratio. The lens also includes Vibration Compensation (VC), which includes a free-floating element to measure horizontal and vertical vibrations to compensate camera shake.
Between the good build quality, form factor and autofocus performance, the Tamron 18-300mm lens offers impressive usability. There's a lot left still to investigate concerning optical performance. To view and download real-world gallery images, visit our Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 VC VXD Gallery.