Tamron Announces The 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC (Model B011), Tamron’s First High-Power Zoom For Sony Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Cameras

Press Release

Innovative lens is lightweight, compact, and features a striking new form factor with two color options to suit the Sony mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series design.

December 8, 2011, Commack, New York - Tamron Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of optical equipment, announced the introduction of an exciting new lens, the 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III² VC (Model B011). The new high-power all-in-one zoom lens is designed for the Sony mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series. Tamron, the zoom lens pioneer, brings 19 years of high-power zoom lens development technologies to this new product. The lens will begin shipping in the U.S. December 15, 2011.

With the 18-200mm Di III VC (Model B011), Tamron has created a high-power all-in-one zoom lens that is compact and lightweight, featuring a 62mm filter and weighing only 16.2 oz., while at the same time delivering superlative image quality. This compact size lets users easily shoot across an extended range - from wide-angle to full telephoto - with just one lens. The focal length coverage is 18-200mm. Converted to the coverage of the 35mm format, this is equivalent to a range of 27mm wide-angle up to 300mm full telephoto³. This allows the user to easily take wide-angle shots of expansive landscapes and powerful telephoto images that enlarge the details of distant subjects-all with one lens. In addition, by setting the lens at the telephoto end (200mm) and moving in to the minimum focus distance of 19.6", flower petals, jewelry and other small objects can be shot as expanded close-ups.

For Sony NEX-series
Tamron's 18-200mm Di III VC lens for Sony E-mount is available in both black and silver versions. Images provided by Tamron Co. Ltd.

1. "Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras" are also known as "Compact System Cameras" or "ILC" (Interchangeable Lens Cameras)
2. Di III (Digitally integrated design): A designation Tamron gives to lenses engineered specifically for mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras with no internal mirror box or pentaprism, adopting an optical design that matches the characteristics of the digital camera. (Note: These lenses cannot be used with digital SLR cameras with built-in mirror box or conventional 35mm film SLR cameras).
3. As the Sony mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series  (NEX-3, NEX-C3, NEX-5, NEX-5N as of December 8, 2011) have an image sensor equivalent in size to APS-C sensors, the angle of view is 27-300mm when converted to 35mm format. The angle of view of the lens when used for video on the Sony digital HD video camera recorder NEX-VG10 is 32.4 - 360mm when converted to the 35mm format.

Product Features

Compact and Lightweight
The high-power 18-200mm all-in-one lens is a lightweight and compact zoom weighing 16.2oz. with a 62mm filter, designed for exclusive use on the E-mount lens system on Sony's mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.

Built-in stabilization enables easy handheld shooting from 18mm wide angle to 200mm full telephoto
Equipped with Tamron's acclaimed VC (Vibration Compensation), and thanks to its light weight and compact size, this lens allows easy handheld shooting of sharp images with no camera shake over a wide range of settings, from everyday snapshots to memorable travel scenes.

Stepping motor adopted for the AF drive, a construction that accommodates contrast-detection AF and shooting video
The AF drive has a stepping motor that is optimal for the Contrast-detection AF system employed by Sony's mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. This also gives the drive a quieter operation, which is ideal for shooting video in which voices are recorded. In addition, ease of operation is enhanced with the Direct Manual Focus (DMF) function, which allows the user to make fine manual adjustments after initially focusing by AF.

Striking appearance worthy of the Sony mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series design.
The metallic lens barrel exterior is available in two colors: black and silver.

About the stepping motor
The B011's autofocus mechanism uses a stepping motor that is an ideal match for the Contrast-detection AF system used in Sony's mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. The stepping motor's actuator allows finely tuned control of angular rotation, and since it drives the focusing mechanism directly without an intermediate reduction gear, it also provides superbly quiet performance.

About the VC (Vibration Compensation) system
Tamron's VC mechanism employs a three-coil system, where by three driving coils activate the shake-compensating VC lens group electromagnetically via three steel balls. The VC lens elements are held in place only by contact with the steep balls, achieving smooth movement with little friction. This provides a stable view finder image with excellent tracking performance that eliminates the blur from handheld shots for cleaner, crisper shots.

About the new VC mechanism (moving coil system)
Tamron's conventional VC (Vibration Compensation) unit has a moving magnet system with heavy magnets in the vibration-compensating lens. However, the new VC mechanism adopts a lightweight moving coil system that reduces the load on the drive system. This allows the drive to be operated with smaller coils and magnets, reducing the weight and size for the entire VC unit, In addition, improvements to software and other elements of the VC mechanism used in the 18-200mm Di III VC have made the mechanism even quieter.

About Tamron
Tamron is a leading manufacturer of photographic lenses. Among its many optical and mechanical innovations since the founding of the company in 1950, Tamron's development of mass-produced hybrid Aspherical elements paved the way for today's compact high power all-in-one lenses when, in 1992, this technology was incorporated into the ground-breaking 28-200mm. Tamron continues to lead in this catagory of lenses with the new 18-270mm Di II VC PZD - the world's smallest and lightest 15X zoom lens featuring Tamron's propietary VC (Vibration Compensation) system for blur-free hand-held shooting of photos in low light and at a telephoto settings and PZD (Piezo Drive) autofocus system for fast and quiet AF operation. Tamron has garnered international acclaim for its extensive line-up of professional and consumer lenses.

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Specifications*

NOTE: When using Continuous AF (AF-C) Mode
Due to an inherent characteristic of this TAMRON lens, when using the Sports Action mode on Scene Selection, the continuous operation of the focus search function may cause some fluctuation in the LCD monitor image. However, there will be no associated problems on photos taken in this situation.

In other Shoot Modes (P, A, S, M), when the focus mode is set to Continuous AF (AF-C), the same condition may also arise. There will also be no associated problems on photos taken in this situation.

As an alternative to either of the above settings, you can change the focus mode to Single-shot AF (AF-S) or Direct Manual Focus (DMF) and continue shooting.

*Specifications, appearance, functionality, etc., may be changed without prior notice.
This lens was developed, manufactured and will be sold based on the specifications for the E-mount that was disclosed by Sony Corporation under Tamron's license agreement with Sony Corporation

4. Length is the distance between the mount face and the tip of the lens.
5. Entire length is the distance between the tip of the lens and the tip of the protrusion.