Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Review (Sony)

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is a versatile standard zoom lens designed for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the original 28-75mm f/2.8, this second-generation lens introduces several key improvements in terms of autofocus performance, build quality, and overall optical quality. With a constant f/2.8 aperture, it's well-suited for a wide range of applications, from portrait and event photography to landscape and general-purpose shooting. Offering a solid mix of features at an affordable price point, the G2 is quickly becoming a favorite for enthusiasts and professionals alike.

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Features / Specifications

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is a high-performance lens designed to meet the needs of modern Sony mirrorless shooters. It brings several upgrades to the original model, most notably in terms of autofocus speed and optical performance.

Focal Length: 28-75mm, covering a versatile range from wide-angle to short telephoto.
Maximum Aperture: f/2.8, providing a constant aperture throughout the zoom range for excellent low-light performance and depth of field control.
Lens Construction: 16 elements in 13 groups, including:
- 1 XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) element.
- 1 LD (Low Dispersion) element.
- 2 GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) elements.
- 3 hybrid aspherical elements.
Coatings: BBAR-G2 (Broad Band Anti-Reflection G2) coating for reduced flare and ghosting.
Autofocus System: VXD (Voice-coil Extreme Dynamic) motor for faster, more accurate autofocus.
Minimum Focus Distance: 18cm (7.1 inches) at 28mm, 38cm (14.9 inches) at 75mm.
Filter Size: 67mm.
Size and Weight: Compact design, weighing 545g (1.2 lbs), with a length of 117mm (4.6 inches).
Weather Sealing: Fully weather-sealed for shooting in challenging environments.
Other Features:
- Fast and precise autofocus for both stills and video.
- Rounded aperture for smooth bokeh.
- Improved optical design for sharper results.

Build Quality

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is designed with a robust, high-quality construction that feels premium, despite its relatively compact and lightweight design. The lens is built to withstand heavy use, offering solid weather-sealing protection for outdoor shooting in a variety of conditions.

Materials: The body is constructed from a combination of metal and high-quality plastics, ensuring durability without excessive weight.
Weather Sealing: Full weather sealing helps protect against dust, moisture, and environmental elements, making the lens suitable for all kinds of shooting conditions.
Zoom and Focus Rings: The zoom and focus rings are smooth and responsive, offering a professional feel. The zoom ring has a bit of resistance to prevent zoom creep, and the focus ring is nicely damped for manual focusing.
Buttons and Features: A simple but well-placed focus hold button makes the lens more versatile for a range of shooting scenarios.
Tripod Collar: Unlike some larger lenses, the 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 does not come with a tripod collar, but due to its lighter weight, it's easily supported by standard tripods and gimbals.

Size, Weight, and Dimensions

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 strikes a great balance between portability and performance. With a compact design and relatively lightweight build, it's perfect for travel, street photography, and general-purpose use, especially when you don't want to carry around a heavy lens.

Weight: 545g (1.2 lbs), making it lighter than many comparable f/2.8 zoom lenses.
Dimensions: 117mm (4.6 inches) in length and 74mm (2.9 inches) in diameter.
Portability: Its compact size and light weight make it easy to carry around for extended periods, and it’s less cumbersome than larger telephoto zooms or prime lenses.

Image Quality

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 offers solid optical performance, with improvements over the previous version in terms of sharpness, contrast, and color rendering. This lens stands out for its ability to provide high-quality images while remaining affordable compared to other fast zoom lenses.

Sharpness

Center Sharpness: Across the zoom range, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 delivers excellent center sharpness, even wide open at f/2.8. The lens excels at both wide-angle (28mm) and telephoto (75mm) focal lengths, producing very sharp and detailed images.
Edge Sharpness: Edge sharpness improves significantly when the lens is stopped down to f/4 or f/5.6, especially at the wider focal lengths. While not as sharp at the extreme edges as some higher-end lenses, it still performs quite well in most shooting conditions.

Color Rendering and Contrast

Color Accuracy: The lens offers vibrant and accurate color reproduction, with well-controlled chromatic aberration. It maintains natural color tones even when shooting in challenging lighting situations.
Contrast: The contrast levels are excellent, providing rich, well-defined details. The improved coatings (BBAR-G2) help minimize flare and ghosting, ensuring clear and punchy images in high-contrast lighting conditions.

Bokeh

Background Blur: The rounded aperture produces a pleasant bokeh, particularly noticeable when shooting portraits or isolating a subject. The out-of-focus areas are smooth and creamy, without noticeable harshness.
Transition to Background: The transition between the in-focus subject and the blurred background is smooth and natural, making it easy to achieve a professional look in your images.

Optical Aberrations

Chromatic Aberration: CA is well-controlled, with minimal fringing visible even in high-contrast scenes. The lens produces clean, sharp images without noticeable color fringing.
Distortion: Mild barrel distortion is present at 28mm, but it's easily correctable in post-processing. Distortion is less noticeable at the longer end of the zoom range.
Flare and Ghosting: The BBAR-G2 coating reduces flare and ghosting, even in challenging lighting conditions like backlighting or harsh sunlight.

Autofocus

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is equipped with the VXD (Voice-coil Extreme Dynamic) motor, which provides fast, precise, and near-silent autofocus performance. Whether you're shooting stills or video, the autofocus is accurate and quick, making it suitable for dynamic subjects or low-light situations. The lens exhibits minimal focus breathing, making it ideal for videographers.

Performance in Photography and Videography

Photography

Portraits: The 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 is an excellent choice for portraits, with a wide aperture providing good subject isolation and the flexibility to shoot at different focal lengths, from environmental portraits to close-ups.
Event Photography: This lens performs very well in dynamic situations like weddings or live events, where you need versatility in focal length and reliable low-light performance. The constant f/2.8 aperture allows for consistent exposure settings.
Landscape and Travel: The wide-to-mid zoom range and fast aperture make it ideal for travel photography, capturing expansive landscapes, architecture, and street scenes with sharpness and clarity.
Low-Light Shooting: The f/2.8 aperture allows for great performance in low light, especially when shooting handheld in dimly lit environments. Its ability to maintain a wide aperture throughout the zoom range ensures consistent exposure.

Videography

Focus Performance: The VXD autofocus motor provides fast and accurate focusing, even in video mode. The autofocus is smooth, with minimal noise, making the lens suitable for video applications, whether for interviews or capturing action shots.
Focus Breathing: The lens exhibits minimal focus breathing, which is particularly important in video work, ensuring that the composition remains stable when adjusting focus.
Image Stabilization: While the lens lacks built-in optical image stabilization, it's typically paired with a camera body that features in-body image stabilization (IBIS), making handheld video shooting more practical.

Use Cases

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is an extremely versatile lens that suits a wide range of photography and videography scenarios:

Portrait Photography: The f/2.8 aperture, combined with the versatile focal range, makes this lens ideal for portraits. Whether you're shooting environmental portraits or headshots, the lens produces sharp, well-defined subjects with a smooth background blur.
Wedding and Event Photography: With a fast f/2.8 aperture and excellent autofocus, this lens is a solid choice for capturing fast-paced events, providing flexibility for both wide and close-up shots.
Landscape and Travel Photography: The 28mm wide end is perfect for landscapes and cityscapes, while the 75mm focal length allows for more intimate shots of details and people.
Street and Documentary Photography: Its compact size and quiet autofocus make it perfect for street and documentary photography, where discretion and flexibility are key.

Price

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is priced competitively in the fast zoom lens market. It offers excellent value for money, especially considering its performance, build quality, and versatility. Compared to other f/2.8 zooms from Sony or Sigma, the Tamron G2 is more affordable, making it a great choice for those who need a professional-level lens without breaking the bank.

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is a standout lens in the standard zoom category, offering a great balance of optical quality, build, and autofocus performance at an attractive price. Whether you're a professional photographer or an enthusiast, this lens is versatile enough to handle a variety of shooting scenarios, from portraits and events to landscapes and travel. Its impressive sharpness, reliable autofocus, and smooth bokeh make it an excellent choice for Sony mirrorless users.

Conclusion

Rating

Our overall rating: 9.0/10

The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 is a versatile and reliable lens that delivers excellent results across a range of photographic and videographic applications. With its affordable price, solid build quality, and superb optical performance, it’s a must-have for Sony E-mount users looking for a go-to zoom lens.