Tech Tuesday: Two New Lightweight Zoom Lenses from Tamron

October 14, 2014

By Laura Brauer

Telephoto zooms come in all ranges, sizes, weights and prices. Fortunately for photographers who like to travel light (a theme that’s been common over the past few Tech Tuesdays), Tamron has a couple of long zooms that are smaller and lighter than most—if not all—of the competition.

a011

First up is the Tamron SP 150-600mm, f/5-6.3 Di VC USD zoom (#A011). Despite its formidable focal range, this lens weighs in at 68.8 ounces or a mere 4.3 pounds, including the detachable tripod mount. That may sound like a lot of lens, and it is, but given the ability to reach an amazing 600mm, it’s relatively lightweight.

The lens, which measures 10.1 inches long, also features image stabilization (Vibration Compensation), an Ultra Sonic Silent Drive and a new Tamron-developed eBAND coating to supplements several underlying coatings to help prevent flare and ghosting. Because this is designed for outdoor photography—including wildlife—shooting at f/5-6.3 isn’t a problem. The moisture resistant lens comes with a lens hood, detachable tripod mount and SILKYPIX Develop Studio for Tamron RAW image development processing software for Tamron’s SP lenses. Compatible with full-frame and APS-C size sensor cameras, the SP 150-60omm is available for Canon, Nikon and Sony A-mount cameras. And, it’s quite affordable at $1,069.

Tamron-28-300mm-Di-VC-PZD-A10_Canon-Mt_LG-768x1024Also new for Tamron is the 28-300, f/3.5-6.3 DI VC PZD  all-in-One zoom lens (#A010). This little lens weighs in at 19 ounces and is only 3.8 inches in length. But you don’t have to give up anything due to its small size; in fact, Tamron utilizes a multi-stack-cam layout and the compact PZD (Piezo Drive) AF system to drive autofocus while maintaining the lens’ small size.

In addition to image stabilization (VC), the 28-300mm lens offers excellent bokeh thanks to its circular diaphragm and, like the 150-600mm, the lens is moisture resistant. And like the 150-600mm, the 28-300mm lens is quite affordable at $849. (Compatible with Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras.)