Tamron has today announced their new 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD lens for full-frame Sony E mount mirrorless cameras. This is the company’s first ultra-telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras that reaches a 500mm focal length.
As the name suggests, it features Tamron’s Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD) linear motor for “excellent quietness and agile performance” as well as Tamron’s Vibration Compensation (VC) for “high-level image stabilisation” when shooting handheld.
Aimed at sports and wildlife shooters, the new lens features a moisture-resistant construction with fluorine coatings for extra protection. The Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2 (BBAR-G2) coatings to help minimise ghosting and reflections. The VXD linear motors, Tamron says, deliver extreme high-speed and high-precision movements for a fast response even at the 500mm end.
Naturally, there’s Vibration Compensation, which offers three different modes of use depending on what you’re shooting. Mode 1 is the standard mode, Mode 2 is for panning and Mode 3 is “framing priority” allowing you to cover a wide range of shooting scenarios handheld.
Focal Length | 150-500mm |
Lens Mount | Sony E |
Format Compatibility | Full-Frame |
Focus Type | Autofocus |
Optics | 25 elements in 16 groups |
Minimum focus distance | 60cm (wide) / 180cm (Tele) |
Maximum Aperture | f/5-6.7 |
Minimum Aperture | f/22-32 |
Angle of view | 16° 25' to 4° 57' |
Aperture blades | 7, rounded |
Stabilisation | Yes, VC |
Filter Size | 82 mm (front) |
Dimensions | 93 x 209.6mm |
Weight | 1,725g |
The lens contains various switches to lock the zoom to prevent creep while carrying it around, focus limiter switch, image stabilisation on/off switch, image stabilisation mode switch and focus mode switch. And when it comes to focus, Tamron says it’s compatible with “many” camera-specific features and functions, including Sony’s Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF.
Tamron’s 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD lens is expected to release on June 10th for $1,399. It’s not available for pre-order just yet, although I expect those will start to pop up at any moment. Tamron does say, though, that “due to the current global health crisis, the release date or product supply schedule could change”. For now, you can find out more information on the Tamron website.
How long do we think it’ll be before Tamron puts out their “Lens delayed, we didn’t anticipate customer demand” press release?
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