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Tamron has benefited immensely through its close association with Sony.

- Hoshang Billimoria

Tamron 70-180 mm F 2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 ₹1,15,000

Because of Sony owning part of Tamron, Tamron has been able to launch Sony E mount lenses sooner than competition. Sony’s dominance of the mirrorless market has also meant substantially increased sales for Tamron. The 70 – 180 mm f 2.8 lens in its original version was positioned as a value-for-money alternative to the Sony G Master 70 - 200 mm f/2.8. It had a shorter telephoto end at 180 mm but this mattered little because it was significantly cheaper and results were very good.

Tamron has now launched the | second generation version of the 70 – 180 mm lens. Tamron claim that this is the world’s lightest tele zoom. SP had it on our test bench to judge how much of an improvement it was on the original version.

Design & Build Quality

On the date of launch, the 70 -180 mm f/2.8 Version 2 was the smallest and lightest f/2.8 tele zoom. Design wise, it is similar to the older version and although plastic, feels solid in the hands. The lens is a little heavier than the original version (855 g v 815 g). At 156.5 mm length and 83 mm maximum diameter, the Tamron is compact. The lens accepts 67 mm filters in common with several other Tamron lenses. The lens is moisture resistant and the front element is fluorine coated. Our sample of the lens was made in Japan.

Key Features