The Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 lens might not seem like an obvious choice for professionals, but it’s a versatile option for a wide range of situations. Whether you're traveling, exploring the outdoors, or simply need an all-in-one solution, this lens offers a lot in a compact package.
Coming to you from Matt Irwin Photography, this detailed video explores the capabilities of the new Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD lens. Irwin walks you through its features and performance, showing how it can be a great tool for anyone looking to cover a broad focal range with just one lens. With a price point of $899, it's an affordable option for those who need versatility over top-tier performance. The lens comes with vibration compensation, which is handy for reducing shake, especially at longer focal lengths.
Irwin points out that while this lens isn’t the best for low-light situations due to its variable aperture, it excels in well-lit environments. It’s ideal for travel, where you might encounter a wide range of lighting conditions and need a lens that can adapt to different scenarios. He notes that while it may not find a permanent place in many professional kits, it’s a solid choice for general-purpose photography. Irwin also highlights that the lens performs well in daylight, offering good sharpness in the center of the frame, though it does exhibit some softness and fringing towards the edges, which is typical at this price point.
One of the standout points Irwin discusses is the lens's handling of high-contrast situations. He demonstrates how it performs in harsh sunlight, noting that while it does struggle with some purple fringing and flaring, these issues are manageable with post-processing. The lens provides decent bokeh, especially when zoomed in, which adds to its appeal for portrait and nature photography. The ability to cover everything from wide-angle to telephoto in a single lens makes it particularly appealing for those who don’t want to swap lenses frequently or carry a lot of gear.
Irwin also touches on the practical aspects of using this lens, such as its build quality and weather-sealing. He mentions the importance of engaging the lens lock switch to prevent lens creep when carrying it on your bag. This is a thoughtful design feature, especially for those who are always on the move. Despite being a super zoom, the lens is compact and lightweight, making it an excellent choice for outdoor adventures, family trips, or just everyday use.
Overall, Irwin finds that the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 is a capable all-rounder lens that offers good value for its price, particularly for those who need a versatile lens that can handle a wide range of shooting scenarios. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Irwin.
When I bought my first set of 2.8 lenses, I immediately dismissed any lens that 1, had a variable aperture and 2, were marketed as an all in one zoom.
The truth is, now when I travel I rarely ever produce truly professional images and I'm more or less trying to just create the absolute best photos of my trip that I can. Having a lens like this would be awesome when traveling light and just wanting to capture your adventures better than what your phone or standard lens can capture. After watching this video, I really would like this lens just to have in my bag when I travel.
The realization that your priority changes over time.
For the type of photography I use this type of lens for, the two most important things, by far, are:
What is the maximum magnification? If it is at least 1:2.5, then it will be rather useful. If it is 1:2, then it will be very useful.
Is there noticeable vignette? If so, then it is not going to be a useful lens. I want the far edges and deep corners of my images to be just as bright and clear as the center of the frame. And lens corrections in editing software are not a viable solution for me. Darker corners and edges are so freakin' ugly! Let's make lenses that cast a big enough image circle so that there is no vignette at all, ok? I have no problem with lenses being bigger, heavier, and more expensive, as long as they don't produce dark corners.
These two things are so absolutely crucial, and yet they are two things that hardly anyone cares about or talks about in their reviews and videos. Weird.
I usually add a vignette in post so it's not as critical to me. Different strokes for different folks for sure.
You should check out Christopher Frost on YouTube. His reviews always include corner sharpness and vignetting testing.
I have the Tamron 70-300 and absolutely love it. Not the fastest glass but for most circumstances, it works just fine. Now, if I could somehow have a 28-300 on a full frame, that would be great. But honestly the extreme range lenses never seem to be that great near the extremes. So this lens is probably fine between 50 and 250, which is still sweet.
But I have to admit I rarely wish I could go wider than 70. If anything, I would pay good money for longer focal lengths, like a 100-400.
If I need to go shorter, I always have a 28-70 that has a bigger aperture. So I have a two lens solution that covers this lens probably better. It's not a big deal to carry two lenses, especially if one is a compact 28-70. I usually walk around with the 70-300 on the camera and the 28-70 on my hip.
Tamron is really starting to shine. Their quality is near G-master in my opinion except for the higher aperture. Of course, you aren't buying a Sony G or G-master for less than $2500 so you do get what you pay for. But if getting to f2.8 isn't a priority, Tamron has you covered. And last I checked, Sony doesn't have anything remotely close to this in terms of focal length range for full frame.
That said, as a bird photographer, I have noticed that birds tend to be more active in the morning and evening when a good wide aperture would help. It would be nice to not have to bump up my ISO so often (since longer exposure times reality isn't an option with birds). Luckily my a7r3a is pretty invariant so shooting at 400 isn't a detail-killer and is usually sufficient to keep my shutter speed (and dynamic range) high even in low light.