Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens Review

Tamron has perfected the superzoom lens recipe and is now refining and reiterating it. Not long ago, I reviewed the Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens. That lens is a great performer, and its 6x focal length range got the hype. The Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens significantly extends the range to 10.7x, and with that zoom range, this all-in-one-zoom covers a huge range of needs.

If there were no downsides to a superzoom focal length range, all lenses would be such. While lens design continues to improve, my experience still leads me to question the image quality these lenses provide. Most of us place a high value on image quality, and we'll discuss that characteristic in depth below. However, getting an image of a fleeting subject is always better than not getting the image because the lens change required by the ultimate image quality kit was not afforded. Sometimes having the right lens on the camera means getting the shot vs. not.

Fun is another factor that plays into the superzoom lens discussion. Most of us define photography as fun. However, few of us find it fun to change lenses, and some of us even cringe about the potential for imaging sensor dust being acquired during this task. Few of us find it fun to physically carry lenses we're not actively using, and most of us do find it fun to go out with a single lens that is able to photograph a wide range of scenarios.

The Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens is a great all-arounder, a fun lens to carry around the yard or park, and it is an especially superb travel lens choice.

Focal Length Range

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At the top of the lens selection funnel is the focal length range needed for the task at hand. The focal length range specified in the name immediately after the branding reflects this importance, and it seems understating to say that this lens's 10.7x zoom range is a huge asset. Focal length drives subject distance choices, which determine perspective, and when getting closer to or farther from the subject is not an option, this lens's long focal length range is especially welcome.

Starting at 28mm and extending through the 300mm focal length range, this lens has a vast range of applications.

While 28mm is not so wide for an all-encompassing landscape photography lens (note that the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD Lens is a great complement to this lens),

I regularly use the entire 28-300mm range for that pursuit. Landscape photography often involves travel and hiking, and that this lens covers the range of two typical lenses is highly advantageous.

The complete classic portraiture focal length range, the 85-135mm full-frame angle of view, and far more are present, including for 1.5x APS-C cameras. The wide end comfortably handles most environmental and full-body portraits, and the long end invites tight headshots with good perspective. Photograph far kids and close kids without changing position or lenses.

This zoom range is great for sports. Capture the team photo from a reasonable distance, and moments later, reach midway into a large sports field to capture the play.

Most of us want long focal lengths for wildlife photography, and this lens has those, though 300mm may often be found short on a full-frame camera. Some of the best wildlife photos include the animal's surroundings, showing its environment. For that use, this lens's wider angles are often needed, and with a quick turn of the zoom ring, this lens can capture a tight wildlife portrait.

The 28-300mm range is a good choice for airshows, zoos, the beach, hikes, time in the garden or park, products, and far more uses. Detail subjects abound for this lens.

This has been a convenient lens to have ready to go for whatever needs that show up.

Here is the 28-300mm range illustrated by a full-frame camera:

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When you don't know what focal lengths will be needed, the odds are great that this lens has them covered.

APS-C sensor format cameras utilize a smaller image circle than full-frame models, framing a scene more tightly. Sony's APS-C angle of view equivalence multiplier is 1.5x, with this lens providing a 42-450mm full-frame angle of view. This lens mounted on an APS-C camera will be less optimal for landscape photography and far better suited for wildlife and sports.

It doesn't hurt to question the focal length numbers prescribed to a superzoom lens, so let's compare the site's enhanced ISO 12233 image quality test chart framing distance.

At 28mm, the Tamron lens frames the chart at 3.31' (1.01m), while the Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens does the same at 3.51' (1.07m). The Tamron's 300mm framing distance is 33.03' (10.07m), similar to the Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens's 32.59' (9.93m) and the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens's 33.19' (10.11m). Thus, this lens's numbers are in line with the industry's expected angles of view.

Max Aperture

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A lens's maximum aperture is usually included in the product name immediately after the focal length range, reflecting this specification's next-most importance. F/4.0-7.1 is this lens's maximum aperture, the ratio of the focal length to the entrance pupil diameter.

The lower the aperture number, the wider the opening, and the more light the lens can deliver to the imaging sensor. Each "stop" in aperture change (full stop examples: f/4, f/5.6, f/8) increases or decreases the amount of light by a substantial factor of 2x.

Want a long focal length range that includes telephoto focal lengths in a zoom lens without a large size, heavy weight, and high price? Expect that lens to have a narrow and variable max aperture, and this one has those attributes.

A smaller aperture opening facilitates using smaller, lighter, and less expensive lens elements. Because this lens's maximum opening does not increase sufficiently with focal length increase to maintain the same aperture measurement ratio, the max aperture is efficiently variable, ranging from f/4.0 to f/7.1 as the focal length range is increasingly traversed.

While the aperture value reduction is continuous, narrowing as the focal length increases, the camera rounds the reported aperture to the nearest 1/3 or 1/2 stop. Here are the focal length ranges for this lens's reported 1/3 stop apertures.

28-31mm = f/4.0
32-43mm = f/4.5
44-53mm = f/5.0
54-77mm = f/5.6
78-169mm = f/6.3
170-300mm = f/7.1

F/7.1 is rather dark, and that is the max opening over a significant portion of the focal length range. The next-darkest max opening, f/6.3, also covers a wider range of focal lengths. F/4 is available for only 4mm of that range.

Overall, these narrow max apertures make this lens an unfavorable choice for photographing challenging low-light motion, such as indoor sports or outdoor sports on cloudy days. Setting the ISO to a high number is the narrow aperture option for obtaining sharp low-light in-motion images, but the increased noise is an image quality factor. A narrow aperture is detrimental to low light autofocus performance, slowing or inhibiting focus lock.

A downside to the variable max aperture is that the lens's widest max aperture cannot be used over the entire focal length range. The camera automatically accounts for the changes in auto exposure modes (including M mode with Auto ISO), but using the widest-available aperture in manual exposure mode is somewhat complicated by the changing setting (though an in-camera function may also accommodate the changes).

While narrow aperture lenses have a greater minimum depth of field relative to their wider-aperture counterparts, telephoto focal lengths, thanks to their magnification, are inherently advantaged for creating a blurred background. These examples illustrate the maximum blur this lens can create:

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The background is a significant percentage of many images, and when the background is not complementary to the subject (or even distracting), blurring it away is highly advantageous. That capability is in this lens's skill set.

Image Stabilization

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The longer the focal length, the larger the subject details (captured at the same distance) are rendered, and the more still the camera must be held to avoid subject details crossing imaging sensor pixels during an exposure, which causes motion blur. Image stabilization, VC (Vibration Compensation), does not stop subject motion, but its ability to stop camera shake is an extremely valuable feature in any lens and an especially valuable feature in a narrow-aperture telephoto lens.

"Despite its compact size, the 28-300mm F4-7.1 VC is equipped with TAMRON’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism to ensure steady shooting. This effectively suppresses the camera shake that is likely to occur when shooting in the telephoto range or under low-light conditions. Additionally, at focal lengths up to 100mm, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are applied to provide vibration compensation with videography in mind." [Tamron Americas]

With increasing ISO being the alternative, the noise difference VC enables for still subjects is huge, and stabilization dramatically improves video quality. VC also provides a stabilized viewfinder image, aiding in optimal composition, and also important is that a stabilized view can enhance AF precision.

Tamron does not provide an assistance rating in stops for this lens, but the VC difference seen in the viewfinder is dramatic. That said, I didn't find the assistance so effective at the long end, even when sitting with arms rested on knees.

While OSS is active, framing drift is not an issue, and the viewfinder view is well-controlled, not jumping at startup or shutdown, and reframing is easy. A slight scratchy whir is heard when the switch is enabled — and when it is disabled.

No VC switch is provided, meaning a camera menu option is required to turn VC off.

Mode selection and custom configuration of VC for this lens are not available, including via Tamron's Lens Utility.

Image Quality

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Whenever I see a focal length range significantly exceeding the commonly available range for a lens class, my top concern is that image quality has been sacrificed, and 10.7x is an extreme range. The Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens's 6x range optical performance is quite good, which was concern reducing for this lens. Let's figure it out.

This lens produces excellent sharpness in the central area of the frame at all focal lengths, with the 300mm end producing modestly reduced sharpness.

In general, lenses become sharper as they are stopped down one or two stops from their wide-open apertures, but don't expect this lens to produce a noticeable improvement. The wide-open results are great, meaning there is little room for improvement, and stopping down the narrowest max apertures encounters the softening effects of diffraction.

Often, subjects are not placed in the center of a composition, and lenses typically show decreased sharpness in the periphery of the image circle, where light rays are refracted to a stronger angle than in the center. This lens shows a gradual decline from the center to the corner, and the test chart corners become a touch soft at the focal length extents, but overall, not bad for a superzoom. Again, stopping down produces little sharpness improvement aside from clearing peripheral shading.

The resolution chart is merciless on image quality, so let's take the testing outdoors, next looking at a series of center-of-the-frame 100% resolution crop examples. These images were captured in RAW format using a Sony Alpha 1 and processed in Capture One using the Natural Clarity method. The sharpening amount was set to only "30" on a 0-1000 scale. Note that images from most cameras require some level of sharpening, but too-high sharpness settings are destructive to image details and hide the deficiencies of a lens.

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These results look great, with the 300mm sample quality slightly trailing the wide results.

Next, we'll look at a series of comparisons showing 100% resolution extreme top left corner crops captured and processed identically to the above center-of-the-frame images. The lens was manually focused in the corner of the frame to capture these images.

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Count on samples taken from the outer extreme of the image circle, full-frame corners, to show a lens's weakest performance. The 28mm and 300mm corner results are slightly soft, but these results show impressive image quality for a superzoom lens.

This lens does not exhibit focus shift, the plane of sharp focus moving forward or backward as the aperture is narrowed (residual spherical aberration or RSA).

When used on a camera that utilizes its full image circle, a lens is expected to show peripheral shading at the widest aperture settings. With a wide-open aperture, this lens shows a noticeable 3 stops of corner shading at 28mm, a relatively low 1.5 stops at 50mm and 100mm, and a moderately noticeable just over 2.5 stops from 200mm to 300mm.

Want less corner shading? Stopping down is the near-universal solution. At f/11, which requires more stopping down at the wide end, between just under 1 stop (50mm) and 1.5 stops (100mm and longer) of shading remains.

APS-C format cameras using lenses projecting a full-frame-sized image circle avoid most vignetting problems. In this case, the worst case about one-stop of corner shading showing at 300mm f/7.1 may be visible in select images, primarily those with a solid color (such as a blue sky) in the corners.

One-stop of shading is often considered the number of visibility, though subject details provide a widely varying amount of vignetting discernibility. Vignetting is correctable during post-processing, with increased noise in the brightened areas the penalty, or it can be embraced, using the effect to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame. Study the pattern shown in our vignetting test tool to determine how your images will be affected.

Lateral (or transverse) CA (Chromatic Aberration) refers to the unequal magnification of all colors in the spectrum. Lateral CA shows as color fringing along lines of strong contrast running tangential (meridional, right angles to radii), with the mid and especially the periphery of the image circle showing the most significant amount as this is where the most significant difference in the magnification of wavelengths typically exists.

With the right lens profile and software, lateral CA is often easily correctable (often in the camera) by radially shifting the colors to coincide. However, it is always better to avoid this aberration in the first place.

Color misalignment can be seen in the site's image quality tool, but let's also look at a set of worst-case examples. The images below are 100% crops from the extreme top left corner of Sony a1 frames showing diagonal black and white lines.

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These images should only contain black and white colors, with the additional colors indicating a lateral CA presence. The color separation is strong at the wide end, slowly decreases to slight in the midrange, and increases slightly to strong at 300mm as the separated colors align and then reverse.

A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light. More simply, different colors of light are focused to different depths. Spherical aberration, along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to observe. Axial CA remains somewhat persistent when stopping down, with the color misalignment effect increasing with defocusing. The spherical aberration color halo shows little size change as the lens is defocused, and stopping down one to two stops generally removes this aberration.

In the real world, lens defects do not exist in isolation, with spherical aberration and spherochromatism generally found, at least to some degree, along with axial CA. These combine to create a less sharp, hazy-appearing image quality at the widest apertures.

The wide-open aperture examples below compare the fringing colors of the defocused specular highlights in the foreground to the background. The lens has introduced any differences from the neutrally colored subjects.

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Especially for the narrow max apertures, these results show noticeable color blur

Bright light reflecting off lens elements' surfaces may cause flare and ghosting, resulting in reduced contrast and sometimes interesting, usually objectionable visual artifacts. The shape, intensity, and position of the flare and ghosting effects in an image are variable, dependent on the position and nature of the light source (or sources), selected aperture, shape of the aperture blades, and quantity and quality of the lens elements and their coatings. Additionally, flare and ghosting can impact AF performance.

This lens features Tamron's Second-generation BBAR-G2 Coating, "A groundbreaking advancement that provides vastly improved performance compared to the original BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) Coating. The coating corrects for ghosting and flare to an unprecedented extent and renders fine subject detail with true clarity and stunning contrast even under backlit conditions." [Tamron Americas]

This lens produced, at most (28mm, f/16), minor flare effects in our standard sun in the corner of the frame flare test.

Flare effects can be embraced or avoided, or removal can be attempted, though removal is sometimes challenging. Thus, this lens's high flare resistance is a welcomed trait.

Two lens aberrations are particularly evident in images of stars, mainly because bright points of light against a dark background make them easier to see. Coma occurs when light rays from a point of light spread out from that point instead of being refocused as a point on the sensor. Coma is absent in the center of the frame, gets worse toward the edges/corners, and generally appears as a comet-like or triangular tail of light that can be oriented either away from the center of the frame (external coma) or toward the center of the frame (internal coma). The coma clears as the aperture is narrowed. Astigmatism is seen as points of light spreading into a line, either sagittal (radiating from the center of the image) or meridional (tangential, perpendicular to sagittal). This aberration can produce stars appearing to have wings. Remember that Lateral CA is another aberration apparent in the corners.

The images below are 100% crops taken from the top-left corner of Sony a1 images captured at the widest available aperture.

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From a relative perspective, these results are good, especially in the mid-range, and especially the 50mm results.

Strong, but not extreme like we now often see, barrel distortion shows at 28mm, and by 50mm and through 300mm, strong pincushion distortion shows. This distortion can be corrected, with stretching or cropping required to true the geometry. That said, I didn't feel the need to correct any of the hundreds of family and landscape images I captured.

As seen earlier in the review, it is easy to illustrate the strongest blur a lens can create, and telephoto focal lengths are inherently advantaged in this regard. Due to the infinite number of variables present among available scenes, assessing the blur quality, bokeh, is considerably more challenging. Here are some f/11 (for diaphragm blade interaction) examples.

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The first examples show defocused highlights. The wider results are slightly irregular in shape, and the longer examples have a somewhat blotchy fill. With f/11 being not stopped much, the rounded blades do not have much impact on the circularness of the shape, remaining round.

The second set of examples shows full images reduced in size and looking normal.

Except for a small number of specialty lenses, the wide aperture bokeh in the frame's corner does not show round defocused highlights, instead showing cat's eye shapes due to a form of mechanical vignetting. If you look through a tube at an angle, similar to the light reaching the frame's corner, the shape is not round. That is the shape we're looking at here.

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At 28mm, only the extreme corner shapes show strong truncation, and the 50 and 100mm results show, at most, minor shape truncation, but the 300mm sample shows strong cat's eye shapes. As the aperture narrows, the entrance pupil size is reduced, and the mechanical vignetting diminishes, making the corner shapes rounder.

The 9-blade count diaphragm will create 18-point sunstars (diffraction spikes) from point light sources captured with a narrow aperture — if the aperture is stopped down sufficiently to create angles between the blades. Generally, the more a lens diaphragm is stopped down, the larger and better shaped the sunstars tend to be. Unfortunately, a narrow max aperture lens does not afford much stopping down before reaching apertures where diffraction causes noticeable softening of details, and these lenses typically do not produce the biggest or best shaped sunstars.

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The examples above were captured at f/16. While the 28mm results are somewhat star-like, this is not the right lens for creating impressive starbursts.

The design of this lens is illustrated above. "Because of an optical design that includes one XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) and one LD (Low Dispersion) special lens element, chromatic aberration and other artifacts are efficiently controlled." [Tamron Americas]

The Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens is, optically, among the best superzoom lenses ever produced, a statement that stems primarily from the sharp images this lens creates. Geometric distortion, lateral CA, color blur, and most other test results may be lacking at some level, but the sharpness produced by this lens seems most obvious when reviewing results.

Focusing

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"To ensure smooth and speedy focusing across the 10.7x zoom range, the 28-300mm F4-7.1 VC is equipped with TAMRON's linear motor focus mechanism VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive). The fastest and most accurate AF in TAMRON’s history overturns the stereotype of all-in-one zoom lenses having slow autofocus and is optimized to assure that users do not miss good photo opportunities. As the lens is extremely quiet and features excellent focus tracking for moving objects, it performs well when shooting both still images and video in a broad range of situations, including conditions that require silence, moving subjects such as sports activities, airplanes, wild birds—the list goes on and on." [Tamron Americas]

This lens internally focuses fast, with only slight shuffling heard (in a quiet environment with an ear near the lens). Unsurprising for a narrow aperture lens is only mediocre low-light AF performance.

Non-cinema lenses usually require refocusing after a focal length change, and as illustrated in the 100% crops below, the reviewed lens does not exhibit parfocal-like characteristics. When focused at 300mm, zooming to wider focal lengths results in focus blur.

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If you adjust the focal length, re-establish focus. This rule usually applies.

Sony's DMF (Direct Manual Focus) AF mode supports FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing.

The manual focus ring is compact, but it is quite usable, featuring smooth rotation and adjustment, with an ideal resistance. A comfortable 180° rotation imparts a full focus distance adjustment.

This lens is easily configurable (50-300mm lens sample image shown below) using the Tamron Lens Utility app (free) on a laptop (or mobile device using the mobile app), connected via the lens's USB Type-C port (a USB cable is not included in the box).

This lens has an AF hold button. At least that's the button's historical function. It can also be configured for:

• Assign function from the camera
• Select AF/MF (immediate or 1-sec button hold)
• Focus limiter (range options)
• Focus Preset (focus speed selectable for movie)
• A-B focus (focus speed selectable for movie)
• Ring function (Focus/Aperture) (immediate or 1-sec button hold)
• Focus Stopper (immediate or 1-sec button hold)
• Astro FC-L (immediate or 1-sec button hold)
• Clear settings

While a native AF/MF switch is not provided, that feature is included in the options list above.

It is normal for the scene to change size in the frame as the focus is pulled from one extent to the other. This effect is focus breathing, a change in focal length resulting from a change in focus distance. Focus breathing impacts photographers intending to use focus stacking techniques, videographers pulling focus (without movement to camouflage the effect), and anyone critically framing while adjusting focus.

This lens produces a normal, modest change in subject size through a full-extent (worst-case) focus distance adjustment.

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If you adjust the focal length, re-establish focus. This rule usually applies.

This lens does not have an AF/MF switch, requiring this frequently used camera setting to be changed via the menu system (or via a switch on some camera models).

A high maximum magnification greatly increases a lens's fun factor and usefulness, and this lens has a minimum focus distance of 7.5" (190mm) at 28mm where it generates a big 0.36x maximum magnification spec. The focal length does not increase enough to retain the 0.36x spec at the increased 300mm minimum focus distance (39", 990mm), with a lower, but still good, 0.26x maximum magnification spec resulting.

Model	Min Focus Distance		Max Magnification
Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM Lens	19.7"	(500mm)	0.26x
Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens	27.6"	(700mm)	0.30x
Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens	19.7"	(500mm)	0.27x
Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens	7.5"	(190mm)	0.32x
Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Lens	19.3"	(490mm)	0.29x
Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens	7.5"	(190mm)	0.36x
Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Lens	13.0"	(330mm)	0.18x
Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens	8.7"	(220mm)	0.50x
Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens	9.8"	(250mm)	0.50x

At 28mm, a subject measuring approximately 3.7 x 2.5" (94 x 63mm) fills a full-frame imaging sensor at this lens's minimum MF distance. At 300mm, a 5.1 x 3.4" (130 x 87mm) subject does the same.

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The individual USPS love stamps measure 1.19 x 0.91" (30.226 x 23.114mm).

While this lens produces sharp center-of-the-frame details at minimum focus distance with a wide-open aperture, expect the image periphery to be blurry due to field curvature. F/11 brings on increased depth of field that provides significant improvement in corner image quality, and 300mm max magnification results have considerably better peripheral image quality than 28mm results.

The minimum focus distance is measured from the imaging sensor plane with the balance of the camera, lens, and lens hood length taking their space out of the number to create the working distance. At 300mm, this lens's minimum focus distance working distance is significant, but the plane of sharp focus is only about 1.6" (41mm) in front of the lens without the hood mounted at 28mm, and the lens is likely to obstruct the subject lighting.

Mounting an extension tube decreases the minimum focus distance, which increases the magnification. Extension tubes are hollow lens barrels that shift a lens farther from the camera, allowing shorter focusing distances at the expense of long-distance focusing. Electronic connections in extension tubes permit the lens and camera to communicate and function normally. As of review time, Tamron does not publish extension tube specs or manufacture these items, but third-party Sony-compatible extension tubes are available.

This lens is not compatible with Tamron (or Sony) teleconverters.

Design & Features

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"Our engineers examined the structure and key parts right down to the fine details, resulting in an enhanced design that updates both operability and the ergonomic considerations. The surface of the lens exterior is shiny and glossy black. Improved abrasion resistance makes the lens harder to scratch and resists fingerprints. The rubber on the ring is also updated to have better grip performance with deeper grooves. The smoothly curved, glossy surface of the brand ring creates a dignified appearance with a design that signifies functional beauty and high quality." [Tamron Americas]

The 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens was the first lens to get this new Tamron design, and the 50-300 was the next. This design is great, and I welcome it to the 28-300.

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Turning the big, short 75° rotation rubber-ribbed zoom ring smoothly extends the lens 2.95" (75mm) at 300mm, with the extended inner barrel having impressively little flex. The sole switch, the lock switch, holds the lens in the fully retracted position. The zoom ring rotates in the same direction as Sony lenses.

This lens features weather sealing for protection from the elements and fluorine coating to repel dirt and moisture and to make cleaning easy.

The Tamron 28-300 is a compact, lightweight lens that is easy to take with you. I carried it and a Sony a1 for an over-4-mile hike in a Lowepro TLZ 50, including a couple of hours with the camera in hand, and was not at all bothered by the weight.

There is not much direct competition for a 28-300mm lens. This lens's predecessor and an also-older Canon lens comprise what is in the site's database.

Model	Weight oz(g)		Dimensions w/o Hood "(mm)		Filter	Year
Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM Lens	26.5	(750)	3.2 x 4.8	(80.4 x 122.5)	72	2019
Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens	59	(1670)	3.6 x 7.6	(92 x 194)	77	2004
Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens	27.5	(780)	3.2 x 4.7	(80.5 x 118.5)	72	2015
Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens	20.3	(575)	2.9 x 4.6	(74 x 117)	67	2020
Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD Lens	19.1	(540)	2.9 x 3.8	(74.4 x 96)	67	2014
Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens	21.5	(610)	3 x 5	(77 x 126)	67	2024
Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Lens	41.1	(1165)	3.5 x 6.2	(89.2 x 158)	82	2021
Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens	23.5	(665)	3.1 x 5.9	(78 x 150)	67	2024
Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens	40.8	(1155)	3.5 x 7.2	(88.5 x 183.4)	67	2022

View the complete Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens Specifications using the site's lens specifications tool for many more comparisons.

Here is a visual comparison:

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens
Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens
Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens

The same lenses are shown below with their hoods in place.

Use the site's product image comparison tool to visually compare the Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens to other lenses.

Tamron has standardized on 67mm filter threads, and most of their latest lenses utilize this size. This size commonality makes sharing effects filters such as circular polarizer filters (and lens caps) easy.

A standard-thickness circular polarizer filter will increase wide-aperture peripheral shading slightly. Therefore, a slim model such as the Breakthrough Photography X4 is recommended.

The Tamron 28-300mm lens does not ship with a tripod ring. Even when using a solid ball head (Really Right Stuff BH-55), there is a slight sag after lockdown.

The Tamron HA074 Lens Hood is included in the box. The slightly flexible plastic hood's petal shape is optimized to block as much light outside the utilized image circle as possible. As zoom lens hoods must be tuned for the wide end of the zoom range, less than optimal protection is afforded at the long end. Still, this hood offers significant front element protection.

The petal shape looks cool, and another advantage of this hood shape is the easier installation alignment it provides (simply align the small petal to the top), though a round-shaped hood better enables a lens to stand on its hood. The ribbed interior avoids internal reflections. A release button is not featured on this hood.

Lens caps are included in the box, but a case is not.

Price, Value, Compatibility

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The Tamron brand is synonymous with good value, and the 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens maintains that reputation. The quality construction and high performance of this lens are easily worth the modest price.

The Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens is compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras, including full-frame and APS-C sensor format models.

"This product is developed, manufactured, and sold based on the specifications of E-mount which was disclosed by Sony Corporation under the license agreement with Sony Corporation." [Tamron Americas]

Tamron USA provides a 6-year limited warranty.

The reviewed Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens was borrowed from Tamron Americas.

Alternatives

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The perfect lens does not exist. However, the best lens for your needs does. To determine that answer requires a look at the alternatives. Let's start the comparisons with this lens's sibling predecessor, the Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens.

In the image quality comparison, the 50-300 is slightly sharper and especially sharper at 300mm. The 28-300 has less wide-open peripheral shading at the wide end and produced less flare effects at narrow apertures. The 50-300 shows less geometric distortion.

The Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 vs. 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens comparison shows the 28-300 slightly lighter and a bit shorter when retracted. The 50-300 has a higher maximum magnification, 0.50x vs. 0.36x. The 50-300 has an about 1/3-stop aperture advantage at most focal lengths, while the 28-300 has a big focal length range advantage. The 50-300 costs $100.00 less.

The Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens shifts the focal length range to the wide side, but it is worthy of comparison to the Tamron.

The image quality comparison shows the Tamron lens considerably sharper. The Tamron lens has less peripheral shading and barrel distortion at the wide end. The Sony lens has slightly less pincushion distortion at the long end.

The Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD vs. Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens comparison shows the Sony lens is smaller but 6 oz (170g) heavier. The Tamron lens has 9 aperture blades vs. 7, 67mm filter threads vs. 72mm, a 0.36x maximum magnification vs. 0.27x, and it has a lens custom function button. The Sony lens has an about 1/3-stop aperture advantage and is moderately more expensive.

Use the site's tools to create additional comparisons.

Summary

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Tamron Americas calls it "Hyper-versatile", and I agree.

The modestly -sized, lightly-weighted, well-designed and constructed Tamron 28-300mm F4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Lens is a great general-purpose lens choice. Its primary detriments are a somewhat narrow max aperture, slight softness at 300mm and in extreme full-frame corners at wide and long focal lengths, moderate out-of-focus color blur, moderate linear distortion, and an unusual pattern in long out-of-focus highlights.

However, as with the 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD, the sharp image quality this lens produces is its overwhelming performance characteristic, and the extreme focal length range covers a vast percentage of needs. This lens is a great choice to have always mounted for immediate use, and it is a great choice for travel and hiking.