Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 for Sony E-Mount Full Frame Mirrorless Cameras

This lens is sharp, lighter than many other equivalent lenses, and gives you more light than most telephoto zooms in its price range with its fixed f2.8 aperture. The lens is incredibly well made and comes with a lens hood and a tripod collar, making it an amazing value for the price. The zoom range of 70-180 mm is close to 70-200 mm and should be usable for most. Unfortunately for me, I kept wanting to zoom in more than I could with this lens so ended up exchanging it for a 70-200 mm and paid more for those extra 20 mm. It functioned very well with the zoom and focus rings both providing just enough resistance to be easy to use while staying where you want them to. I used it on a Sony a7iii and it integrated well with aperture and shutter priority modes, fast autofocus, and image stabilization.

I bought this lens primarily for birds and wildlife outside my north facing kitchen window. I already had a 18-300 but it is not good in low light. Thus far it has been good, sharp and fast though I do miss the longer zoom. Image stabilization, especially in conjunction with in camera stabilization is very good, especially for hand-held shots (see photos attached). It came quickly and was packaged with care. Definitely not used or open box sold as new; something that is happening more and more on Amazon. I would buy from this seller again.

I am an amateur street photographer from Sri Lanka. I am also an introvert who prefer to stay in the sidelines when capturing moments. So a long range telephoto is a necessity for me. My camera is Sony A6700. I bought this to replace my telephoto kit lens Sony 55-210mm, which is not bad for a street photographer, but the low light capability was a problem. I obviously considered the Sony 70-200mm GM II and Sigma 70-200mm Sports lenses first, provided that they have longer reach and possibly better quality(?). But the ridiculous price of the Sony and heavier, larger Sigma makes them not practical for a casual shooter like me. Plus points; - Fit: I tried the Sony 70-200mm GM II rented for a day and it was too big, heavy and flashy (it is white and makes everyone notice it immediately) for me. Considering the Sigma is even heavier by the numbers, this is considerably lightweight. Which is important because I walk with full kit camera bag a lot. - Zoom range: Since I have a APSC body (Sony A6700), the cropped maximum range of the Tamron lens is 270mm. Which is more than enough for me, and 30mm additional range from Sony and Sigma doesn't actually make a big difference at the long range. Also the A6700 has 27MP sensor, and my output is usually 12MP, which gives me plenty of freedom to crop further if needed. - Image quality: I have been shooting with the Tamron for 2 weeks now, and I have absolutely no issues on quality. In fact I compared some photos I took with the Sony, and apart from slight difference in color warmth, I cannot see a difference. Color levels I adjust anyway on Darktable to suite the composition, doesn't really depend on the lens. - Image stabilization: I haven't shot a lot of videos with the lens yet, but for photography I have no issues. Even at the highest range, it is capable of compensating for my twitchy hands, which is enough for me. - Filter size: Tamron designs their lenses to have similar filter sizes, 67mm. I already have a Tamron 17-70 f2.8 APSC lens, which I use for the wide range, and being able to use the same filters on both means I don't have to buy and carry larger filters. - Other functionality: There is a custom button with three additional modes to add functionalities to, but for me it is not much use and stays unassigned so far, since all the custom settings I need are adjustable from the camera itself with its own custom buttons, rollers and memory modes. I personally prefer it that way so I can switch the lens without being used to lens buttons. Possible negative points; - It gets slightly warmer sometimes when I have to do some tracking focus. It worried me a little, although turns out it is the focus motors working. I hope it wouldn't be an issue in the long term. - The extending front is a tradeoff, since it collects bit of dust and some water here and there. It has weather shielding but to be honest I wouldn't rely on those too much and prefer to care for the lenses on my own. Since my other lenses were also similar in this regard, I am used to carrying the cleaning kit around and cleaning lenses on rest stops, so not a major issue. - Since its heavy and bigger than the camera body, I tend to carry the camera by the lens than the body. Its not a negative point really, but hope that wouldn't cause any issues in the mounts in the long term. - It is said that the maximum shots per second is lower on the Tamron (and other third party lens). Not really an issue for me since A6700 only does 15 shots per second at maximum anyway. Overall, this is a really good lens from Tamron. I appreciate their work on developing practical and useful everyday lenses, rather than making the best there is with outrageous price tags.

On my a7Rii it works like a charm! The details it brings about is astonishing!!

First week review: I feel like a professional photographer using this lens. It is FAST It is beautiful It is easy to use It is small and lightweight compared to other zoom lenses like a s o n y 70-200. I was able to use this for several days in a row to get some amazing softball photos! It reaches outfield from the backstop of a normal softball field, however it really shines getting shots of closer areas on the field. The autofocus is incredible! I put this on my Sony a6000 which I’ve had for 10 years and never upgraded the lens - so this lens is an incredible upgrade

I like this lens, it was a debate for me to get either this lens or the Sigma 70-200 2.8. This one went on sale for less then $950 so it was the Tamron I got.

Great stabilization especially at 180 mm. I think this is the best budget telescoping lens you can get. Definitely worth its price feels like it’s built well and the optics are phenomenal. The auto focus works very well and is quiet.

I was always reluctant of buying non-OEM lenses but the price of the Sony version of this was prohibitive for me. I don't regret buying it. While isn't cheap, the value for the money is outstanding. Zooming capabilities are great, no defects nor aberrations, overall is a very good quality product.

This very lightweight lens is super clear and can also be used on the Ronin gimbal. Has sharp lens and fast focusing. If you’re willing to sacrifice the 20mm zoom this is an affordable and great alternative to the Sony 70-200mm lens. Definitely recommend it!

I owned the previous version and used it professionally for years. When the internal zoom cam broke on it (a known issue that they addressed with the G2), it was a no brainer to buy this one. Rock solid, sharp, light and small. I’ve already done a bunch of professional shoots with this and it hasn’t missed a beat. Optically, it slightly outperforms the G1…less highlight blooming, better sharpness across the frame. All in all a winning lens from Tamron.

Great lens for the price. Excellent sharpness even at full open aperture

Best lens I've ever used. Loving everything about it.

Great value, but comes with a gotcha. Bokeh at telephoto distances apper too look like a nervy oil painting. Nothing "smoothes" out and transitions between shades are busy. Otherwise, good perfoming lens and a great alternative to Sigma + Sony offerings. For critical focusing like sports or events, this may not be the best.