Tamron has unveiled the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD for Sony, a zoom lens that guarantees to pack a unprecedented focal size vary, speedy autofocusing, and excellent optics into an impressively compact physique.
The 50-400mm will appeal to loads of photographers based mostly on focal size alone; chicken, wildlife, and sports activities shooters will recognize the lens’s super-telephoto lengthy finish and versatile zoom vary, whereas journey and portrait snappers will love the lens’s means to deal with scene-setting pictures, full-body and group pictures, and tighter headshots with out skipping a beat. Even panorama photographers could take into account switching out a number of primes or telephoto zooms for the brand new 50-400mm to simplify their package.
Impressively, the 50-400mm gives 1:2 magnification at its widest focal size, which permits nature shooters to snap beautiful close-ups of flowers, bugs, and different macro topics. And due to the lens’s light-weight and compact construct, it may be carried wherever – on mountain treks, deep dives into the wilderness, worldwide travels, and extra.
Tamron explains, “[T]his new ultra-telephoto zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras is identical dimension as standard 100-400mm zoom lenses but gives a wider angle of view on the vast finish for glorious versatility.” In different phrases, you get all the advantages of a superzoom lens with out the additional bulk.
Superzoom lenses provide notoriously poor optics, however Tamron ensures “excessive picture high quality” and “unparalleled excessive efficiency in any respect focal lengths.” And such a efficiency would be according to different latest zoom lenses from Tamron – just like the 150-500mm – which boast glorious sharpness throughout the board, particularly when stopped down.
As for the lens’s autofocusing capabilities: Tamron’s VXD motor has beforehand confirmed itself able to satisfying even chicken photographers, the place the flexibility to trace transferring topics throughout complicated scenes is crucial. After all, focusing efficiency additionally relies upon closely on the digital camera, however paired with a latest mirrorless mannequin just like the Sony a7 IV, the 50-400mm ought to carry out effectively.
Whereas the lens could embrace high-level optics and fast focusing, the 50-400mm does include a downside price considering: Poor low-light capabilities. On the vast finish, the lens aperture solely opens to f/4.5, which narrows to f/6.3 by 400mm – not superb for chicken and wildlife pictures in darkish forests, nor nighttime or indoor sports activities pictures. Tamron has added its picture stabilization know-how (VC, or Vibration Compensation) for sharper photographs in powerful situations, however this useful enhancement received’t do a lot to enhance photographs of transferring topics reminiscent of foraging mammals or flying birds.
That stated, the 50-400mm will seemingly carry out exceptionally effectively in good mild, and in harder situations, you may all the time enhance your ISO as wanted (assuming you’re prepared to compromise on picture high quality).
When will the 50-400mm be launched, and the way a lot will it price?
Tamron notes that the lens will debut someday within the fall, however the actual launch date continues to be unknown. The value can be underneath wraps, however going by the $1399 150-500mm, we will maybe anticipate a price ticket within the $800-$1300 vary.
So for those who’re searching for a smaller but highly effective telephoto zoom – for sports activities pictures, wildlife pictures, chicken pictures, journey pictures, and extra – then preserve an eye fixed out for additional information on the 50-400mm.
