70-300mm lenses offer an alternative to the more standard 70-200mm zoom for photographers who do not need the wider aperture and would prefer a bit more reach on the long end. Sony shooters have a few options, namely the company's own FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS and the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD, and this excellent video review compares the performance of both.
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this great video review compares the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD to the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS. A 70-300mm lens can be really useful for anyone who does not need the wider aperture of a 70-200mm but who wants a lot of reach, making it a good option for things like travel photography, wildlife work, or as a longer lens for landscapes. At less than half the price of the Sony, the Tamron version is also an impressive bargain and even outpaces the Sony in a few areas, most notably its sharpness, making it a great compliment to the company's other impressive and highly popular E mount lenses. Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts.
Personally I did not get much information out of that review. I do use the Sony lens and I use its "extra" controls and I believe the OSS contributes to the overall image quality. Therefore the extra cost is not that relevant. I have never shot test charts though. The difference in sharpness seemed so insignificant that a sample variation could easily reverse the result. However what was very annoying and distracting in the video is the constant "fumbling" of the lenses at the beginning and the end of the video. Showing "static" lenses would be in my view offer a better viewing of the video.