When considering what lens to buy, there are a few features and technical aspects you should consider to help make your choice. If being able to customize the way your lens focuses is important to you, you will want to check out the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2.
Before I dive into the focus customization capabilities of the lens, let's that a look at it first. If you are a fan of Tamron lenses, especially the previous version of the 28-75mm, you are going to love this one even more. Everything has been raised up a notch to include updated optics, an enhanced focus motor, and a USB-C port for fine-tuning some of its options. The lens is lightweight with its composite plastic build, yet feels sturdy. I love that it doesn't add a ton of weight to the camera. Behind the focus ring on the right side of the lens is where you can find the USB-C port, which allows you to conduct firmware updates.
Tamron Lens Utility Program
This lens is compatible with Tamron's new Tamron Lens Utility program, which allows you to set up some customizations based on the lens' capabilities. Once you have your lens connected and launch the Tamron Lens Utility program, you can dive into the settings. The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 allows you to set custom settings for the focus button and the focus ring. Both photographers and filmmakers can take advantage of these options, but if you are shooting video, you have several more customization options.
Program Requirements
Windows 8.1 or higher, 32-bit or 64-bit
- 1 GB of RAM or more
- 16 GB of HD space
- USB 2.0
macOS 10.15 or higher
- Intel or M1 processor
- 4 GB of RAM or more
- 12.5 GB of HD space
- USB 2.0
If you are a hybrid photographer and filmmaker, depending on what projects you have in store for that day, you can quickly set the custom options and save those settings for quick loading when you need to change between them. You could also bring your laptop with you and even change the settings while the camera is connected and being used. For the focus ring settings, you can customize the ring rotation between default and reverse, as well as the MF method between linear and non-linear. In linear focus mode, the change is dependent on the amount of adjustment, while non-linear allows changes based on how quickly you rotate the ring.
When customizing the focus button, there are several more options to choose from. You can program the focus button to be another custom button, make it a toggle button between AF and MF, you can set it up as a focus preset button to save a focus setting, or have it toggle between two focus points with A-B Focus. There's even an option to make the focus button toggle the ring function between focus and aperture adjustments. If you plan on shooting a video, you can change the speed of how fast the lens comes in and out of focus for Focus Preset mode and A-B Focus mode.
Conclusion
Overall, I think this lens would be a great addition, with nice f/2.8 optics and a good range of zoom that would work well for many, all at a great value. For hybrid shooters or filmmakers using Sony mirrorless cameras, the custom options with the focus button and ring comes in handy. The option to film focus coming in and out with a touch of a button makes it so much easier. Even for photos, locking in that focus and if anything happens, simply pressing the button to jump right back makes it very helpful as well. What are your thoughts on a customizable button on a lens?
