The Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 steps into a space that many overlook, covering a range that makes sense for portraits, events, and travel without the bulk of longer zooms. If you carry gear for hours or move fast on location, weight and balance stop being small details and start shaping how you shoot.
Coming to you from Julia Trotti, this practical video puts the Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD through a real portrait session using the Sony a7 IV and the Nikon Z8. Trotti shares straight-out-of-camera files at 100% crops, then shows edited versions, so you can judge detail and rendering without guesswork. The lens offers a constant f/2.8 aperture across the zoom range and is available for both E-mount and Z-mount. At 565 g for E-mount and 575 g for Z-mount, it feels notably smaller than the 35-150mm alternative. Trotti positions it as a lighter option to the 35-150mm, raising the obvious question: does the reduced range mean reduced quality?
The 35-100mm covers environmental portraits at 35mm and tight headshots at 100mm, which makes it surprisingly flexible on location. Trotti suggests it could replace a 24-70mm for some, giving up width but gaining reach. That trade shifts how you frame. You step back more often, compress the background more easily, and reach flattering headshot perspectives without changing lenses. Through movement tests, including walking and running subjects, the VXD linear motors keep focus locked in without visible hesitation. If you rely on continuous AF for active sessions, that consistency changes how confidently you shoot bursts.
There are tradeoffs. The lens does not include optical stabilization, so you depend on in-body stabilization and your shutter speed choices in low light. Trotti notes visible vignetting at the wide end, corrected in post, and a more textured bokeh at longer focal lengths. At 50mm through 100mm, background blur can show subtle rings and texture rather than a perfectly smooth wash. Side-by-side comparisons with the 35-150mm reveal smoother rendering from the larger lens, though sharpness remains comparable. You also see how sensor differences between the a7 IV and older 24-megapixel bodies affect 100% crops, which adds context to online comparisons.
For video, the lens holds up well. It remains sharp, shows minimal focus breathing, and stays consistent while zooming. It is an external zoom design, so the center of gravity shifts forward as you extend toward 100mm. On a gimbal, that shift may require rebalancing depending on focal length and payload limits. The lens includes a USB-C port and a customizable switch, uses a 67 mm filter thread, and offers moisture resistance. Close focusing reaches 22 cm at the wide end and 65 cm at the long end, giving room for tighter detail shots during a session. Flare is present but controlled, and chromatic aberration appears mainly in strong backlit scenarios, easily corrected.
You also see full focal length comparisons at 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 85mm, and 100mm, framed both from a fixed position and with matched composition, which helps you judge how perspective shifts across the range. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Trotti.
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