The Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 offers an impressive zoom range, making it a solid option if you’re looking for a single lens that can cover a lot of ground. Its compact and lightweight design makes it an easy choice for everyday use. But like any all-in-one lens, it comes with trade-offs that are important to understand before making a decision.
Coming to you from Stefan Malloch, this in-depth video explores the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD. One of the main strengths is its 10x zoom range, allowing you to shoot wide landscapes and zoom in for detailed shots of wildlife or other subjects. This versatility makes it ideal for travel or situations where you don’t want to carry multiple lenses. Malloch compares it to other lenses in Tamron’s lineup, highlighting where the 28-300mm performs well and where it might fall short.
Powered by Tamron’s VXD motors, the autofocus is both fast and quiet. Despite the lens' complex glass construction, it tracks moving subjects effectively. However, with its f/4-7.1 aperture, it’s not designed for low-light performance. Malloch points out that while it does a good job in well-lit conditions, you’ll want to be cautious when using it in dim settings.
Weighing only 1.3 pounds, the 28-300mm is ideal for those who need something lightweight. The design is simple, featuring a customizable focus hold button that can be programmed via Tamron’s utility software. While it lacks certain features like a focus limiter switch, its image stabilization is a welcome addition. This stabilization makes shooting handheld at the longer 300mm focal length much more practical.
When it comes to image quality, Malloch notes some trade-offs. The center sharpness is decent, but the corners show noticeable softness, particularly at wider apertures and longer focal lengths. With an aperture range of f/4-7.1, this lens isn’t going to give you the same performance as faster lenses in low light. Stopping down to f/8 or smaller improves sharpness, but if edge-to-edge clarity is a priority, this lens might not be the best fit. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Malloch.
Save your $$ add a little and get the FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Full-frame Telephoto Zoom Lens with Optical SteadyShot 949.99. A sign of an up and coming new version of a Sony lens is the lower price the so called old now. The range is not only 24-240mm but in APS-C is 36-360mm and as far as the smaller image size today there are just too many upsize programs and anyway most like birders do more cropping than told. Faster Autofocus and types of with using the copped on sensor. Yes several bad reviews of the lens BUT what make the images is software not the raw out of camera. To get Bokeh and DOF just use the little square at center and over subject, been used for years. Just to add I have had for many years and has been in my everyday carry little bag for the you never know what while on a walkabout or more drive about around town to and from or a zoo lens for the up close through the bars!