Superzoom lenses like the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD are versatile tools that cover a wide range of shooting scenarios, from wildlife to travel photography. While not perfect, they can simplify your gear setup and make photography more accessible in diverse environments. Understanding the capabilities and trade-offs of such a lens helps you decide whether it’s a good fit for your needs.
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this thorough video breaks down the features, build quality, and performance of the Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD. The Tamron offers a long zoom range with a focal length of 28mm to 300mm, making it ideal for casual wildlife or vacation shots. The lens includes image stabilization (VC), which smooths out handheld shots even at its longest focal length. Build quality is a highlight, with a lightweight design, a smooth zoom ring, and a weather-sealed metallic mount. Autofocus performance is solid, with a quiet motor and reliable subject tracking in both single-shot and continuous autofocus modes.
Superzoom lenses often compromise sharpness and contrast across their wide focal range, and this one is no exception. At 28mm and f/4, the center is razor-sharp, but corners soften, improving only slightly when stopped down. The lens performs best around 50mm, where corner sharpness catches up to the center. However, as you zoom in to 300mm, sharpness and contrast degrade, and chromatic aberrations become more noticeable. Despite these limitations, the lens delivers decent results for casual bird photography or distant subjects. Its close focusing distance of 7.5 inches adds flexibility for macro-like shots, though image quality at close range benefits from stopping down to smaller apertures.
Key Specs
- Focal Length: 28 to 300mm
- Maximum Aperture: f/4 to 7.1
- Optical Construction: 20 elements in 13 groups
- Diaphragm Blades: 9, rounded for smoother bokeh
- Focus Type: Autofocus with VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) motor for quick and silent operation
- Minimum Focus Distance: 7.5 inches (19.1 cm)
- Maximum Magnification (Macro Reproduction Ratio): 1:3.8
- Image Stabilization: Yes
- Filter Size: 67mm
- Dimensions: 3 x 5 inches (77 x 126mm)
- Weight: 1.3 lb (610 g)
The video also touches on distortion and vignetting. Barrel distortion at the wide end transitions to pincushion distortion as you zoom in, and heavy vignetting appears at both ends of the range. In-camera corrections alleviate these issues, so keeping them on is essential if you aren't shooting in raw. Flare and bokeh are moderate, with out-of-focus backgrounds looking smooth enough, provided you’re close to your subject. However, the f/7.1 aperture at full zoom limits light intake, requiring higher ISO settings in low-light scenarios. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Frost.
I'll take the OM Systems 12-200mm as the best travel zoom lens. It's lighter, smaller, fully weather sealed, higher magnification for macros, starts wider at 24mm equivalent and zooms to 400mm equivalent. I'd rather have the extra 4mm at the wide end than the 50mm at the long end for buildings etc.