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New Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III A-VC RXD Lens Reviews

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The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III A-VC RXD seems to be one of the best APS-C E-mount zoom lenses. Here are the latest Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III A-VC RXD lens reviews. Tamron’s new standard zoom is compatible with Sony’s Eye AF, Fast Hybrid AF and in-camera lens correction. The US price of the lens for Sony E is $799 and available at B&H and Adorama.

The Tamron 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is comprised of 16 elements in 12 groups, of which there are two Glass Moulded Aspherical elements and one hybrid aspherical lens. The minimum focus distance is 19cm (7.5″) and the maximum magnification is 0.21x. The lens is 12cm (4.7″) long and weighs in at 524g (1.2lbs). It’s weather-sealed, and its front element has a fluorine coating to repel water and oil.

DPReview has published a full review for the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD lens. The zoom lens achieved a score of 86% overall and gets silver award. They find the lens is a great all-around zoom lens for Sony APS-C cameras. Tamron hits the sweet spot between price and performance for an everyday zoom lens, but with a few compromises.

Here is the conclusion:

The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD continues the company’s tradition of combining optical versatility with great value. A wide zoom range makes this lens great for travel, and it’s bright enough to blur backgrounds and snap sharp nighttime photos, thanks also to its vibration compensation. Sharpness and autofocus are excellent, while bokeh, distortion, flare and color fringing could be improved.

What we like What we don’t
  • Sharp all the way to the corners, even wide-open
  • Minimal vignetting
  • Good build quality
  • Generous zoom range
  • Bright and continuous F2.8 maximum aperture
  • Compact and lightweight design make it a good travel lens
  • Surprisingly swift, quiet autofocus
  • Almost zero focus breathing
  • Affordably priced
  • Strong barrel distortion at wide end limits min. focal length
  • Strong pincushion distortion at mid- to tele-photo focal lengths
  • Quite strong onion-ring bokeh
  • Truncated bokeh at image peripheries
  • Prone to ghosting with strong light sources
  • Some LoCA noticeable too
  • No physical controls for focus or stabilization modes
  • Manual focus ring doesn’t have the best feel

And here is the video review of Tamron 17-70mm lens by DPReview TV.

The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 is Tamron’s first high-speed zoom lens for mirrorless cameras with APS-C size sensors. It features a maximum aperture of F2.8 across the entire 4.1x zoom ratio covering a focal length of 17-70mm (a full-frame equivalent of 25.5-105mm) ideal for everyday use, and superb optical performance. It is a small, lightweight lens that is also equipped with Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism to minimize camera shake.

Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Sample Photos

Read more: Best Lenses for Sony a7C and Best Memory Cards for Sony a7C.

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