Small in size but long on features
Light weight and fast handling make telephoto shooting fun
The 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056) large aperture telephoto zoom lens is for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. The greatest feature is its superb performance even while attaining a fast F/2.8 aperture across the entire zoom range and offering the world's lightest and most compact package at just 149mm (5.9 in) length (at the 70mm setting) and a weight of 810g (28.6 oz).
Thanks to the generous use of special lens elements, the 70-180mm F/2.8 achieves excellent optical performance from center to edge. With the short MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 0.85m (33.5 in), the 70-180mm F/2.8 expands the possibilities for photographic expression. For the AF drive, Tamron has newly developed the VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive), a linear motor focus mechanism. A unique capability of the 70-180mm F/2.8 is shooting in the close-up range down to 0.27m (10.6 in) at the 70mm wide-angle end, specifically when manual focus (MF) is set on the camera body. Add it all together and you can go light while going long—and get the shot!
Versatile lens lineup, and all are 67mm filter size
Featuring compact, light-weight design and the same 67mm filter size among the other mirrorless camera lenses Tamron has introduced, multiple lenses are easy to carry together, plus filters and lens caps can be used interchangeably. Now that’s convenient!
The highest levels of autofocus speed and precision in Tamron’s long history
The AF drive is equipped with VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive), Tamron’s first-ever linear motor focus mechanism for stunningly fast and accurate auto-focusing. Two VXD units are arranged in a floating system and operated simultaneously via electronic control to achieve excellent optical performance at all shooting distances near and far. Focus tracking has also been vastly improved during sports and racing photography, which are common subjects for telephoto zooms. This ensures that those powerful moments are never missed, whether shooting still photos or video. With the excellent quietness that is characteristic of linear motor systems, the AF is ideal for shooting in low-noise environments.
Minimum Object Distance of 0.85m (33.5 in)
The 70-180mm F/2.8 offers MOD of just 0.85m (33.5 in) across the entire zoom range, a surprising accomplishment for a large-aperture telephoto zoom lens. At this short distance (at the 180mm setting) the magnification ratio is 1:4.6, permitting powerful close-ups.
Built with Mirrorless in Mind
- Fast Hybrid AF
- Eye AF
- Direct Manual Focus (DMF)
- In-camera lens correction (shading, chromatic aberration, distortion)
- Camera-based lens unit firmware updates
- Moisture Resistant Construction
- Fluorine Coating
- Zoom Lock Switch
Compact and light-weight body facilitates active telephoto shooting
Tamron designed this compact and light-weight lens to be the ideal combination with a full-frame mirrorless camera. To achieve this diminutive size while maintaining the high performance of the F/2.8 aperture, Tamron selected the focal length of 180mm at the telephoto end and employed an innovative zoom mechanism. Also, the image stabilization features of the host camera body are utilized for shake-free shooting. The result is a compact telephoto zoom lens that is comfortable and easy to shoot handheld. Additionally, the filter diameter is the same 67mm as Tamron’s the other lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras in the series. This feature makes filter-related tasks simple and removes the hassle of looking for front caps with differing diameters when changing lenses. The impressive portability of this lens expands its usefulness to many different fields of photography.
Tamron developed its first-ever linear motor AF drive focus mechanism, VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive), especially for the 70-180mm F/2.8. While operating faster than ever before, the drive also maintains positional accuracy down to 0.005mm (0.0002 in), less than one-tenth the width of a human hair! This provides unprecedented fast and precise AF performance. A floating system that uses two high-speed, high-precision VXD units with advanced electronic control is also used. This innovative design produces clear and beautiful images of all objects from near to far and at the same time helps reduce size and weight. Focus tracking has been vastly improved to facilitate sports and racing photography, two common subjects for telephoto zooms. This ensures that those dramatic, action-packed moments are never missed, whether shooting still photos or video. Additionally, this zoom offers superior quietness, making it ideal for shooting in low-noise environments as the linear motor is structured to reduce the vibrations produced during drive operation (as compared to a conventional drive system).
In developing the 70-180mm F/2.8, Tamron sought to strike a balance between compact size and light weight without sacrificing high image quality. The optical construction features 19 elements in 14 groups. The generous arrangement of special lens elements including XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion), LD (Low Dispersion), GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) and hybrid aspherical lens elements achieves exceptionally high resolving power and controls aberrations from image center to the edges. The BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection Generation 2) Coating is used to suppress ghosting and flare and to render subjects in exacting, full-contrast detail even under backlit conditions. In short, the lens delivers outstanding sharpness and enables clear expression, capturing the mood of any scene without compromise across the entire zoom range.
Focal length: 70mm Exposure: F/2.8 1/8sec ISO: 200
The MOD of the 70-180mm F/2.8 is just 0.85m (33.5 in) across the entire zoom range, a surprising accomplishment for a large-aperture telephoto zoom lens. Thanks to this short distance, at the 180mm telephoto end in particular, the Maximum Magnification Ratio is 1:4.6, allowing you to create powerful images. Moreover, a floating component equipped with two VXD linear motor focus mechanisms maintains high image quality while effectively controlling aberrations so that the 70-180mm F/2.8 ensures great image quality even at close-up. Users can experience unique photographic expressions and high image quality possible only with this lens.
Focal length: 180mm Exposure: F/2.8 1/320sec ISO: 320
A unique capability of the 70-180mm F/2.8 is shooting in the close-up range down to 0.27m (10.6 in) at the 70mm wide-angle end in manual focus (MF). While this mode makes it difficult to focus around the image periphery, it allows you to peer into a new world that can only be rendered by this lens. Discover this entirely new shooting experience.
* For more details, please visit this website: https://www.tamron.jp/en/support/guide/closeup.html
Focal length: 70mm Exposure: F/2.8 1/25sec ISO: 100
With the addition of this telephoto zoom to the lineup of light-weight, high performance lenses, Tamron has completed its assortment of three F/2.8 large aperture zoom lenses for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless. The other two models are the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A046) ultra-wide zoom, and the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A036) standard zoom. The greatest feature of the series is the excellent portability. Combined, the three lenses are unbelievably light at just 1,780g (62.8 oz), fulfilling the photographer’s dream of being able to easily carry three fast, potent zoom lenses at the same time.