Raise your standards with Tamron

Want a better standard zoom? Now’s the time to spring into action and take advantage of Tamron’s latest promotions

Advertisement feature

The standard zoom is the mainstay of many camera set-ups, yet it’s surprising how many of us stick with the one we got with our camera body. While a great way to create a broad range of images, ‘kit’ zooms tend to be basic both in terms of specification and image quality. Build will often be on the cheaper side, too, with a less robust construction raising questions over durability and a variable maximum aperture restricting versatility.

The answer to these issues is to upgrade your standard zoom – and Tamron is currently offering significant savings on two of its most popular optics for Sony and Fujifilm users. Receive a £180 instant saving on the 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD in Sony E-mount or Fujifilm X Mount, or a £150 saving on the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 in Sony FE-mount from participating dealers (see panel) between now and the end of June 2023*. There’s no need to send off proof of purchase – simply get the reductions using voucher codes on the participating dealer websites.

The 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is available for Fujifilm X Series and Sony E-mount APS-C models. Offering the 35mm equivalent of a 25.5-105mm lens, it boasts a broad focal range that can be used for multiple applications including landscapes and portraits. It also focuses extremely closely – just 19cm at the wide-angle end of the focal range – and offers a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8. Coupled with the nine-blade diaphragm, this makes for beautiful bokeh effects at wider apertures.

Image quality is high thanks to the use of aspherical and low-dispersion glass in its optical construction, while a moisture-resistant design and fluorine-coated front element ensure the 17-70mm delivers top results in almost all weather conditions. And when the light gets low, a powerful vibration compensation system offers up to five stops of reduction in handheld camera shake.

Image quality is also high on the agenda of the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2, which is designed for full-frame Sony models. An updated model, this newer version has a revised optical construction compared to its predecessor, with low dispersion and glass-moulded aspherical elements helping keep aberrations to a minimum while optimising image quality.

The lens also offers a revised design for easier operation and uses Tamron’s VXD linear focusing motor for fast, accurate autofocus – all the way down to the 17cm close focusing distance at the 28mm setting.

Both lenses offer a significant improvement over many standard kit lenses. If you use a standard zoom for much of your creative output, there’s never been a better time to buy and give your images a quality uplift.

For more information, go to the Tamron website.

Originally published in Issue 107 of Photography News.