Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD and 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Released

Lens News

by Jeff LochApril 23^rd, 2021

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Tamron has just released two new lenses for Sony E-Mount cameras: the 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD compatible with Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras and the 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD that covers full-frame sensors. Let’s take a closer look at these lenses!

Over the past couple of years, Tamron released a couple of lenses specifically for Sony E-Mount cameras, including the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD, the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD, and the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD to name a few.

To offer more options to content creators, the company just released two new lenses: the Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD and the 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD.

Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD Features

The Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD (codename: B060) is a Sony E-Mount only lens, that’s compatible with mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor, like the Sony a6000/6300/6500/6600. According to Tamron, this is the “world’s first 11-20mm F/2.8 lens for Sony APS-C E-Mount cameras,” but I disagree with that since the Tokina 11-20mm T2.9 is pretty similar (although it is a cinema glass and doesn’t have autofocus) and has been available for nearly two years now.

This ultra-wide-angle lens is pretty compact with an overall length of 86.2mm/3.4in and weighs only 335g/11.8 oz. The 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD is an autofocus lens compatible with Fast Hybrid AF, Eye AF, Direct Manual Focus (DMF). It also benefits from in-camera lens correction (shading, chromatic aberration, distortion).

The lens design of the Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD consists of 12 elements in 10 groups. On the inside, you’ll find two GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) lens elements, two LD (Low Dispersion), and one XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) lens elements to reduce chromatic aberrations. Also, there is a Fluorine Coating on the front element for protection and safe cleaning.

The Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD is moisture-resistant (but not water/dustproof). The aperture diaphragm consists of 7 aperture blades, the front filter size is 67mm, and the minimum focus distance is 0.15m/5.9in at the widest end.

Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Features

For wildlife photography/videography lovers, Tamron also released the 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD (codename A057). This lens covers full-frame sensors, so that you can use it with nearly every Sony E-Mount camera. As its name suggests, this lens has a variable aperture from F/5 at 150mm to F/6.7 at 500mm (which is still relatively bright at 500mm!). It also has VC (Vibration Compensation), which is basically image stabilization.

The Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD is fairly compact for a lens with such a zoom range. Indeed, it has a length of just 20.9cm/8.3in at 500mm, but it tips the scale at 1.7kg/60.8oz without the included arca-swiss standard tripod mount, which is an extra 155g/5.5oz.

On the lens itself, you’ll find a couple of switches to control your autofocus, switch it to manual focus, activate/deactivate VC, as well as a 3-positions VC-mode selector. The first VC mode is “Standard”, the second is “Exclusively for Panning,” and the third one is “Framing Priority.”

If you want to shoot sports with the Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD, the AF drive system is equipped with the VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism. According to Tamron, “VXD delivers extreme high-speed and high-precision movement and ensures exceptionally responsive performance.”

The lens design consists of 25 elements in 16 groups and “utilizes special lens elements and hybrid aspherical lens elements to control various potential aberrations such as chromatic aberrations”, according to Tamron. The front element has a Fluorine Coating, but some glass elements also have a BBAR-G2 (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) coating to prevent ghosting and flares.

Surprisingly this 150-500mm, like the 11-20mm, only has 7 aperture blades. Also, like the 11-20mm, the 150-500mm is moisture-resistant (but not water/dustproof). The front filter size is 82mm, and the minimum focus distance is 0.6m/23.6in at the widest end.

Price and Availability

The Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD comes with a lens hood and will start shipping on June 24th for $829.00. The Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD will start shipping on June 10th for $1399.00.

For more information, please visit Tamron’s website.

What do you think about these two new Tamron lenses? Do you often use an ultra-wide-angle lens on an APS-C camera? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!