Viltrox Air Z 35mm

Viltrox Air Z 35mm

Viltrox
58 Overall Score
vs
Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD

Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD

Tamron
100 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Viltrox Air Z 35mm

85 out of 100 high confidence 95 reviews

The Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.7 lens is widely loved for its sharp image quality, fast aperture, and surprisingly low price. Users praise its lightweight design, compact size, and quick autofocus, making it an excellent everyday walk-around lens. Some note autofocus can be noisier or slower than premium lenses, and a few report chromatic aberration in high-contrast scenes. A handful of complaints involve inconsistent packaging or compatibility misunderstandings, but the overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality wide open
  • Fast f/1.7 aperture for low light
  • Lightweight and compact design
  • Great value for the price
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Autofocus noise in quiet environments
  • Chromatic aberration in high contrast
  • No weather sealing
  • Slow autofocus in low light
  • Missing aperture ring
👍 Image quality 45
👍 Value for money 35
👍 Build quality 30
🤔 Autofocus performance 28
👍 Bokeh 15
👍 Low light performance 18

Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD

92 out of 100 medium confidence 13 reviews

The Tamron 28-300mm super-zoom wins praise for its lightweight design, versatile focal range, and solid image quality. Users appreciate the compact build and smooth zoom mechanism, but note the slow aperture and trade-offs in sharpness compared to more expensive zooms. Verified reviewers find it an ideal travel lens that pairs well with Sony bodies.

Pros
  • Lightweight design
  • Versatile 28-300mm focal range
  • Smooth zoom ring operation
  • Compact build for travel
  • Good integration with Sony bodies
Cons
  • Small maximum aperture (f/4-7.1)
  • Reduced sharpness vs. premium zooms
  • Not an internal zoom lens
  • Slow autofocus at high fps on some bodies
👍 Build quality 3
🤔 Sharpness 3
👎 Aperture 2
👍 Weight and portability 3
👍 Zoom range 4
👎 Autofocus performance 1

Scores

Budget
Viltrox
56
Tamron
96
Macro
Viltrox
45
Tamron
91
Landscape
Viltrox
43
Tamron
86
Portrait
Viltrox
53
Tamron
85
Wildlife Sports
Viltrox
50
Tamron
85
Professional
Viltrox
57
Tamron
84
Video Cinema
Viltrox
59
Tamron
81
Travel
Viltrox
50
Tamron
81
Street
Viltrox
67
Tamron
81

Specifications

Viltrox Air Z 35mmTamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD
Optics
Typeprimezoom
Focal Length Min35 mm28 mm
Focal Length Max35 mm300 mm
Elements1120
Groups913
Aspherical Elements13★
ED Elements12★
Coatinghigh-definition multi-layer coating; waterproof front lens coatingfluorine coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/16f/4
Min Aperturef/1.74-7.1
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades99
Build
MountNikon ZSony E
FormatAPS-Cfull-frame★
Weather Sealed✗✓★
Weight0.18 kg★0.59 kg
Filter Thread52 mm67 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTMVXD linear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance330 mm190 mm★
Max Magnification0.13×1:2.8★

Pros & Cons

Viltrox Air Z 35mm

  • Strong build (86th percentile)86th %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Strong optical (65th percentile)
  • Below average versatility (34th percentile)
  • Below average macro (34th percentile)

Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD

  • Strong versatility (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong optical (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong user sentiment (91st percentile)91st %ile

Verdict

★ Winner: Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD

Scores 100 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 8 of 21 specs.

Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports