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

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

Tamron
100 Overall Score
vs
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 35mm

Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 35mm

Zeiss
40 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

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

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

Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 35mm

87 out of 100 medium confidence 18 reviews

The Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 is lauded for its outstanding image quality, sharpness, and compact all-metal build, with many reviewers praising the Zeiss color rendition and the satisfying manual focus experience. However, a few users noted design flaws, including a tendency for the lens hood to detach accidentally and difficulty mounting/unmounting the lens. Overall, it is considered a premium manual lens that rewards deliberate photography, though it may not suit those needing rapid autofocus.

Pros
  • Outstanding image quality
  • Sharp even wide open
  • Compact all-metal build
  • Lovely Zeiss color rendition
  • Satisfying manual focus experience
Cons
  • Lens hood detaches accidentally
  • Difficult to mount and unmount
  • Focus magnifier malfunction on newer cameras
  • No knurling on focus ring for tactile pre-focus
  • Not suitable for action photography
👍 Image quality 6
👍 Build quality 5
👍 Sharpness 4
👍 Color rendition 4
🤔 Manual focus experience 7
👎 Lens hood design 2

Scores

Macro
Tamron
91
Zeiss
48
Budget
Tamron
91
Zeiss
26
Landscape
Tamron
90
Zeiss
36
Portrait
Tamron
86
Zeiss
29
Wildlife Sports
Tamron
84
Zeiss
28
Professional
Tamron
84
Zeiss
34
Travel
Tamron
84
Zeiss
35
Street
Tamron
82
Zeiss
31
Video Cinema
Tamron
80
Zeiss
24

Specifications

Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD 300mmZeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 35mm
Optics
Typezoomprime
Focal Length Min28 mm35 mm
Focal Length Max300 mm35 mm
Elements209
Groups136
Aspherical Elements3★—
ED Elements2★1
Coatingfluorine coatingZEISS T* anti-reflective coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/4f/22
Min Aperture4-7.1f/2
Constant✗—
Diaphragm Blades910★
Build
MountSony ESony E
Formatfull-framefull-frame
Weather Sealed✓✓
Weight0.59 kg0.34 kg★
Filter Thread67 mm52 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeVXD linear motor★manual focus only
Stabilization✓★✗
Focus
Min Focus Distance190 mm★300 mm
Max Magnification1:2.81:5.9

Pros & Cons

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

  • Strong versatility (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong optical (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong user sentiment (93rd percentile)93rd %ile

Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 35mm

  • Strong build (81st percentile)81st %ile
  • Strong user sentiment (76th percentile)
  • Strong macro (69th percentile)
  • Below average af (15th percentile)15th %ile
  • Below average aperture (22nd percentile)
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)
  • Below average stabilization (34th percentile)

Pricing

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

Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 35mm

No current pricing available

Verdict

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

Scores 100 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 5 of 21 specs.

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

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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