Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

Viltrox
62 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 AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

80 out of 100 high confidence 76 reviews

The Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 lens is widely praised for its excellent image quality, solid build, and outstanding value for money. Many users find it sharp, fast, and versatile for landscapes, astrophotography, and video. However, a few have reported autofocus inconsistencies, occasional bricking after months of use, and some limitations like unchangeable display units and manual-only aperture on certain mounts.

Pros
  • Excellent image sharpness
  • Great value for money
  • Solid metal build quality
  • Fast and quiet autofocus
  • Bright f/1.8 aperture
Cons
  • Autofocus can be unreliable
  • Lens hood does not snap tightly
  • Some copies brick after months
  • Display only shows meters, not feet
  • Aperture control manual only on some mounts
👍 Image quality 25
👍 Value for money 20
👍 Build quality 18
🤔 Autofocus performance 15
👍 Low light performance 10
👎 Lens hood 3

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
61
Tamron
95
Macro
Viltrox
72
Tamron
91
Portrait
Viltrox
48
Tamron
87
Landscape
Viltrox
66
Tamron
86
Wildlife Sports
Viltrox
57
Tamron
85
Professional
Viltrox
67
Tamron
84
Video Cinema
Viltrox
58
Tamron
81
Travel
Viltrox
50
Tamron
81
Street
Viltrox
55
Tamron
81

Specifications

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mmTamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD
Optics
Typewide-anglezoom
Focal Length Min16 mm28 mm
Focal Length Max16 mm300 mm
Elements1520
Groups1213
Aspherical Elements33
ED Elements4★2
CoatingHD Nano Multilayer Coatingfluorine coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/22f/4
Min Aperturef/1.84-7.1
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades99
Build
MountSony ESony E
Formatfull-framefull-frame
Weather Sealed✓✓
Weight0.55 kg★0.59 kg
Filter Thread77 mm67 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTMVXD linear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance270 mm190 mm★
Max Magnification1:101:2.8

Pros & Cons

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

  • Strong optical (94th percentile)94th %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Strong social proof (81st percentile)81st %ile
  • Strong macro (75th percentile)
  • Below average aperture (22nd percentile)
  • Below average bokeh (24th percentile)
  • Below average versatility (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

Pricing

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm is €233 cheaper (1.4x less).

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm0.103score per dollar
vs
Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD0.120score per dollar

Tamron Di III VC 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD offers 1.2x better value for money

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

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

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 3 of 21 specs.

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

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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