Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

Tamron
61 Overall Score
vs
Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm

Pentax
86 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

78 out of 100 high confidence 42 reviews

The Tamron 150-500mm lens is widely praised for its sharpness, fast autofocus, and excellent value compared to native telephoto zooms. Many users appreciate the extra reach and image quality, though the weight is a common concern, especially for handheld use. Some reviewers note trade-offs in low-light performance and stabilization, and a few report compatibility issues with teleconverters or defective copies.

Pros
  • Excellent sharpness
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
  • Great value for money
  • Extra reach over 100-400mm
  • Effective image stabilization (VC)
Cons
  • Heavy for handheld use
  • Average low-light performance
  • Stabilization not as good as native lenses
  • No teleconverter compatibility
  • Some copies may be defective
👍 Sharpness 12
👍 Autofocus speed 8
👍 Value for money 10
👎 Weight 14
🤔 Image stabilization 7
👎 Low light performance 5

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm

82 out of 100 medium confidence 24 reviews

The Pentax HD DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4 ED Limited DC WR lens is highly praised for its superb build quality, sharpness, and beautiful color rendition. Users love it as a versatile walk-around lens for street photography and landscapes, especially on APS-C bodies like the K-3. The main drawbacks are its variable aperture and a price that many feel is too high for the performance gain over kit lenses.

Pros
  • Superb build quality
  • Excellent sharpness
  • Beautiful color rendition
  • Weather resistant
  • Versatile focal range for street and landscape
Cons
  • Variable aperture (f/2.8-4)
  • High price for performance gain
  • Limited zoom range
  • Not as wide as some kit lenses
👍 Build quality 8
👍 Sharpness 7
👍 Color rendition 5
👎 Value for money 4
👍 Weather resistance 3
👎 Variable aperture 3

Scores

Macro
Tamron
65
Pentax
86
Street
Tamron
58
Pentax
84
Travel
Tamron
57
Pentax
83
Budget
Tamron
67
Pentax
82
Portrait
Tamron
65
Pentax
82
Professional
Tamron
62
Pentax
73
Landscape
Tamron
71
Pentax
73
Video Cinema
Tamron
60
Pentax
72
Wildlife Sports
Tamron
63
Pentax
68

Specifications

Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXDPentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm
Optics
Typesuper-telephotozoom
Focal Length Min150 mm20 mm
Focal Length Max500 mm40 mm
Elements259
Groups168
Aspherical Elements11
ED Elements5★1
CoatingBBAR-G2 and fluorine coatingsHD coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/5f/2.8
Min Aperture5-6.72.8-4
Constant✗✗
Diaphragm Blades79★
Build
MountFujifilm XPentax K
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✓✓
Weight1.73 kg0.28 kg★
Filter Thread82 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeVXD linear autofocus motorAutofocus
Stabilization✓✓
Focus
Min Focus Distance600 mm40 mm★
Max Magnification1:3.11:5

Pros & Cons

Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

  • Strong optical (99th percentile)99th %ile
  • Strong versatility (84th percentile)84th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (80th percentile)80th %ile
  • Below average build (15th percentile)15th %ile
  • Below average social proof (25th percentile)
  • Below average user sentiment (30th percentile)

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm

  • Strong macro (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong bokeh (89th percentile)89th %ile
  • Strong aperture (86th percentile)86th %ile
  • Strong build (86th percentile)86th %ile

Pricing

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm is MX$8,938 cheaper (1.6x less).

Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD0.003score per dollar
vs
Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm0.006score per dollar

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm offers 2.0x better value for money

Tamron Di III 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III VC VXD

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm

Verdict

★ Winner: Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm

Scores 86 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 3 of 21 specs.

Pentax HD DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR Wide Zoom 40mm Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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