Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD in test (2023)

Conclusion from the world of digital cameras

This full-frame compatible lens for Sony E-mount cameras offers strong all-round performance, excellent image quality and a versatile zoom range in a compact, lightweight package. It's great for everyday stills and works just as well as a vlogging lens thanks to its wide maximum angle of view along with a fast, constant f/2.8 aperture. All in all, it's a very smart buy for the price.

advantages

• +

  Extensive wide-angle coverage

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  Fast and constant aperture of f/2.8

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  compact and light

In contrast

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  No telephoto lens

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  No optical stabilization

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  Basic controls on board

Jump to:

• specifications
• Key Features
• build and drive
• power
• example Pictures
• laboratory results
• Verdict

The Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD is a different version of the "standard" zoom lens. Tamron already offers alternatives to the wide-angle and standard 'Trinity' zooms, which are impressive17-28 mm F2.8 Das III RXDj28-75mm F2.8 The III RXD G2Lenses for Sony E-mount cameras that really impressed us. In fact, these two lenses have been modified and renamed NIKKOR lenses for Nikon Z system cameras, like the equally attractive onesNikon Z 17–28 mm 1:2,8jNikon Z 28–75 mm 1:2,8.

The new 20-40mm retains the same fast, constant f/2.8 aperture ratio, but offers a more unusual zoom range. In a way it's similar to thatPanasonic Lumix S 20–60 mm 1:3,5–5,6however, for L-mount cameras, this offers more telephoto extension, but with a slower variable aperture rating.

The Tamron is perfect for photographers who often want a wider angle of view than a standard zoom can provide and aren't as concerned with the reach of telephoto lenses. On full-frame cameras, the zoom range is great for landscape and architectural photography and is also great for vlogging. The f/2.8 aperture also makes the lens a good choice for astrophotography.

When it comes to hiking and travel photography, size matters. Despite its fast and constant f/2.8 aperture, this lens is conveniently small at 74 x 87mm and very light at 365g. An ultra-wide maximum angle of view of 94.5 degrees is embedded in the lens, narrowing to a more standard 56.8 degrees at the long end of the zoom range. Although the lens is full-frame compatible, it works just as well with Sony's APS-C format mirrorless cameras, where it offers a very useful 30-60mm "effective" zoom range. However, Tamron's "Vibration Compensation" system is not included, so no optical image stabilization. This can be an issue when using Sony's first-generation full-frame mirrorless cameras, which lack in-body stabilization, and most of their APS-C sized bodies.

The optical line is based on 12 elements in 11 groups and features high-end glass, including four LD (Low Dispersion) elements, two GM (Molded Glass) aspherical elements and one hybrid aspherical element. The overall goal is to deliver excellent sharpness, contrast and color reproduction while minimizing aberrations, size and weight.

The lens lengthens slightly in physical length as you progress from 40mm to 20mm, with a telescoping inner barrel. Still, there's virtually no perceptible shift in center of gravity, and the zoom movement feels smooth and precise. The electronically coupled manual focus ring works with similar precision, the function of which can be individually adjusted in autofocus mode using Tamron's Lens Utility software. To customize and apply firmware updates, the lens has a USB-C connector on its barrel for connection to a computer.

The onboard controls are fairly basic, limited to a couple of zoom and focus rings. As such, there are no tweaks like an aperture control ring, AF hold button or mode switch. However, these are common flaws in lenses that aim to be as compact and lightweight as possible.

The VXD autofocus system lives up to its bill, proving to be fast, virtually silent, and consistently accurate in our tests. Sharpness levels are exemplary throughout the zoom range, even when shooting full aperture at f/2.8, although extreme sharpness in the corners drops off a bit when using wide apertures at the long end.

Color fringes are absolutely negligible over the entire zoom range with all aperture settings up to the corners of the picture. And that without in-camera correction. Distortion is most noticeable uncorrected, but the Tamron relies far less on automatic distortion correction than many newer lenses designed for mirrorless cameras.

The lens is not only suitable for extensive panorama shots, but also for close-ups. Short minimum object distances range from 0.17m at the shortest zoom setting to 0.29m at the longest, providing generous magnification ratios of 0.26x to 0.2x. The f/2.8 aperture allows for a fairly shallow depth of field when shooting close-ups, and the bokeh is pleasingly smooth, with well-rounded bokeh slices of out-of-focus highlights and other bright spots. Thanks to the 9-blade aperture diaphragm, they remain quite round even when the aperture is stopped down a little.

We perform a variety of laboratory tests under controlled conditions using the Imatest Master test suite. Photographs of the test charts are taken at full aperture and zoom ranges (where available) and then analyzed for sharpness, distortion, and chromatic aberrations.

We used graphs and Imatest SFR (Spatial Frequency Response) analysis software to plot lens resolution at frame center, corners, and center-to-center distances across the full range of aperture settings and zoom lenses at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Enough sharpness is available to accommodate Sony's higher megapixel camera bodies. Center sharpness remains excellent throughout the zoom range, even when shooting at the full f/2.8 aperture. For the best corner sharpness at the long end of the zoom range, it's worth stopping at f/5.6 or narrower apertures.

French:

Even without automatic correction in the camera, color fringes are practically not visible, even at the extreme edges and corners of the picture frame.

Distortion:

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