Tamron has launched an impressive new ultra-wide 12-20mm zoom for Sony E mount and Nikon Z mount full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Boasting a bright f/2.8 aperture throughout its entire zoom range and an incredibly compact form factor for a lens of this type, it’s designed to encompass expansive scenes and destined to become the go-to lens for shooting everything from wide-angle close-ups and interiors to night skies and astrophotography.
This lens introduces what Tamron is calling its new “Toned Profile Next” design, plus an innovative optical system that incorporates special lens elements to address sagittal coma flare – a distortion of point-light sources and a common issue in astrophotography – as well as suppress peripheral blurring and colour fringing.
Aiming to give the lens a more recognizable profile and enhanced ease of the use, the new design also sports a customizable function button, a zoom lock switch, an aperture ring lock and a custom setting switch.
Befitting the sleek new design, even the name of this lens is paired down and less cumbersome than earlier Tamron offerings.
Absent from the nomenclature but still present in the lens is Tamron’s proprietary VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) advanced linear motor autofocus mechanism developed exclusively for its mirrorless camera lenses.
View Tamron 12-28mm f/2.8 Z Mount and E Mount Pricing and Availability at Vistek
The VXD system operates by replacing traditional gears with powerful voice coils and linear magnetic drives, delivering exceptionally fast, quiet and precise focusing.
This in turn makes the lens a highly effective tool for shooting both rapid-action still photography and noise-sensitive video.
VDX made its debut in 2020 on the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD lens for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras and can be found in a wide range of other currently available models.
The lightweight design of the new 12-20mm zoom makes this a logical choice for capturing landscapes – when less bulk comes in super-handy on extended outdoor excursions – and with a minimum object distance of just 0.18m at the wide end, the lens also delivers outstanding close-up performance.
With such a versatile lens at your fingertips, it’s liberating to imagine the creative possibilities.
Features
- Compact and lightweight
- 119.3mm length and 570g weight (Sony)
- 121.3mm length and 585g weight (Nikon)
- Toned Profile Next lens design
- 17 elements in 12 groups
- XGM (eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical) lens element
- Three GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) lens elements
- 12 circular aperture blades
- 12-20mm focal length
- f/2.8 maximum aperture
- f/16 minimum aperture
- VXD linear motor focus mechanism
- Sony E-mount, Nikon Z mount
- Moisture-resistant construction and fluorine coating