p.1 #1 · Got Tired Of And Updated my 28-75 G1 To A G2 And It Was Worth It
I previously had the 28-75 G1 lens on my A7iii and I was never really wowed with it when using it. That was a shame because it was basically the lens that made me switch to Sony mirrorless as a low-cost compact fast zoom. I am not sure if my copy was a bad copy or that's just the way that lens was, but sharpness never really met the expectations I had for it and the bokeh was god awful. Onion rings for days as shown below. Build quality was just okay, focus ring was a bit loose and zoom ring was plasticky. I have a new baby, so most of my photography right now is "portraits" shooting wide open at various focal lengths.
So I finally had enough of it and listed my G1 lens on Facebook Marketplace and sold it after a week or two for $550 in great condition with box and all. Turned around and was able to snag a new G2 lens from Greentoe for $670 out the door, so overall only cost me $120 to upgrade. I was debating for a week or two between the Sigma 28-70 and Tamron G2. I have rented both and liked both, but after looking at so many reviews, I felt the Tamron was the better lens even though I wanted the Sigma size for portability. I was also able to get the Tamron for about $30 less than the Sigma, so that sweetened the deal. I was not interested in 24mm zooms due to the sizes as this needs to be compact enough to easily take around.
Received the new lens two days after buying it, and everything looked great. The sharpness is impressive wide open to where I feel this could rival some of my primes. The bokeh is also no longer an issue. I don't know that I would go so far to call it great bokeh, but for a 2.8 zoom, it is plenty good. The thing I didn't think would be a big deal is the autofocus. The linear motors are basically instantaneous at locking on and really make it a joy to use. The lens feels and looks much better than the G1. Materials are nicer and it looks much better on the camera. The focus ring very smooth to use and is smoother than my 85GM and 70-200GM. The zoom ring feels nice to hold, but honestly when turning it, it feels a bit cheap. Slightly better than my old G1, but there's still some scratchiness to it. That's probably my biggest downside. I was hoping it was going to have a more premium feel to it, but there is only so much you can do on a more budget oriented plastic lens with internal seals I guess. The lens hood is kind of thin and basic and I can also hear a bit of high pitch linear motor noise when the lens is idle with my ear right on the lens, but I wouldn't count that as a big issue as it goes away after a second or two. I am using the custom button as an AF/MF toggle using the Tamron lens software, so that's a nice addition to have.
Overall, if you are on the fence about swapping your 28-75 G1 lens to a G2 copy, I highly recommend it if you can do it for not a lot out of pocket. It is definitely worth the effort. I also recommend Greentoe as I have had a good experience with my last few purchases on there. Here are just a few quick test shots, as I have not been able to take it out yet for decent photo trip.
p.1 #2 · Got Tired Of And Updated my 28-75 G1 To A G2 And It Was Worth It
tamron did a great job with the G2. the only nitpick I would have is the focus breathing and shame they couldnt make it smaller like the sigma. I would say the bokeh is definitely great.
p.1 #3 · Got Tired Of And Updated my 28-75 G1 To A G2 And It Was Worth It
Charlie N wrote:
tamron did a great job with the G2. the only nitpick I would have is the focus breathing and shame they couldnt make it smaller like the sigma. I would say the bokeh is definitely great.
The Sigma is a really nice feeling lens. The downsides to it are no internal weather sealing, distortion, lower sharpness at the long end, and pretty bad up close image quality at the longer end. They definitely made sacrifices to get it down that small, but I really enjoyed the few days I had with it when I rented. This is why it was a hard decision to make between them. I don’t think you could go wrong with either.
The nitpick I still have about both Tamrons is that they still feel a bit too long sometimes for easy grab and go compared to something more compact like a smaller 35-50mm prime. I am excited about the Tamron 20-40 lens to give it a shot.
