p.1 #1 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
I'm in the market for a 70-200 lens or close to that. I am looking at used Sony 70-200 f2.8 lenses that are going for roughly $1400. I know that I want f2.8 and I'm not overly concerned about reaching 200mm exactly. I don't plan to use it in bad weather, but I will be using it in colder weather, but not below 30 degrees fahrenheit. The only competitor to the Sony I see on the market is the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD. I like the fact that it's light weight and the reviews seem pretty good? I will be using this on an A7RIII. I see that the Tamron lacks a tripod mount and does not have image stabilization. Does the A7RIII's built in image stabilization compensate enough for the lens not having it? And lastly, does the weight of the lens (810g/1.79lbs) put a strain on the camera body when the camera is mounted to a tripod and the lens is fully extended?
Anything else I need to be concerned about when going with a non Sony lens?
p.1 #3 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
This is me and others will say I maybe crazy but the Sony Version 1 I never really got along with , actually I never bought it but rented it maybe 12 times and under even great conditions where I controlled everything shooting it , I never felt it was a laser lens, the Version II model is major upgrade I will retire with this Version II. Now the Tammy I never shot but many like it . Hard to say if you're doing more casual work than maybe the Tamron maybe the better option. But let a Tamron user give their opinion.
p.1 #4 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
it can be a pain getting portrait mode on a tripod without the foot. 800g isn’t heavy enough to worry about the camera plate having an issue though, 800g is the weight of a heavier 24-70/2.8, 85/1.4, 50/1.2, 12-24/2.8 type glass
The Tamron isn’t built as well, that’s why it’s cheaper. If you take care of your gear it shouldn’t be an issue, but there have been some reports of broken 70-180 lenses here.
p.1 #5 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
MamiyaSekor wrote:
I'm in the market for a 70-200 lens or close to that. I am looking at used Sony 70-200 f2.8 lenses that are going for roughly $1400. I know that I want f2.8 and I'm not overly concerned about reaching 200mm exactly.
The 70-180 loses focal length with closer focus. The long end is more like 150mm at closest focus. The 70-200 GMs seem to stay closer to their stated focal length.
I don't plan to use it in bad weather, but I will be using it in colder weather, but not below 30 degrees fahrenheit. The only competitor to the Sony I see on the market is the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD. I like the fact that it's light weight and the reviews seem pretty good? I will be using this on an A7RIII. I see that the Tamron lacks a tripod mount and does not have image stabilization. Does the A7RIII's built in image stabilization compensate enough for the lens not having it?
Sony IBIS is much better than no stabilization. The firmware update for the 70-180 addressed stabilization issues. The focus distance encoder seemed reasonably accurate so it should have effective 5-axis stabilization.
And lastly, does the weight of the lens (810g/1.79lbs) put a strain on the camera body when the camera is mounted to a tripod and the lens is fully extended?
All lenses strain the mount. The Tamron was fine optically fully extended on a tripod. I didn't see signs of tilt. There is a lot of leverage on the mount. It is more likely for the mounts to be damaged by impacts when extended.
Anything else I need to be concerned about when going with a non Sony lens?
The 70-180 like the other native Tamron zooms is a varifocal design meaning the lens doesn't mechanically hold focus when the zoom is adjusted. E-mount has fairly effective electronic focus compensation, but it does lag some with mechanical zooms.
Zoom lenses tend to have alignment issues somewhere in their range. The first 70-180 I received was worse at the wide end. The second one wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good.
The VXD motor would often pulse slightly but continuously when the focus was locked in AF-S or in MF mode. I haven't seen this with any other lens.
The 70-180 only supports half the frame rate of the GM zooms on the Alpha 1. Whatever causes this might not effect performance on A7 cameras.
Sony used a thin aluminum ring to connect two halves of the 70-200 GM V1. Lens Rentals went as far as to design a titanium replacement because they found this part distorted when they tore apart lenses that had developed misalignment. I've seen one photo of a 70-180 with a cracked outer case.
The 70-200 GM V1 seems to be the only Sony FE lens with mechanical manual focus. The front focusing group uses an old style piezo-electric ring drive just like the Minolta 70-200 SSM from 2003 (and even older Canon USM lenses). The focus control is connected via a mechanical clutch. These mechanisms tend to be fairly fragile, but it provides full-time direct manual focus.
The focus control on the Tamron is only enabled when AF is disabled like with other focus-by-wire E-mount lenses. There is no full-time DMF option on your camera--Sony has added it to the A7RV. The GM V2 has a full-time DMF enabling switch.
p.1 #6 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
This is a good question and a good post. I’ve owned both the GM V1 and the Tamron 70-180, and have replaced both with the Tamron 35-150 (works for me, but YMMV).
It’s a toss-up. GM V1 suffers from considerable copy variation, but if you get a good copy, it really sings. The 70-180’s sharpness and focus acquisition/accuracy rivaled my GM V1, but its lack of optical stabilization is apparent at longer focal lengths. My A9's in-body stabilization helped, certainly, but it wasn’t up to the level and effectiveness of the GM V1’s built-in stabilization. The 70-180 is considerably smaller and lighter, though, so for me and my run-and-gun style, it was a greater joy to use than the GM V1. I simply upped my shutter speeds to compensate for the lower stabilization capability.
Yes, the 35-150 is a heavy beast, but I’ve now changed to smaller primes for my running-and-gunning and have relegated the 35-150 to other tasks. (It’s an absolutely superb lens, by the way.)
I never utilized the tripod foot on either, so I’ll defer comment to someone else.
p.1 #7 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
I’ve had both, I’m not a lens tester but for what I shoot the Tamron was better and nobody can tell the difference. The Sony was heavier and not as sharp, which isnt everything but when I can improve both those aspects and noone notices then I will, and did. Plus the Tamron focuses quickly. Now, I dont shoot in harsh environments and take care of gear so I didnt need the sturdier build of the Sony, nor did I need the faster FPS.
MamiyaSekor wrote:
I'm in the market for a 70-200 lens or close to that. I am looking at used Sony 70-200 f2.8 lenses that are going for roughly $1400. I know that I want f2.8 and I'm not overly concerned about reaching 200mm exactly. I don't plan to use it in bad weather, but I will be using it in colder weather, but not below 30 degrees fahrenheit. The only competitor to the Sony I see on the market is the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD. I like the fact that it's light weight and the reviews seem pretty good? I will be using this on an A7RIII. I see that the Tamron lacks a tripod mount and does not have image stabilization. Does the A7RIII's built in image stabilization compensate enough for the lens not having it? And lastly, does the weight of the lens (810g/1.79lbs) put a strain on the camera body when the camera is mounted to a tripod and the lens is fully extended?
Anything else I need to be concerned about when going with a non Sony lens?
p.1 #8 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
I was not a big fan of the original Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM. So, I bought and used the Tamron instead. It was a great lens for me. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Image quality, AF performance, size, and weight, were just what I wanted out of the Tamron. It is a wonderful package at an amazing price/quality proposition for this FL range. Tamron also has the best service and support in the photography industry in my opinion.
However, when the Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM II was released I tested that lens. It has the best IQ of any zoom lens in this FL I have ever seen. It is much lighter than the V1 which is a huge plus for me. The other distinct advantages are that it can shoot at the full 30fps of my A1, and has OSS which is super important for me because of my hand tremors. The big kicker is that this lens takes TCs so well. This means that when traveling I can bring this lens and TCs to cover up to 600mm (APSC), instead of a much bigger extra lens. So it is a very useful lens to have in my bag, whenever I am traveling. So, I swapped out to the Sony in my kit.
If the advantages I mentioned with the Sony are not that important to you, then for sure save the money and get the Tamron.
I hope this information on my decision in this regard is useful to you.
p.1 #9 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
aCuria wrote:
it can be a pain getting portrait mode on a tripod without the foot. 800g isn’t heavy enough to worry about the camera plate having an issue though, 800g is the weight of a heavier 24-70/2.8, 85/1.4, 50/1.2, 12-24/2.8 type glass
The Tamron isn’t built as well, that’s why it’s cheaper. If you take care of your gear it shouldn’t be an issue, but there have been some reports of broken 70-180 lenses here.
Could you please point to some of these "reports of broken 70-180 lenses here"?
p.1 #10 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
aCuria wrote:
it can be a pain getting portrait mode on a tripod without the foot. 800g isn’t heavy enough to worry about the camera plate having an issue though, 800g is the weight of a heavier 24-70/2.8, 85/1.4, 50/1.2, 12-24/2.8 type glass
I have an L plate on all my cameras - problem solved
p.1 #11 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
FWIW the 70-180 was the perfect lens for me in that FL range. The v1 too big and heavy meaning it would've stayed home in many scenarios (and would never have come on my travel & camping gigs) whereas I don't think twice about the 800g and size of the Tamron.
It's a super lens, super sharp, nice bokeh and it's a lens I never have to think twice about - it just quietly does the job. The lack of OSS isn't really an issue, being a lighter, smaller, lens offsets that to a degree with the camera's IBIS picking up the slack.
I think Dustin Abbott has a head to head between both Sonys and the Tamron - though I may be mistaken and it wasn't him at all !
So not on FM then. I checked those out - one guy had bashed his lens and it had a dint, no surprise it didn't work ! There were 3 zoom issues in total and one (not the one who bashed his lens!) you linked to had this lens replaced with a new one.
However also note that the industry failure rate (returns for issues) for cameras/lenses, from all 4 top manufacturers, is between 3 & 7%.
And there's a major point worth noting here, Tamron give a SIX year guarantee on their lenses, compared to Sony's paltry one year.
p.1 #14 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
Frogfish wrote:
So not on FM then. I checked those out - one guy had bashed his lens and it had a dint, no surprise it didn't work ! There were 3 zoom issues in total and one (not the one who bashed his lens!) you linked to had this lens replaced with a new one.
However also note that the industry failure rate (returns for issues) for cameras/lenses, from all 4 top manufacturers, is between 3 & 7%.
And there's a major point worth noting here, Tamron give a SIX year guarantee on their lenses, compared to Sony's paltry one year.
There’s definitely some on FM, it’s just harder to search FM for some reason
I have NOT had a good experience with my local Tamron service center. Parking is ridiculously expensive there, and repairs cost more than the used value of lenses. (Repairs are more expensive than canon)
Canon has done a good job for me service wise, both in and out of warranty, before and after I became a CPS member
Sony has done a good job in warranty, I have not had to test out their service out of warranty yet
YMMV though, your nearest service center is probably not the same location as mine.
p.1 #15 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
aCuria wrote:
I have NOT had a good experience with my local Tamron service center. Parking is ridiculously expensive there, and repairs cost more than the used value of lenses. (Repairs are more expensive than canon)
I don't know where you are, but here in the U.S. Tamron customer care and service is exceptionally good.
Tamron's 6 year warrantee is the longest in the industry I believe.
If you join their free VIP program it is even better.
Free annual check, clean and adjust of your lenses.
Free loaner lenses
Lifetime warrantee on your lenses purchased as a member.
Discounts on lens purchases
discount on non warrantee repairs (stuff you damaged)
p.1 #16 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
aCuria wrote:
There’s definitely some on FM, it’s just harder to search FM for some reason
I have NOT had a good experience with my local Tamron service center. Parking is ridiculously expensive there, and repairs cost more than the used value of lenses. (Repairs are more expensive than canon)
Canon has done a good job for me service wise, both in and out of warranty, before and after I became a CPS member
Sony has done a good job in warranty, I have not had to test out their service out of warranty yet
YMMV though, your nearest service center is probably not the same location as mine.
Poor Tamron - getting bashed because the parking is expensive
Good luck getting Sony repairs done on the cheap after one year - buyers of the Tamron will still be whistling in the rain up to 6 years !
TBH I'd love the Sony v2 (I wouldn't touch the v1 it just doesn't compare at all to the v2, being considered one of the worst of the big name zooms). However I simply wouldn't get enough use out of it to justify the purchase so the excellent Tamron suits my needs. YMMV
Hope you're having a lovely Xmas !
NB. I always find search results through Google (quoting 'Fred Miranda' in your search string) gets FAR better results than using the FM search function.
p.1 #17 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
My experience was gathered on two Sony A7R2 bodies.
What I liked my brand new Tamrons 70-180/2.8 for:
-size
-weight
-price
What I disliked my brand new Tamrons 70-180/2.8 for:
- 3 brand new,consecutive copies from 3 different production batches I used to have were badly decentered (about 20% of picture's area from the right or the left side was soft) between 160-200mm,so even stopping down to f11 did not correct that
- colour rendition
- overall image quality was not pleasing to my eyes
- missing 20mm at the tele end
- cheap plasticky feeling
- lack of control
- lack of IS
What I disliked my brand new Sony GM 70-200/2.8 Mk1 for:
-size
-weight
-price (relatively)
What I liked my brand new Sony GM 70-200/2.8 Mk1 for:
- colour rendition
- overall image quality in real life
- solid built
- OSS
- tripod mount
- reliable AF
Tamron let me down after 3 attempts because of it's poor quality control.This was one of the few main reasons I got read of my fast Tamron trio (17-28/28+28-75/2.8+70-180/2.8).BTW: Tamron 28-75/2.8 let me down either.Only 17-28/2.8 was acceptable.
I acquired Sony Mk1 I thereafter and it was a very good/excellent fast zoom in real life photography.I swapped it for Mk2 when it came out.
I would always choose Sony Mk1 70-200/2.8 over Tamron 70-180/2.8.
p.1 #18 · Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 (v1) vs Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
As a longtime pro who has shot with all the best long glass, the Tamron 70-180 has been gobsmackingly fantastic for me. Of 14 lenses I own only a few are non Sony. This lens ranks in my three favorites.
