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Lenses

First Impressions: Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2

Anthony Thurston
No Comments
02/10/2017
3 Mins read
_A889603

Last Updated on 02/12/2017 by Chris Gampat

Tamron has announced their newly updated 70-200mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2, a lens that offers what looks to be several significant improvements over the old Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 model. We have been here at WPPI 2017 and we had a chance to play with the new lens a little bit on the show floor? so we are here today with some quick initial impressions.

Tech Specs

Model : A025

Focal Length : 70-200mm

Maximum Aperture : F/2.8

Angle of View (diagonal) : 34°21' – 12°21' (for full-frame format)

: 22°33' – 7°59' (for APS-C format)

Optical Construction : 23 elements in 17 groups

Minimum Object Distance : 37.4 in (0.95m)

Maximum Magnification Ratio : 1:6.1

Filter Size : Ø77mm

Maximum Diameter : Ø88mm

Length5 : for Canon 7.6 in (193.8mm)

: for Nikon 7.5 in (191.3mm)

Weight6 : for Canon 52.9 oz (1,500g)

: for Nikon 52.4 oz (1,485g)

Aperture Blades : 9 (circular diaphragm)

Minimum Aperture : F/22

Image Stabilization Performance : 5 stops (CIPA Standards Compliant) using VC MODE 3

(For Canon : EOS-5D MKIII is used / For Nikon : D810 is used)

Standard Accessories : Lens hood, Lens caps, Lens case, Detachable tripod mount

Compatible Mounts : Canon, Nikon

Ergonomics

As far as the ergonomics go, the Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2 is about what you expect from a 70-200mm lens. It has some good weight and heft to it (though it is still lighter than the previous model), and it fits well in the hand. A nice improvement for those who use Arca-Swiss compatible accessories is the compatible tripod plate on the collar. This eliminates the need for a separate plate (unless you happen to use a system that isn’t Arca compatible).

The zoom ring on the lens is smooth with a good amount of resistance, and you won’t find yourself zooming too easily nor struggling to zoom in an action scenario–it’s just right.

Build Quality

The finish of the lens feels good, looks very sleek, and lines up perfectly with the Tamron’s SP line of lenses. If I am being honest this is one of the best looking 70-200mm lenses that I have seen, it will look great on any camera you pair it with.

This lens is weather sealed and has a fluorine coating, which is great for you action sports and wildlife photographers out there who will be taking the lens out into the elements.

All three switches on the lens feel good and solid.

Autofocus

As far as the autofocus on this lens goes, our testing was limited to the show floor. But given the situation and the lighting, we felt the lens performed very well. The point to point focusing was fast and accurate, and the tracking was on point as well.

Tamron says they have worked hard to improve the AF performance of the lens over its predecessor. We could not say one way or the other based on our limited use on the trade show floor, but we thought it performed well and we look forward to further testing when we get our review unit in.

Image Quality

Thomas Kettner
We were not able to grab any image samples on our own due to the version of the lens we worked with being a prototype, but we have these sample photos from Tamron. Our own independant sample photos though will come with our full review.

Noboru Sonohara

Thomas Kettner

Thomas Kettner

Thomas Kettner

First Impressions

Overall we were very impressed with the new Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 G2. The updated lens style looks really good in person and we think it will pair well with just about any camera you put it on. The build quality is superb, and it looks to be a really complete package at this point.

Our full thoughts and impressions will have to wait until we get a unit in for the full review treatment, but so far it looks like Tamron has a killer 70-200mm lens option for those looking to save some money on the OEM lenses out there. Stay tuned for the review.

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